The Minister of Infrastructure, Marcelo Sampaio, said today that President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) will veto the amendment that prohibits the charge for baggage by airlines and classified the measure as “water on beer”. In an interview with Valor Econômico newspaper, he commented on the Voo Simples MP, approved by the Chamber of Deputies on April 26.
The MP was approved in the House as we wanted, but it came with this water in the beer, this last-minute amendment with the luggage issue. Let’s try to reverse it in the Senate. There is no free lunch.
Minister of Infrastructure, Marcelo Sampaio
The minister says that the amendment would cause an increase in the value of the air ticket. “If you used to pay R$ 60 to check a suitcase, and now it’s supposed to be free, how is that part of the basement that was being sold? Someone will have to pay. It will be prorated by all passengers and the ticket ends up going up because, new, no free luggage”.
In a session on April 26, deputy Perpétua Almeida (PCdoB – AC), author of the amendment, said that the deputies were deceived when they eliminated the obligation to check free luggage.
“The companies were not truthful when they said that they would lower the price of the ticket if we allowed charging here [à parte] of luggage. Most of this House allowed it, and now all have seen that they have been deceived.”
The amendment approved in the Chamber provides for the free dispatch of luggage weighing up to 23 kg on domestic flights and up to 30 kg on international flights. Today, passengers are entitled to a free carry-on bag of up to ten kilos, to take in the cabin. To check bags, companies may charge for the service.
The MP has the force of law, but to become permanent, it needs the approval of the National Congress and the president. The term of validity of the MP is 60 days, which can be extended for another 60 days. Therefore, if the text is not approved by June 1, the MP is no longer valid.
As already approved by the House, the text now goes to the Senate. If it is approved there without changes, it goes to the sanction or veto of President Jair Bolsonaro.
What does the MP approved by the House say
Named “Simple Flight”, the MP was edited by the government in December last year to improve the business environment of the aviation sector with the promise of cost reduction, rate cuts and increased investments to improve connections with more remote.
On Tuesday, during the vote on the MP, the deputies approved the amendment presented by deputy Perpétua Almeida, establishing the return of free baggage clearance.
“Airlines are abusing the price of tickets, it is not fair to charge for luggage,” Almeida said in the session.
The government was against it, but did not have the strength to stop the amendment from being passed. There were 273 votes in favor and 148 against.
The Republicans, which is part of the governing base, oriented their bench to vote in favor of the measure proposed by the PCdoB. The PL, the party of the chief executive, and the PP, of the mayor, Arthur Lira, and the chief minister of the Civil House, Ciro Nogueira, were “faithful” to the government and gave directions against the amendment.
Airlines are against free shipping
Abear (Brazilian Association of Airlines), which represents companies such as Gol and Latam, says that the MP is positive for reducing bureaucracy in the sector, but disagrees with the free baggage allowance.
“The government was right to send an MP that helps the air sector in the post-crisis recovery from the new coronavirus pandemic, but the change in baggage charges goes in the opposite direction of the MP itself, as it reduces the country’s competitiveness”, says the president. of the entity, Eduardo Sanovicz.
Azul, which is not part of the association, is also against the change and says that the end of the charge goes against “measures to reduce bureaucracy and simplify the aviation business environment”. The company says it will continue to monitor the progress of the matter in Congress.
“Before the new rule, which has been adopted around the world for at least two decades, the value for checking baggage was diluted in the price of tickets for all customers, harming those who chose not to check their volumes. Currently, only customers who need to check baggage on their trips pay for the service”, says Azul in a statement.
