Other North & South America Frequent Flyer Programs - paging Hiddy, paging Hiddy (Argentina)

OT; Mods, please move to appropriate forum as indicated.

Hiddy,

I've not been able to find much on the net nor on FF. As the authority on south american airlines, what's your opinion of Aerolineas Argentinas? Looking for flights BOG - EZE - BCN. Seat pitch in Y? Is forking out for J worthwhile? (Based mainly on increased legroom, not bothered about meals).

Cheers
:)

I'm not HIDDY but I'm sure he'll agree with me when I say "DON'T DO IT"!! Rather than worry about seat pitch I'd be more worried about whether my flight was even going to operate. They have a bad cancellation record esp with international flights and of course their whole fleet could be grounded due to a labour dispute which seems to happen with alarming regularity. I've flown quite a few domestic flights with them over the years without many problems but I'd never choose them when other options exist.

I'm sure HIDDY will be along soon to add his tuppence-worth but head over to the Argentina forum and you'll find that most of the regulars will say AVOID!

I took a few flights with them last year. The quality of the aircraft varied widely - some were pretty ancient and others were brand new. Try to check what type of plane you'll be flying on, as that will make a massive difference. Seat pitch was tight for me, but I'm tall.

i gave up on them a long time ago....i will book only if its the only game in town..

I've never flown them but would more or less agree with what everyone else has said.....very unreliable and from what I've seen their tickets aren't that cheap to even tempt me to fly long haul with them. It has to be said though they have a very good safety record so that needn't be a worry.

Why on earth are you even thinking of using them anyway?

Just some data for Aerolineas 1160 (EZE-BCN):
Running average based on past 30(?) days.

On time: 18%
15m late: 6%
30m late: 21%
45+m late: 45%
Cancelled: 9%
Diverted: 0%

If you're trying to fly SkyTeam, would DL EZE-ATL and then connecting to BCN work for you? The flight arrives into ATL around 8am, so various routings into BCN should be easy, including AF through CDG, DL to AMS and KLM to BCN, and at least seasonal TATL service into BCN nonstop. There must also be flights from EZE to CDG and AMS using AF and KLM respectively.

OT; Mods, please move to appropriate forum as indicated.

Isn't the 'appropriate forum' a simple PM?

To the OP: This is what the PM function is for. Alternatively try post in at least the relevant forum :)

First, apologies to Phil The Flyer and Petrus. I seem to have upset 2 Moderators, which was not my intention. Please excuse my carelessness. In my defence, I did look at the Other North & South America FF Programs, but didn't see anything directly related to Aerolineas Argentinas. My next thought was Hiddy, who appears often on the BA forum. I didn't send a PM because I also wanted input from anyone else who had experience of the airline. Sorry for the inconvenience.

To those who have replied, thank you very much for your help, I appreciate the advice!

@ Hiddy, thanks also to you for responding. I was looking at Aerolineas Argentinas for 2 reasons - it came up cheapest (by a substantial margin) on a search at ITA Software, and because it does direct flights BOG-EZE-BCN. But maybe I'll heed the advice given and look elsewhere!

I see that Avianca claim to have a 34" seat pitch in Y.

OK, I'll just lie low and avoid posting for a while.

First, apologies to Phil The Flyer and Petrus. I seem to have upset 2 Moderators, which was not my intention. Please excuse my carelessness. In my defence, I did look at the Other North & South America FF Programs, but didn't see anything directly related to Aerolineas Argentinas. My next thought was Hiddy, who appears often on the BA forum. I didn't send a PM because I also wanted input from anyone else who had experience of the airline. Sorry for the inconvenience.

To those who have replied, thank you very much for your help, I appreciate the advice!

@ Hiddy, thanks also to you for responding. I was looking at Aerolineas Argentinas for 2 reasons - it came up cheapest (by a substantial margin) on a search at ITA Software, and because it does direct flights BOG-EZE-BCN. But maybe I'll heed the advice given and look elsewhere!

I see that Avianca claim to have a 34" seat pitch in Y.

OK, I'll just lie low and avoid posting for a while.

Evne though you have been a member for a while it might be good for you to read the newuser guide while you are laying low for a while.

http://www.flyertalk.com/newuser/

@ Hiddy, thanks also to you for responding. I was looking at Aerolineas Argentinas for 2 reasons - it came up cheapest (by a substantial margin) on a search at ITA Software, and because it does direct flights BOG-EZE-BCN. But maybe I'll heed the advice given and look elsewhere!

I see that Avianca claim to have a 34" seat pitch in Y.

OK, I'll just lie low and avoid posting for a while.

Don't do that...your contributions have always been noted by me. ^

Is this a one way ticket?
I've been searching about for BOG-BCN fares and IB always seems to be the cheapest. What dates were you looking at?

Hiddy,

thank you for your kind reply. I'm feeling a little persecuted . . .

The route I'm looking at is actually BOG - EZE - GRU - BCN, and yes, it's one-way, in April (anytime). It's actually for my son, who is currently backpacking around Central America. He originally planned to fly BOG - BCN, which was simple, but then he decided he'd like to visit friends in Sao Paulo, and if he was going to do that, why not visit some more friends in BsAs as well.

IB did come up in a search, but with a crazy routing of BOG - MAD and then MAD - EZE with codeshare on TAM metal on the EZE - GRU leg before returning to MAD on IB! :rolleyes:

Thanks for the moral support - I'm quite thin-skinned, and sometimes find internet forums rather abrasive.
:)

The route I'm looking at is actually BOG - EZE - GRU - BCN, and yes, it's one-way, in April (anytime). It's actually for my son, who is currently backpacking around Central America.

I see I thought it was for you.

Send him on AR then...good character building exercise for him if nothing else. :D
I have heard they have quite a decent seat pitch on some of their long haul aircraft. Just tell him to take some extra food and drink with him so he can be self sufficient if anything goes wrong......a trip report would also be very interesting. ^

OK, thanks. Seems to be a reasonable option as punctuality is of no importance! And the safety record is reassuring.

I'll pass on the advice regarding additional comestibles, and request a trip report. Might be amusing.

As a relatively infrequent flyer myself, my own next trip is in June, a week in Singapore. Cheapest J seat out of Spain seems to be on Qatar ex MAD. OOOppss! Wrong forum.
;)

OK, thanks. Seems to be a reasonable option as punctuality is of no importance! And the safety record is reassuring.

I'll pass on the advice regarding additional comestibles, and request a trip report. Might be amusing.

As a relatively infrequent flyer myself, my own next trip is in June, a week in Singapore. Cheapest J seat out of Spain seems to be on Qatar ex MAD. OOOppss! Wrong forum.
;)

Finally he gets it = etiquette :D