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If you collect miles, this could be great news, since a bill aims to prevent airlines from keeping customers’ miles. In other words, if the new bill passes, there will be no expiration date for these credits.
Celso Russomanno (Republicanos-SP) and Odair Cunha (PT-MG) are the lawmakers who authored the bill. Although it already exists, there is still no date scheduled for the vote in the Consumer Protection Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.
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About the airline miles bill
It is important to highlight that the newly approved bill will not only prevent points from expiring, but will also regulate the direct sale of miles. Currently, it is still not possible to sell miles this way, so this could be quite beneficial.
Thus, according to Russomanno, the idea is to ensure that consumers own their own miles. Currently, if a consumer does not use miles from the rewards program, the airline makes them available for sale, but the consumer does not have the same right—that is, to sell their own miles.
Still according to the congressman, the bill should be approved by the chamber, since opposition lawmakers reacted positively.
Losses for consumers
Russomanno pointed out that, according to the Central Bank, 39.2 billion miles expired in 2022. This figure is equivalent to 2.45 million airline tickets.
The congressman stated that large companies earn around three billion reais from this type of situation. Thus, approximately 100,000 consumers suffer losses, since they could have sold the miles if this were permitted.
What does Abear (Brazilian Association of Airline Companies) say?
Abear was contacted by Poder 360; however, there was no statement. The Association's press office claimed that it does not comment on bills and provisional measures that are still under consideration.
Image: Unsplash/Suhyeon Choi
