Airlines

[Moore]

I'm looking at flying to EZE next month, and getting fare quotes of $1700 and higher. This is getting way out of hand.

Anybody know why flying to EZE from USA is so expensive?

I regularly fly coast to coast in USA for $350. At 2500 miles that's half the distance to Argentina, but only 20% of the cost.

[Gandolf50]

Try Expedia

search on Kayak.com

serach Buenos Aires to Rosario or New York to Buenos Aires

On another note, what compels you to continue living all these years in this "banana republic"?

Internal flights are one thing as many of the routes are only served by Aerolinias. International is another thing. If I can avoid flying them, I do. They are typical Argentine. They don't like to do required maintenance. They had a plane grounded in NY last month or the month before because the FAA would not let them fly until they performed overdue maintenance. Whats worse is that it was not the first time. Their seats are small and uncomfortable and their prices are usually among the highest. I have been stuck with them on several connecting flights and each time there was a problem with being late, or waiting for luggage or something. Maybe I am just spoiled by American Airlines since they treat me well as a frequent flyer and I get to avoid a lot of lines and almost always get a free upgrade if there is a seat available. But that's me, every one has different needs and tastes. I'm sure there are people some where who swear by Aerolineas...

[Gandolf50]

Try Expedia

search on Kayak.com

serach Buenos Aires to Rosario or New York to Buenos Aires

On another note, what compels you to continue living all these years in this "banana republic"?

If things don't get better with the next group of thieves that move into the casa rosada I will be looking into leaving. The truth is I need to unload some more land and houses before I leave. It wasnt this bad a few years ago. Too many losses if I leave now and leave things on consignment.

[DavieW]

Prices for international travel are absolutely off the charts at the moment.

I traveled back to the UK with my son a year ago and it cost a total of 18,000 pesos. I'm currently being quoted 42,000 pesos.

Even allowing for the changing exchange rate that's USD2,500 v USD4,000 FFS!

[Tres3]

The extended discussion of how to buy a ticket on this limited forum only proves my point. If Aerolineas were a well, or even competently, managed airline, we would not be having this discussion. In fact, this discussion would have never arisen. I think we will all agree that good customer service, all customers, not just Argentine citizens and residents, is an essential element of a well managed airline. The simple fact that we have had this discussion proves the point that Aerolineas is a poorly managed airline. Posters on this forum are silent with regard to the many other airlines, many of them state owned, that fly to Argentina. We do not need to go into a prolonged discussion of traveling with a computer, the Internet, WiFi, foreign IP. Addresses, credit card fees, etc. A well managed airline has an I.T. Department that has already figured all of that out. Uruguay had the good sense to shut down PLUNA. Argentina should do the same. Competent management will seize the opportunity and fill the void.

My dos centavos worth.

Tres3.

[Member #3320]

I just did a quick search on travelocity for flights from NY to EZE and not one flight shows for Cristina Airlines. I remember asking them once and they said they won't sell their (Areolinas Argentinas) flights because they have too many cancellations and complaints. Too many problems. Lan Argentina shows up but then they are not controlled by a banana republic.

Try Expedia

search on Kayak.com

serach Buenos Aires to Rosario or New York to Buenos Aires

On another note, what compels you to continue living all these years in this "banana republic"?

[Gandolf50]

Not true at all.

I just did a quick search on travelocity for flights from NY to EZE and not one flight shows for Cristina Airlines. I remember asking them once and they said they won't sell their (Areolinas Argentinas) flights because they have too many cancellations and complaints. Too many problems. Lan Argentina shows up but then they are not controlled by a banana republic.

[Member #3320]

But you can not buy their tickets on most normal travel sites as they refuse to sell them...

Not true at all.

[Albert Punter]

I bought in Expedia at least a couple of times.

But you can not buy their tickets on most normal travel sites as they refuse to sell them...

[Gandolf50]

Confirmed, you can buy in Aerolineas Argentinas website easily.

But you can not buy their tickets on most normal travel sites as they refuse to sell them...

[Albert Punter]

FYI, you can pay for an Aerolineas Argentinas ticket on their USA website using a USA credit card without incurring any foreign transaction fees.

Confirmed, you can buy in Aerolineas Argentinas website easily.

[ElAlamoPalermo]

The law says that all purchases must be in pesos, but I guess that the law does not apply to the government owned national airline unless you can prove that you are not a tourist. I do not live here, so I do not have a DNI. That means I cannot get an Argentine issued credit card to pay for my ticket in pesos in Argentina, or go to an Aerolineas office that will accept cash pesos and pay cash pesos. I must incur the USA or other foreign credit card fees that reduce the effective exchange rate that I receive or pay cash in USD. What if I am a poor tourist who has only a foreign passport AND has changed most, if not all, of his foreign money to pesos? I guess that I am SOL, because the government and / or Aerolineas do not care. An Aerolineas ticket cannot be bought by someone else with a DNI, because the name on the ticket must be the same as the name on the ID used to get a boarding pass.

Meanwhile, Aerolineas gets broker and broker, and never discloses the above to the hapless tourist.

I do not think I will ever figure out the Argentine mentality, and have given up trying in order to avoid going nuts.

Tres3.D

FYI, you can pay for an Aerolineas Argentinas ticket on their USA website using a USA credit card without incurring any foreign transaction fees.

[Daddy Rulz]

The law says that all purchases must be in pesos, but I guess that the law does not apply to the government owned national airline unless you can prove that you are not a tourist. I do not live here, so I do not have a DNI. That means I cannot get an Argentine issued credit card to pay for my ticket in pesos in Argentina, or go to an Aerolineas office that will accept cash pesos and pay cash pesos. I must incur the USA or other foreign credit card fees that reduce the effective exchange rate that I receive or pay cash in USD. What if I am a poor tourist who has only a foreign passport AND has changed most, if not all, of his foreign money to pesos? I guess that I am SOL, because the government and / or Aerolineas do not care. An Aerolineas ticket cannot be bought by someone else with a DNI, because the name on the ticket must be the same as the name on the ID used to get a boarding pass.

Meanwhile, Aerolineas gets broker and broker, and never discloses the above to the hapless tourist.

I do not think I will ever figure out the Argentine mentality, and have given up trying in order to avoid going nuts.

Tres3.D

This explains it. It won't help you get anything done but maybe it will help with the going nuts part. You must accept this at face value, there is no logic involved.

Unlike the rest of the world where the value of goods or services is pretty much based on what a person will pay for it. In Argentina the value of a good or service is based on what you are perceived by the seller as having the ABILITY to pay for it. If one person CAN pay 700 then that's the price, if another person CAN pay 1500 then that is the price. If you pay less, they think you have somehow robbed them.

Once you get this, it isn't any less frustrating, but it does start to make some kind of sense. There is this one chick at Newport that we call Y3K? Why Y3K? Because, well, with a strait face she told me I had to pay her 3,000 pesos an hour, hence Y3K. Her preferred date is an Argie guy, in decent shape, between 23-30 and I fucking know not a one of those fuckers is spending 3 K an hour. I woulda banged her three or four times by now for 1000-1200 but in her mind that wouldn't be 3-5000 pesos she had earned but rather 6-8000 I had stolen from her.

HGL I know you're not a noob here, I don't mean to talk down to you, obviously you know how to handle yourself. It just took me a long time to figure this out and I thought I would offer a "for what it's worth" kinda thing. Mostly because it extends into all aspects of business, they will walk away from a deal with an extranjero that they would happily make with another Argie, rent, services, cars, anything.

[Tres3]

Last month I paid cash at the main Aerolineas Argentinas office downtown at Peru 2 for 2 tickets to Cancun. I made the reservation on their website and had 24 hours to pay. On the 1st trip to the office I tried to pretend I was a tourist, and was advised that all foreigners are required to pay in USD. I returned later that day with pesos and my DNI and was issued the receipt for the electronic tickets within a few minutes.

Go figure.

Thanks,

Jax.

The law says that all purchases must be in pesos, but I guess that the law does not apply to the government owned national airline unless you can prove that you are not a tourist. I do not live here, so I do not have a DNI. That means I cannot get an Argentine issued credit card to pay for my ticket in pesos in Argentina, or go to an Aerolineas office that will accept cash pesos and pay cash pesos. I must incur the USA or other foreign credit card fees that reduce the effective exchange rate that I receive or pay cash in USD. What if I am a poor tourist who has only a foreign passport AND has changed most, if not all, of his foreign money to pesos? I guess that I am SOL, because the government and / or Aerolineas do not care. An Aerolineas ticket cannot be bought by someone else with a DNI, because the name on the ticket must be the same as the name on the ID used to get a boarding pass.

Meanwhile, Aerolineas gets broker and broker, and never discloses the above to the hapless tourist.

I do not think I will ever figure out the Argentine mentality, and have given up trying in order to avoid going nuts.

Tres3.D

[Gandolf50]

I talk to Argie friends of mine and they just don't get this. The National Flagged Carrier will not accept their own currency in their own capital. I could understand it if I was paying for a ticket on Aerolineas in Germany or something. But this would be like American Airlines refusing to accept dollars for a ticket a Brit was trying to purchase in Washington DC saying, "Sorry, we only accept Pounds from you." My Argie friends all say the same "You are Yankees you can afford it" or "YaY, you should use your dollars.".

Then I look at them and ask "how can your government, not allow somebody to buy something using YOUR money in YOUR country? It's like the government itself is saying "Our money is shit, we don't want it." Then they start to understand.

LOL!! Hasn't it been a law now that all purchases in Argentina have to be in pesos? Or is it that the law does not apply to yankee devils?