Other North & South America Frequent Flyer Programs - Life jacket on TAM

I want to carry a personal life jacket on an internal TAM flight. Their website seems ambiguous as they adhere to IATA rules but say they exclude all compressed gases. The life jacket has a 35g cartridge and is the same as the ones carried by the airlines (I guess).

BA allows life jackets to be carried provided they are notified in advance.

Can anyone help with the TAM policy?

Airlines will question your need to do so and they have the right to refuse. Just out of curiosity, do you feel what the airlines provide is ineffective? I would have thought you would prefer to carry on board a parachute instead.

Going on an Amazon tour and Mrs Greenpen is very nervous about water. Thought it would be better to take a good automatic life jacket rather than depend upon whatever the Amazon lodge may or may not provide. Self inflating automatic life jackets are fairly small when wearing it compared to already filled buoyancy aids that people who run water based trips often provide.

Oh, I completely misunderstood. I thought you did not want to use the airlines life jacket and wanted to bring yours onboard in case of an emergency. I mean if you take your life jacket on and it is packed in your checked luggage it should not be an issue.

Oh, I completely misunderstood. I thought you did not want to use the airlines life jacket and wanted to bring yours onboard in case of an emergency. I mean if you take your life jacket on and it is packed in your checked luggage it should not be an issue.

I thought that too :)

Oh, I completely misunderstood. I thought you did not want to use the airlines life jacket and wanted to bring yours onboard

Great minds clearly think alike :)

I, too, was bemused by this...

Not sure about great minds, but mine also thought the same thing. I am in Brazil and was also wondering how many domestic flights went over water (and then wondered, when I saw Amazon, what were the odds of the plane landing on the river).

The jacket would be in your checked luggage, right? I'd personally not risk it'unless the airline verified in advance that it would be acceptable, since it has compressed gas. But you could call TAM 888.235.9826. Of course, you'd have the same issue on the airline you're flying on to get to to Brazil, so if it's not TAM, you could contact them first. Keep in mind that if you're stopping in other places, luggage weight allowances for domestic flights in Brazil are very low. Passengers are allowed to carry 23 kg/51 lb of baggage That's per passenger,not per bag. On domestic flights, an excess fee will be charged whenever the baggage allowance is exceeded according to the flight class. Its value is 0,5% of the Y fare for the travelled segment, for each exceeding kg.
If the domestic flight is part of a direct international itinerary (just connections,no stopovers), the allowance will be higher.

What sort of tour are you going on? How much time in boats? If you can't trust the lifejackets they give (they will almost certainly supply them, but if you're in doubt, ask in advance and if they don't, I'd avoid the lodge in any event), can you trust the boats? The Amazon, Rio Negro, etc. are quite big, with strong currents, so if the boat sinks I dont know if I'd bank on a lifejacket saving you (and I'm not thinking about piranhas, which are a very small risk).

You're putting your lives in the hands of Brazilian airlines and the tour operator/lodge operator/boat owners (may not be the same as the lodge owner), so the dependability of the lifejackets would not be my top worry, but it's your trip. When I went to an Amazon jungle lodge, I was on a boat for a very brief period of time.

For tips on surviving river trips in Brazil, you might want to rent this movie before your trip: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118615/

Depending on your flight plan, remember to be very clear which flights you are flying with TAM. The government rules for domestic and international flights aren't the same in Brazil. Don't pack anything that can't arrive late in the bag with lifewest as the way to enforce the same rules might not be as consistent as in US.

Anyway, bringing your own life jacket is most likely unnecessary as almost every lodge has lifevests for every passenger...

Just to update this query. Thank you for the replies.

GRU to MAO life jacket carried in checked-in baggage; no problem.

MAO to GIG life jacket in carry on baggege; search at the scanner but allowed to take on-board.

SDU (Rio domestic) to CGH (Sao Paulo domestic) life jacket in carry on baggage; stopped and supervisor called. Told it could only be carried in checked-in cases. Unscrewed the gas cylinder and she took it away.

I decided to take it in carry on in case it alerted the authorities and they kept or delayed the whole bag. The gas cylinder is 33g of carbon dioxide that screws into the firing mechanism; it is easily replaced if Mrs Greenpen is ever persuaded to take to the water again.

The lodge did provide bouyancy aids which are large plastic filled things that are uncomfortable to wear while the life jacket is light and comfortable. No one used the the bouyancy aids except as a seat or backrest. Automatic life jackets are fairly cheap to buy (45GBP, you do not need the yacht versions as they have harnesses and other features appropriate to sea conditions). They also turn the wearer over in the water so they are face-up which is important for non-swimmers. Also if you are unconscious too.

Just to update this query. Thank you for the replies.

GRU to MAO life jacket carried in checked-in baggage; no problem.

MAO to GIG life jacket in carry on baggege; search at the scanner but allowed to take on-board.

SDU (Rio domestic) to CGH (Sao Paulo domestic) life jacket in carry on baggage; stopped and supervisor called. Told it could only be carried in checked-in cases. Unscrewed the gas cylinder and she took it away.

I decided to take it in carry on in case it alerted the authorities and they kept or delayed the whole bag. The gas cylinder is 33g of carbon dioxide that screws into the firing mechanism; it is easily replaced if Mrs Greenpen is ever persuaded to take to the water again.

The lodge did provide bouyancy aids which are large plastic filled things that are uncomfortable to wear while the life jacket is light and comfortable. No one used the the bouyancy aids except as a seat or backrest. Automatic life jackets are fairly cheap to buy (45GBP, you do not need the yacht versions as they have harnesses and other features appropriate to sea conditions). They also turn the wearer over in the water so they are face-up which is important for non-swimmers. Also if you are unconscious too.

I have to say this may not be a good idea to carry it onboard, it may give others ideas if you know what I mean.