Members mvan1 Posted April 3, 2015 Members Posted April 3, 2015 I receive e-mails and phone calls from friends who live in Brazil or visit Brazil fairly often. These friends occasionally fly on weekends both from Santos Dumont (in Rio) and/or from Congonhas (in Sao Paulo) to Porto Alegre.During the past few months, even though they travel with a small carry on and use either TAM and GOL airlines, two of my friends were required to check their small bag that would easily fit in an over head bin or under a seat. For those who travel to Brazil, has this happened to anyone here lately?It has never happened to me. However, I will be returning to Brazil at the end of the month and do not like the idea of having to check a carry on bag. Considering how often bags get lost or stolen (or rifled), this new requirement ( if it is a new requirement) seems like a lot of extra work for the airlines and an aggravation for passengers. If anyone had this happened, were you allowed to at least keep your lap top with you, assuming you had one?Brazil is great but this check in of carry on luggage is not great. In fact, the requirement is quite dumb, in my opinion. Quote
Guest tomcal Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Mvan1 , I only do carryon when I fly from the U.S. to Brazil. I am very aware of what size is allowed in the overhead bins and have never had a problem with AA, BUT, the Brazilian airlines go by weightt, so both TAM and GOL weigh your bag at the ticket counter and this is off their website "5kg (11 lbs) carryon". 11 lbs, is very little which is why their planes empty fast, there is only laptop bags and other small bags in their overheads. A standard U.S. carryon luggage will almost exceed that weight empty! :-) Quote
Members mvan1 Posted April 4, 2015 Author Members Posted April 4, 2015 Mvan1 , I only do carryon when I fly from the U.S. to Brazil. Since I have flown over 4 million miles on AA in the past 15 years I am very aware of what size is allowed in the overhead bins and have never had a problem with AA, BUT, the Brazilian airlines go by weightt, so both TAM and GOL weigh your bag at the ticket counter and this is off their website "5kg (11 lbs) carryon". 11 lbs, is very little which is why their planes empty fast, there is only laptop bags and other small bags in their overheads. A standard U.S. carryon luggage will almost exceed that weight empty! :-) Now I see why my friends are having problems with their carry on bags. Their bags weigh more than 11 pounds. Is this a new rule or are TAM and GOL merely enforcing a rule more than in the past? Considering this has never happened to me (being forced to check a carry on), I guess I was lucky in the past. When I travel within Brazil, I usually leave major items in Sao Paulo then use a smaller carry on bag when I travel on weekends to other cities. Taking the bus to and from Sao Paulo and Rio is not much more time consuming than going by plane considering the traffic and check in times at an airport. However, a bus from Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre is out of the question. Tomcal, when you travel to Porto Alegre, I assume you have to check your carry on - has it ever been lost or delayed? MsAnn, flipao and lookin 3 Quote
Members Suckrates Posted April 4, 2015 Members Posted April 4, 2015 I could NEVER travel..... I travel like the REAL HOUSEWIVES....... ihpguy and MsAnn 2 Quote
Guest callipygian Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 I could NEVER travel..... I travel like the REAL HOUSEWIVES....... So, you're now claiming to be.......Oz? Old memory.....carry on........ Quote
Members RA1 Posted April 4, 2015 Members Posted April 4, 2015 Some US airlines are using the "eyeball" check, especially on the commuters, to "force" carry on to be checked. Many think it is simply encouragement from management to increase revenue. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Guest callipygian Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Some US airlines are using the "eyeball" check, especially on the commuters, to "force" carry on to be checked. Many think it is simply encouragement from management to increase revenue. Best regards, RA1 Like SWA with their passenger of unusual size protocol? That blew up in their face and so will this - with whomever is really having a bad day across the carriers using this last-ditch effort for revenue. Quote
AdamSmith Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 I like to travel like George Rekers. ihpguy, mvan1 and MsAnn 3 Quote
Members Suckrates Posted April 4, 2015 Members Posted April 4, 2015 So, you're now claiming to be.......Oz? Old memory.....carry on........ His LV are from China Town..... Mine are Rodeo Drive ! ihpguy and MsAnn 2 Quote
Members Suckrates Posted April 4, 2015 Members Posted April 4, 2015 I like to travel like George Rekers. Either way, there is THAT added Expense ! MsAnn 1 Quote
AdamSmith Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 (Pardon our hijack. To coin a phrase. ) MsAnn and ihpguy 2 Quote
Guest callipygian Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 I like to travel like George Rekers. This. Is Hilarious! I uncovered this story with Zach to bring it to the masses. Unlike it was originally reported. But now, we're really off track. Quote
Guest riosul77 Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 I have had three domestic flights, February / March all GOL, no issue with my carry on. The last few years I have got in the habit of wearing a backpack as opposed to my preferred, perfectly legal, (size wise) roll aboard. The latter, they tended to want to weigh it sometimes. If I am wearing my back pack, stuffed, and over the weight limit, and say no bags to check I seem to get away with it. Maybe kidding myself but have never had to remove it for weighing or check it. But, as mentioned, it is the weight that they focus on rather than the size. Quote
Guest Driver Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Last January i took a sports bag as carryon with TAM which was almost certainly over 5kg and nothing was said. Quote
Members mvan1 Posted April 4, 2015 Author Members Posted April 4, 2015 Last January i took a sports bag as carryon with TAM which was almost certainly over 5kg and nothing was said. Thanks for reporting your personal experience from earlier this year. Based on what tomcal, you and riosul wrote, together with what my friends reported, the issue of checking in a carry on is probably random rather than a new fixed rule for all passengers. I am wondering about the misplaced bag or loss statistics. If checked bags arrive without a problem, the only inconvenience is the delay in waiting for bags to be off loaded and taken to baggage claim. If a bag is misplaced, your weekend could be filled with inconvenience if your personal items are separated from you because the airline lost the bag. Quote
Guest tomcal Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Is this a new rule or are TAM and GOL merely enforcing a rule more than in the past? Tomcal, when you travel to Porto Alegre, I assume you have to check your carry on - has it ever been lost or delayed? No it's not a new rule, this has been in force for the last 3 or 4 years at least with GOL and Tam for the last two years for sure. No, luckily my checked luggage has never been lost on the flights from Rio or S.P. to Porto Alegre and I think I have made that flight about 50 times, but I do the direct flight from GIG/Rio to Porto Alegre or the direct from GRU/Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre rather then use Santo Dumont/Rio or Congonhas/Sao Paulo as they have 1 stop and then you run the risk of luggage not making it. the direct flight from Rio is 2 hrs and 1-1/2 hrs from Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre I have also used Azul airlines(started by Jet Blue founder) from GIG to POA but they have less flights and I like the times for GOL and TAM , they both have flights that leave between 11:00 a.m. and noon and arrive in POA before 2:00 so you don't have to rush to airport in the morning to leave and get into POA early enough to check in hotel, freshen up or take a nap and still get to Mezziniu sauna by 5:00!! :laugh: Quote
Guest tomcal Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 Both Riosul77 and Driver made good points. One thing I have noticed is they never seem to check the weight on back packs or duffle bags that you can strap on your back and I have seen some pretty big ones that definitely weigh more then my rollerboard! They focus on the rollerboards! Mine is definitely within the size allowed in overhead bins on U.S. airlines but I have never once had them let me take mine on board ever and I am really good at talking most into allowing me to do what I want! lol ! and TAM is a AA partner and GOL used to be and I would show that I just got off a international flight and was allowed to do carryon and was told "We go by weight!" mine weighs about 26 lbs. Quote
Members lookin Posted April 5, 2015 Members Posted April 5, 2015 . . . and I am really good at talking most into allowing me to do what I want! lol ! Just a few bare travel essentials . . They should fit right under the seat! mvan1 1 Quote
Guest Driver Posted April 5, 2015 Posted April 5, 2015 My flights to POA from SDU were both via Congonhas in Sao Paulo. I did it in January and also last September. Always with TAM as like Tomcal, i like their flight times and i get miles with them. I did get asked if i had any hold luggage to check and i just replied hand luggage. The changeover at Congonhas is so easy with TAM too, the arrival gates and departure gates are often just three minutes walk from each other. Quote
Guest tomcal Posted April 5, 2015 Posted April 5, 2015 Well in less then two weeks we will know how consistent their policies are! Ihpguy, Driver and Myself are all flying into Porto Alegre on different flights on Thursday the 16th...I will probably be the one stuck having to check my luggage and while I am waiting for it in baggage claim, they will be out the door, in a taxi and on their way to the sauna while I am watching the baggage carousel turn! Quote
Members ihpguy Posted April 7, 2015 Members Posted April 7, 2015 I'm on Azul going from SDU via Campinas Quote
