Extra fee becomes a way to avoid problems with hand luggage – 08/19/2023 – Market

Boarding the plane with a carry-on bag has become a moment of uncertainty at Brazilian airports in the post-pandemic period.

When arriving near the boarding gate, it is common to hear requests, over the loudspeaker, for passengers to come forward and hand over their bags before boarding the plane, so that they can be placed in the hold.

Companies do this to avoid problems: if the luggage compartments above the seats fill up, it will be necessary to check in the bags of those who have not yet entered.

This is where the confusion begins: many passengers do not want to part with their items, as they carry fragile or valuable goods in their suitcases, which could be damaged if the suitcases are thrown in the hold without care.

In this race for baggage handlers, whoever boards the plane first has an advantage. And those who pay the most board at the front: when buying a higher category ticket, such as seats with more space between the legs, it is common to also be entitled to priority boarding. In practice, this works as a guarantee that the bag will not need to be dispatched.

At Gol, for example, a seat in the +comfort category costs R$50 more per flight, on a São Paulo-Rio flight, and entitles you to board first. On Azul, the fee is also an additional R$50 for a seat in Espaço Azul, on the same stretch.

At Latam, extra category tickets start at an additional R$100. In the Premium Economy category, passengers can carry hand luggage of up to 16 kg. The change, however, increases the fare by R$812, according to a simulation on the company’s website.

Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency) rules determine that each passenger can carry up to 10 kg of hand luggage without extra charge. However, companies can set maximum bag sizes and charge for excess weight.

Anac also allows companies to limit the amount of luggage in the cabin, for reasons of safety or aircraft capacity. Thus, companies can prevent a passenger from taking his bag with him.

Free baggage check-in on flights in Brazil was suspended in 2016, following a change in the rules. Before, it was possible to check in a bag of up to 23 kg free of charge, on domestic flights. On trips abroad, the allowance was two bags of 32 kg each.

Anac’s expectation was that the change would allow airlines to charge less for tickets. The more weight on board the planes, the greater the fuel consumption, which increases costs.

However, there were complaints that the change did not cause fares to drop. Data from Anac itself show that, at the end of 2015, before the end of free baggage, the domestic ticket in Brazil cost an average of R$ 531, in value corrected by the IPCA. In April 2023, the most recent data available, the amount was BRL 543.

In 2022, Congress passed a law that would resume free baggage dispatch, but the change was vetoed by then-president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

“All over the world, they charge for luggage, but there was an excess both on the part of airlines, because of the price, and an excess on the part of passengers, of taking everything to the cabin. It takes a suitcase of up to 10 kg, more a bag, plus a laptop and it ends up clogging the cabin”, says Henrique Lian, director of Institutional Relations at Proteste.

Igor Marchetti, a lawyer for Idec (Brazilian Institute for Consumer Protection), also questions the behavior of passengers who carry excess items, but criticizes companies for selling boarding priorities.

“All passengers should have the right to put their luggage on top. The companies want to create a product based on their failure, verification and surveillance and not having enough space”, says Marchetti.

“It’s one thing to have classes on the plane, with different categories and services. It’s another to offer false services, which should be the same for everyone. This is totally inappropriate and brings a dangerous logic: it starts to create second-class consumers within the same level” , says the lawyer.

When contacted, the companies Azul, Gol and Latam stressed that carry-on bags that are outside the weight and size specifications need to be checked in and cannot be taken on board, for security reasons, such as the risk of blocking circulation in the aisles.

“The best way to minimize the risk of dispatching hand luggage is to guarantee boarding with a maximum of two volumes (personal item and hand luggage), as well as the prior dispatch of excess volumes”, said Gol, in a note.

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Hand luggage rules

Right guaranteed:
Each passenger is entitled to carry one item of hand luggage of up to 10 kg at no extra cost

But…

• Each company can define the maximum dimensions of hand luggage
• Companies usually allow the traveler to take a second carry-on item, such as a purse or backpack, but they are not required to allow this.
• The carry-on bag can be placed in the hold of the aircraft (checked in) if there is no space in the cabin or the airline considers it safer to place part of the carry-on bags in the hold

Rules per company

Blue
Allows 1 carry-on bag, 55 cm high, 35 cm wide and 25 cm deep, and 1 personal item, up to 45 cm high, 35 cm wide and 20 cm deep

Goal
Allows 1 carry-on bag, 55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm, and 1 personal item, which fits under the seat in front

can
Allows 1 carry-on bag measuring 55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm plus a small bag or backpack