Seat 2A
May 24, 07, 11:41 am
I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get around to publishing a report about my return trip from Ushuaia to Alaska. By the time I’d commenced the journey back to Alaska I wasn’t even halfway through writing the report covering the trip down to Ushuaia. By the time I’d finally submitted that report ( http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=681906&referrerid=6135) in its entirety, I’d already flown back to Alaska, spent three sunny days in Fairbanks and then took off for Colorado, there to begin the first of three $88.00 base fare mileage runs between Denver and Raleigh, NC. On my first run to Raleigh I rented a car and took two days visiting coastal North Carolina, driving from Wilmington up through Cape Hatteras National Seashore to Kill Devil Hills where the Wright Brothers flew their first flight. What a beautiful state North Carolina is! I’ll have to come back to explore more sometime soon.
Anyway, following a few queries from fellow FTers as to whether I’d be reporting on my return journey from Ushuaia, I’ve decided to do just that, focusing primarily on the Business Class flights aboard LAN Chile between Buenos Aires and Miami. However, I’ve just returned to work in Denali National Park where my job requires eight days of pre-season re-certification, followed by actual work, something I haven’t done in awhile. I’ve also got a weeklong trip to the Desert Southwest coming up, so it could well be June by the time I get this report submitted. I’d say bear with me, but obviously you’ve already done that by now.
So – without further ado, let’s get on with the report.
Oh yeah! Pictures start HERE (http://public.fotki.com/Seat2A/adak-to-ushuaia-~-s/page7.html)
Past Trip Reports can be found HERE (http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3931081#post3931081)
April 18, 2007
Ushuaia to Buenos Aires
Aerolineas Austral Economy Class * Snack
DC-9-80 LP-WGM Seat 5A
8:00p – 12:30a Flight Time: :54 / 2:23
During the planning stages of this trip back in February, I spent a good three weeks checking the Aerolineas Argentinas website looking for cheaply priced and well timed departures between Ushuaia and Buenos Aires. Ideally, I was looking for a flight departing mid-morning and arriving early afternoon. This would leave me a leisurely afternoon and evening in Buenos Aires before continuing on to Santiago the next day. Finally, a good one way fare of $124.00 USD appeared, but unfortunately it was offered only on the late afternoon and evening flights. I watched over the next two or three days as the available seats slowly disappeared before finally springing for a 4:30pm departure via El Calafate that would arrive at Buenos Aires’ Jorge Newbery Aeroparque at 9:30pm.
Three days before my departure, I received an email from Aerolineas Argentinas advising that my 4:30pm departure had now been rescheduled for 6:30pm, arriving Buenos Aires at 10:58pm. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause you. Ha! Now I’d hardly even have time to enjoy the hotel. I called the airline to see if I might be able to switch to an earlier flight but was told that all flights from Ushuaia were sold out that day.
On the day of my departure, I had lunch at a nice restaurant in town. An Antarctic cruise ship was docked in the harbor and a group of American tourists from the ship sat down to eat at a table nearby mine. Sadly, not one of them made even the slightest attempt to speak Spanish to the wait staff. Not only that, they spoke English to the staff in their normal speech and cadence, as if they were back home in America. Fortunately for them, a waiter was located who spoke passable English. I was relieved to finish my meal and get away from them.
Later that afternoon, following a walk down to the docks and a cold Guinness in Ushuaia’s only Irish pub, I caught a taxi out to Ushuaia Airport. Although there was only one person ahead of me at the ticket counter, it took a good fifteen minutes for the single agent on duty to finish with him, then take a couple more minutes to file some paperwork before finally waving me over. I was then told that my flight was delayed and would now be departing at 8:00pm, arriving in Buenos Aires at 12:30am. Sigh. If I’d only called to check, I would have had time for a couple more pints of Guinness back at the pub. As a frequent flyer, I really ought to know better. Thankfully the airport had a wireless Internet connection and before long it was time to board my flight.
Although booked through Aerolineas Argentinas, my flight to Buenos Aires was operated by AR subsidiary Aerolineas Austral. The MD-80 was operated in a single class configuration and every seat was taken. Judging by the crowd in the boarding lounge as well as those sat around me, the majority of the passengers onboard were from Germany and France. Seating was fairly tight, no more than a 31-inch pitch, perhaps even 30. As it was now dark outside, I found myself wishing I’d taken an aisle seat. Seats in row one were the best on the plane, offering a good three feet of unimpeded floor space between them and the galley wall.
During the short fifty-minute flight up to El Calafate, we were offered drinks and the ever ubiquitous ham and cheese sandwich. About twenty Germans disembarked in Calafate and were replaced by another group of Germans along with a sprinkling of people who sounded local. Once again, every seat was taken as we climbed into the cool night sky for the two and a half hour flight up to Buenos Aires. We were offered a dinner of … well, imagine beef stroganoff served on rice. It was tasty enough, though the complimentary red wine offered tasted watery and tart. We landed right on time at BA’s conveniently located Jorge Newbery Aeroparque and, after waiting nearly half an hour for my bag, I caught a taxi to the Goya Hotel where a superior room cost me just $39.00 USD.
April 19, 2007
Buenos Aires to Santiago
LAN Chile Business Class * Dinner
A340-300 CC-CQC Seat 1L
615p – 730p Flight Time: 1:53
I arrived at Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini International Airport at 3:15pm and, after a short walk down to the other end of the terminal building, presented myself at the deserted LAN Business Class counter. LAN operates six flights per day between Buenos Aires and Santiago, and the ticket agent graciously offered me a seat on the 4:15pm departure, which I declined. That flight was operated with an A320, but I wanted to fly aboard LAN’s larger and much more comfortable A340 that was scheduled for the 6:15pm departure. I asked for and was given a seat in row 1, up in the First Class cabin of the A340. Although LAN still offers First Class service on its A340 overseas flights to Europe and Australia, for regional South American services the First Class cabin is available to Business Class passengers, apparently on a first come, first served basis. Meal service is per the Business Class standard, but the seat is definitely larger and more comfortable.
I always try to arrive at the airport well in advance of any international premium class flight so that I’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the lounge facilities. While frequent business travelers could probably care less about such mundane things, for guys like me who still get excited at the mere anticipation of premium class flight, the First or Business Class lounge is a great place to start enjoying the overall experience.
Once my baggage was checked and on its way down the conveyor belt, the agent handed me my boarding pass and an invitation to American’s Admirals Club, located on the departures level adjacent to gate 9. After clearing the sizeable mob at immigration and security, I followed the directions on the back of the lounge card and made my way to gate 9. LAN’s 4:15pm Santiago departure was just closing up and I watched for a bit as the attractive blue, white and silver A320 was pushed back from the gate.
Two receptionists were on duty in the Admirals Club this afternoon. While one of them turned away a passenger trying to gain entrance on some type of credit card, the other cordially accepted my invitation and welcomed me into the lounge. I dropped my daypack at a workstation and headed over to the self-service bar to check out the offerings. Hmm… nothing special here – just your basic mid-range spirits, liqueurs and beers. Normally I’d choose a beer but the two on offer, Quilmes and Heineken, didn’t excite me so I whipped up a gin and tonic, squeezed in a slice of lime and took stock of the food offerings. Ugh! There was nothing but a bit of cheese, crackers, pretzels, chips and a tray of cookies. I passed on it all and headed back to the workstation to savor my G&T whilst putting in some long overdue work on the report preceding this one. Two G&Ts later, I teetered out to the gate lounge where my flight was ten minutes from boarding.
Being American born and bred, I’d prefer to see airlines flying Boeing jets but objectively speaking, Airbus makes very good airplanes and LAN’s A340 is indeed one of the more handsome examples of Airbus craftsmanship. The four big engines gleamed in the late afternoon sun, and I couldn’t help but pull out my camera for a few photos before boarding.
The first sign that boarding was imminent came when one of the gate agents unlatched the cord blocking the entrance to the jetway. A crowd immediately formed and surged toward the agent who nonchalantly ignored them and returned to the podium to chat with his fellow employees. Five minutes later, boarding was formally announced, starting with Business Class and OneWorld elites. The assembled mob had other ideas however. During the five-minute interval since the removal of the cord, their frenzy to board had built to a fever pitch and now they surged forward en mass, overwhelming the poor gate agent by their sheer numbers alone. Anyone in Business Class would just have to find their own way.
When I finally did board, I was surprised to see that I was the first passenger to arrive in the small one row First Class cabin. I tried to get a picture of the big First Class seats, but just as I was pulling out my camera, my seatmate and three other well dressed businessmen showed up, all of them talking about that day’s business. Their discussions continued throughout the boarding process, during which we were offered a choice of white wine or water as pre-flight libations. After three gin and tonics, I was more than ready for a glass of white wine. Mmm… not bad…
As we taxied out, saw three classic 747s from Aerolineas Argentinas, one of them still wearing the beautiful two tone blue pre-Iberia livery. Whether any of those aircraft were flyable or were in storage is debatable. I also saw an A340 and a 747-400 wearing AR’s current and much more basic livery.
Takeoff was swift and powerful. Unfortunately, by the time we took to the air at 6:45pm, the autumn skies were nearly dark. So much for that nice sunset over the Andes I’d envisioned when I requested my window seat. I reclined my seat a notch and awaited the pre-dinner beverage service.
Alas, the cocktail service never materialized. The crew, faced with a flight time of just one hour and forty-three minutes, opted to offer hot towels instead, followed by an expeditious dispersal of the evening snack. There was no menu, nor was there any choice. Still, as snacks go I will concede that this was one of the best I’d ever had aloft. I was presented a tray bearing a delectable collection of salmon and seasoned chicken slices accompanied by a zesty sauce, a tasty salad and side plate offering of three types of cheese. Bread and crackers were offered from the basket and I was allowed to taste and approve the ambrosial red wine before a full glass was poured. Dessert was a savory fruit tart washed down with a cup of decent tasting coffee. Aside from the lack of a pre-dinner beverage offering, the service was very attentive, a big improvement over what I received from the crew on my inbound flight three weeks ago.
Over all, this was a very pleasant flight.
Anyway, following a few queries from fellow FTers as to whether I’d be reporting on my return journey from Ushuaia, I’ve decided to do just that, focusing primarily on the Business Class flights aboard LAN Chile between Buenos Aires and Miami. However, I’ve just returned to work in Denali National Park where my job requires eight days of pre-season re-certification, followed by actual work, something I haven’t done in awhile. I’ve also got a weeklong trip to the Desert Southwest coming up, so it could well be June by the time I get this report submitted. I’d say bear with me, but obviously you’ve already done that by now.
So – without further ado, let’s get on with the report.
Oh yeah! Pictures start HERE (http://public.fotki.com/Seat2A/adak-to-ushuaia-~-s/page7.html)
Past Trip Reports can be found HERE (http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3931081#post3931081)
April 18, 2007
Ushuaia to Buenos Aires
Aerolineas Austral Economy Class * Snack
DC-9-80 LP-WGM Seat 5A
8:00p – 12:30a Flight Time: :54 / 2:23
During the planning stages of this trip back in February, I spent a good three weeks checking the Aerolineas Argentinas website looking for cheaply priced and well timed departures between Ushuaia and Buenos Aires. Ideally, I was looking for a flight departing mid-morning and arriving early afternoon. This would leave me a leisurely afternoon and evening in Buenos Aires before continuing on to Santiago the next day. Finally, a good one way fare of $124.00 USD appeared, but unfortunately it was offered only on the late afternoon and evening flights. I watched over the next two or three days as the available seats slowly disappeared before finally springing for a 4:30pm departure via El Calafate that would arrive at Buenos Aires’ Jorge Newbery Aeroparque at 9:30pm.
Three days before my departure, I received an email from Aerolineas Argentinas advising that my 4:30pm departure had now been rescheduled for 6:30pm, arriving Buenos Aires at 10:58pm. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause you. Ha! Now I’d hardly even have time to enjoy the hotel. I called the airline to see if I might be able to switch to an earlier flight but was told that all flights from Ushuaia were sold out that day.
On the day of my departure, I had lunch at a nice restaurant in town. An Antarctic cruise ship was docked in the harbor and a group of American tourists from the ship sat down to eat at a table nearby mine. Sadly, not one of them made even the slightest attempt to speak Spanish to the wait staff. Not only that, they spoke English to the staff in their normal speech and cadence, as if they were back home in America. Fortunately for them, a waiter was located who spoke passable English. I was relieved to finish my meal and get away from them.
Later that afternoon, following a walk down to the docks and a cold Guinness in Ushuaia’s only Irish pub, I caught a taxi out to Ushuaia Airport. Although there was only one person ahead of me at the ticket counter, it took a good fifteen minutes for the single agent on duty to finish with him, then take a couple more minutes to file some paperwork before finally waving me over. I was then told that my flight was delayed and would now be departing at 8:00pm, arriving in Buenos Aires at 12:30am. Sigh. If I’d only called to check, I would have had time for a couple more pints of Guinness back at the pub. As a frequent flyer, I really ought to know better. Thankfully the airport had a wireless Internet connection and before long it was time to board my flight.
Although booked through Aerolineas Argentinas, my flight to Buenos Aires was operated by AR subsidiary Aerolineas Austral. The MD-80 was operated in a single class configuration and every seat was taken. Judging by the crowd in the boarding lounge as well as those sat around me, the majority of the passengers onboard were from Germany and France. Seating was fairly tight, no more than a 31-inch pitch, perhaps even 30. As it was now dark outside, I found myself wishing I’d taken an aisle seat. Seats in row one were the best on the plane, offering a good three feet of unimpeded floor space between them and the galley wall.
During the short fifty-minute flight up to El Calafate, we were offered drinks and the ever ubiquitous ham and cheese sandwich. About twenty Germans disembarked in Calafate and were replaced by another group of Germans along with a sprinkling of people who sounded local. Once again, every seat was taken as we climbed into the cool night sky for the two and a half hour flight up to Buenos Aires. We were offered a dinner of … well, imagine beef stroganoff served on rice. It was tasty enough, though the complimentary red wine offered tasted watery and tart. We landed right on time at BA’s conveniently located Jorge Newbery Aeroparque and, after waiting nearly half an hour for my bag, I caught a taxi to the Goya Hotel where a superior room cost me just $39.00 USD.
April 19, 2007
Buenos Aires to Santiago
LAN Chile Business Class * Dinner
A340-300 CC-CQC Seat 1L
615p – 730p Flight Time: 1:53
I arrived at Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini International Airport at 3:15pm and, after a short walk down to the other end of the terminal building, presented myself at the deserted LAN Business Class counter. LAN operates six flights per day between Buenos Aires and Santiago, and the ticket agent graciously offered me a seat on the 4:15pm departure, which I declined. That flight was operated with an A320, but I wanted to fly aboard LAN’s larger and much more comfortable A340 that was scheduled for the 6:15pm departure. I asked for and was given a seat in row 1, up in the First Class cabin of the A340. Although LAN still offers First Class service on its A340 overseas flights to Europe and Australia, for regional South American services the First Class cabin is available to Business Class passengers, apparently on a first come, first served basis. Meal service is per the Business Class standard, but the seat is definitely larger and more comfortable.
I always try to arrive at the airport well in advance of any international premium class flight so that I’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the lounge facilities. While frequent business travelers could probably care less about such mundane things, for guys like me who still get excited at the mere anticipation of premium class flight, the First or Business Class lounge is a great place to start enjoying the overall experience.
Once my baggage was checked and on its way down the conveyor belt, the agent handed me my boarding pass and an invitation to American’s Admirals Club, located on the departures level adjacent to gate 9. After clearing the sizeable mob at immigration and security, I followed the directions on the back of the lounge card and made my way to gate 9. LAN’s 4:15pm Santiago departure was just closing up and I watched for a bit as the attractive blue, white and silver A320 was pushed back from the gate.
Two receptionists were on duty in the Admirals Club this afternoon. While one of them turned away a passenger trying to gain entrance on some type of credit card, the other cordially accepted my invitation and welcomed me into the lounge. I dropped my daypack at a workstation and headed over to the self-service bar to check out the offerings. Hmm… nothing special here – just your basic mid-range spirits, liqueurs and beers. Normally I’d choose a beer but the two on offer, Quilmes and Heineken, didn’t excite me so I whipped up a gin and tonic, squeezed in a slice of lime and took stock of the food offerings. Ugh! There was nothing but a bit of cheese, crackers, pretzels, chips and a tray of cookies. I passed on it all and headed back to the workstation to savor my G&T whilst putting in some long overdue work on the report preceding this one. Two G&Ts later, I teetered out to the gate lounge where my flight was ten minutes from boarding.
Being American born and bred, I’d prefer to see airlines flying Boeing jets but objectively speaking, Airbus makes very good airplanes and LAN’s A340 is indeed one of the more handsome examples of Airbus craftsmanship. The four big engines gleamed in the late afternoon sun, and I couldn’t help but pull out my camera for a few photos before boarding.
The first sign that boarding was imminent came when one of the gate agents unlatched the cord blocking the entrance to the jetway. A crowd immediately formed and surged toward the agent who nonchalantly ignored them and returned to the podium to chat with his fellow employees. Five minutes later, boarding was formally announced, starting with Business Class and OneWorld elites. The assembled mob had other ideas however. During the five-minute interval since the removal of the cord, their frenzy to board had built to a fever pitch and now they surged forward en mass, overwhelming the poor gate agent by their sheer numbers alone. Anyone in Business Class would just have to find their own way.
When I finally did board, I was surprised to see that I was the first passenger to arrive in the small one row First Class cabin. I tried to get a picture of the big First Class seats, but just as I was pulling out my camera, my seatmate and three other well dressed businessmen showed up, all of them talking about that day’s business. Their discussions continued throughout the boarding process, during which we were offered a choice of white wine or water as pre-flight libations. After three gin and tonics, I was more than ready for a glass of white wine. Mmm… not bad…
As we taxied out, saw three classic 747s from Aerolineas Argentinas, one of them still wearing the beautiful two tone blue pre-Iberia livery. Whether any of those aircraft were flyable or were in storage is debatable. I also saw an A340 and a 747-400 wearing AR’s current and much more basic livery.
Takeoff was swift and powerful. Unfortunately, by the time we took to the air at 6:45pm, the autumn skies were nearly dark. So much for that nice sunset over the Andes I’d envisioned when I requested my window seat. I reclined my seat a notch and awaited the pre-dinner beverage service.
Alas, the cocktail service never materialized. The crew, faced with a flight time of just one hour and forty-three minutes, opted to offer hot towels instead, followed by an expeditious dispersal of the evening snack. There was no menu, nor was there any choice. Still, as snacks go I will concede that this was one of the best I’d ever had aloft. I was presented a tray bearing a delectable collection of salmon and seasoned chicken slices accompanied by a zesty sauce, a tasty salad and side plate offering of three types of cheese. Bread and crackers were offered from the basket and I was allowed to taste and approve the ambrosial red wine before a full glass was poured. Dessert was a savory fruit tart washed down with a cup of decent tasting coffee. Aside from the lack of a pre-dinner beverage offering, the service was very attentive, a big improvement over what I received from the crew on my inbound flight three weeks ago.
Over all, this was a very pleasant flight.