It occurs to me that when I complained about the way we were treated last Sunday by employees of TAM Airlines as we were boarding—or trying to board—a plane out of Santiago, I only offered my personal interpretation of the rules. But there’s to need to just take my word for it. Here’s what the Consulate General of Brazil in Washington has to say:

NOTE: There is no need for a visa if the traveler arrives in Brazil on a flight, remains in the international transit area, without passing through immigration control, and departs on another flight from the same airport.

Which is what I explained to TAM a week ago today when I emailed the customer service department about how their employees wouldn’t (until after much wailing and gnashing of teeth on our part) let us board a flight to Sao Paulo—where we would not enter Brazil but merely wait to board our continuing flight to Charlotte—for want of a visa.

A week later, here’s where we stand …

@scottedelman Hello, your case is under review. When finalized will contact you. Thank you.

— TAM Airlines (@TAMAirlines) February 18, 2014

It will be interesting to hear why the TAM gate agents had a different opinion of visa requirements than the Consulate General of Brazil.

Any bets on how long it’ll be before TAM’s investigation is finalized and we get an explanation?