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Hand baggage policies in Brazil

Hand baggage policies update

I have completed a couple trips to the Pantanal on this new 2019 season and thought it would be nice to post an update on the “new” hand baggage policies, posted earlier on this blog.

Contrary to what was said in the media, on none of these trips no one checked the weight or the measurements of my bags, although they were under the new limits, so I wasn’t nervous about that. I didn’t see any other people having their bags weighted either. It feels to me that they will notice much more a bag well over the size and obviously extremelly heavy, otherwise you should be fine, even if you are slightly above the weight limit.

Here’s what I was carrying as hand baggage on these flights:

Hand baggage policies in Brazil

One Lowepro Flipside 400AW II backpack with the following contents, weighting in right under the 10 kg limit:

  • One DSLR camera body and a 300mm f/2.8
  • 24-70mm lens
  • Teleconverter
  • SB-910 speedlight
  • 10×42 binocular
  • 14″ notebook
  • Bluetooth speaker
  • Two Pocket Wizard remote controls
  • Miscellaneous items like spare batteries, small flashlight, memory cards, etc.

Hand baggage policies in Brazil

I was also carrying a second smaller side bag, pictured above, with a small pocket camera, chargers, backup portable hard drive, cables, two handset radios, etc. This side bag could also be used to carry, for example, a second camera body and/or another lens. This bag was weighting approximately 3 kg.

On my main bag I was carrying my clothes, personal items, a tripod, tripod ball head, other chargers, etc. My main bag weighted around 15 kg.

I hope this clarifies the situation and helps you when choosing what to bring and how. As always, contact me if you have doubts and want my opinion.

 

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Hand baggage policies in Brazil

From now on all airlines at the major airports (including São Paulo Int’l) will strictly measure and weight the hand bags from all passengers. While the rules are the same as before (international standards), now it seems that they will enforce it more. Here are the rules, pay attention to see if your hand bags are ok, otherwise they will probably have to be checked in (for an extra fee).

Here’s what is allowed per passenger:

  • One hand bag of 10kg max, with the measurements below:hand bags
  • One smaller backpack, notebook bag or purse with personal items, with the measurements below. While they don’t mention a specific maximum weight of this second bag, it’s wise to avoid it from being too heavy, say over 5 kg:

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I know it can be difficult to meet these demands with heavy photo equipment, but try to bring the essential on the hand bag (like cameras and lenses) and other equipment not so sensitive can go on the checked bag. Also, if you read my past blog posts, you will find a series of recommendations on what to bring and in what quantities. Most people end up bringing way too much stuff that they will never use. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any doubts! A succesful photo trip starts with the planning beforehand.