The Chamber of Deputies approved this Tuesday (21) the urgency of Bill (PL) 5041/25 which prohibits airlines from charging for hand luggage. With approval, the project can be voted directly in the plenary, without the need to go through committees.
The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta (Rewpublicanos-PB), said that the measure seeks to avoid “abuses” by airlines.
“Wanting to also charge for hand luggage is something that this House will not agree with, and this project guarantees that each passenger has the right to take their hand luggage,” he said.
The text, authored by federal deputy Da Vitoria (Progressistas-ES), called PL das Bagagens, determines that airlines are prohibited from offering fares that exclude or limit the passenger’s right to take hand luggage free of charge.
The proposal also states that passengers are guaranteed the right to take with them one hand luggage and one personal item without additional charge, “such as a purse, backpack or briefcase, subject to the weight and size limits established by the regulatory authority”.
The text determines that hand luggage (cabin bag) must be accommodated in the upper compartments of the aircraft cabin, meeting the weight and dimension limits set by the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), and that personal items, such as a bag, backpack, briefcase or equivalent volume, must be accommodated under the seat in front of the passenger.
Passengers wait at an airline counter in São Paulo – Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil
Charge in force
The vote announced by Motta It is a response to the companies’ decision to implement a new fare category, called “basic”, for the transport of luggage. Recently, Gol Linhas Aéreas and Latam Airlines announced the adoption of new fares with restrictions on second hand luggage, starting this month.
Last week, the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon), of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, reported that Gol and Latam have already been notified to present information on the sale of fares without carry-on baggage allowance and on the visibility given to consumers regarding this measure.
In a note, Senacon recognizes that companies may even be legally protected, but understands that the conduct does not bring benefits to the consumer, and therefore deserves review.
The National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) sent a letter to the airlines Azul, Gol and Latam requesting clarification on possible charges on international flights. In Latam, the measure is already in force, and Gol announced that it will adopt the charge. Azul informed that it will not charge for hand luggage on international flights.
The president of Anac, Tiago Faierstein, clarified that there is no charge for hand luggage on domestic flights, but a distinction is made between backpacks and hand luggage weighing up to 10 kilos, which are accommodated in the aircraft’s overhead compartment.
Anac said it intends to deliver technical studies for the construction of a bill in the National Congress, with the aim of leading to “balanced regulation, preserving both the rights of passengers and the competitiveness of airlines”.
