Gaucho100K

This topic has been covered various times in this Argentina Forum, and it comes up again and again… so I thought I would make a special thread about it. It may be a good idea to make this a sticky…. but that’s up to the moderators to decide.

It is true that there are various restricted fares eligible only to Argentine residents (it’s not an issue of nationality, rather if you are a permanent resident or not). Tourists that come to Argentina to visit are not eligible to travel under these special fares.

Prices can be significantly lower, although the discounts vary from destination to destination and can of course also be significantly affected by seasonality.

It must be said that while these restricted fares may be booked by non qualifying tourists (either online or through a Travel Agent); those choosing to do so are rolling the dice. If you are unlucky and get a difficult agent upon check-in or boarding, you may be requested to present proof of residence. If you fail to do so, you may be up for denied boarding, re-faring of your ticket, perhaps even fines, etc. etc.

In the interest of full disclosure, it also must be said that enforcement of these rules is very variable... and also varies from carrier to carrier. Aerolineas and Austral are known to be rather lax with enforcement, while LAN has a reputation for being stricter. It’s hard to say what your chances of getting caught will be in the end... but I think it’s important to let everybody know what you are getting into if you book one of these fares.

If you want to roll the dice, then I suggest you either try to book directly with the airlines on their websites, or you can try to get your TA to book these for you. I’ve heard that foreign based TAs tend to be more reluctant to book these resident fares, but I have no direct personal experience with this.

Many local (i.e. Argentina) based TAs will book these special fares for tourists, and unfortunatetly not all of these advise visitors of the potential pitfalls. I think this is very poor service.... while I don’t think a TA needs to lecture anybody on what he/she chooses to do in terms of the rules; I do think that they should offer full disclosure of the terms & conditions. Failure to disclose the facts is a lot more than poor service, it also creates ill-will against third parties that are not to blame for this....

It can be an awful awakening to loose your seat on an oversold domestic flight where alternative connections to your destination may not be plentiful... and all this just because a sloppy TA did not give you all the details of your purchased fare.

In the end... the quest to save " X " amount of money can end up costing " Y > X " and on top of that can end up ruining your vacation because of lost time, lost hotel reservations, etc. etc. I think that all these considerations need to be put on the scales, allowing each and every traveler to make his/her own informed decision.

Cheers,
Alex (Gaucho100K)

Gaucho100K

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austinite123

How do they check for which country you are a resident of?

nytango

They know you are not an Argentine resident. You will have to show ID and you will not have a resident id, DNI or Argentine passport. What difference would it make what country you are from as long as it is not Argentina you are not eligible for lower fares.

austinite123

You could have an Argentine passport or DNI and reside in another country, that's why I asked how they checked.

I guess then the fares are either for Argentine residents or non-resident citizens.

Gaucho100K

As explained above by nytango, proof of residency for non Argentines is usually a DNI, which is a document that non citizens receive after they have completed the formalities to become a legal resident.

austinite123

Ok, so all they check for is the DNI. No driver's license or anything goofy like last gas/water bill?

So then you don't have to be a resident. As long as you were a citizen at some point in the past (and assuming you held onto your DNI, which never expires), then you're set.

rrgg

Well a little goofy... they do make you sing Oid, Mortales while balancing a soccer ball on your head.

nytango

i wish it was something goofy like gas/internet/telphone, maintenance, tax bills,but I dont think that's enough. If it is let me know. I have all the above but no DNI as of now.

You certain DNI doesnt expire is that the document that has to be renewed every two years for a period of time.

nytango

and dance chacarera at the same time.

austinite123

That's right, DNI never expires. You renew it at 8 years old and 16 years old (I think those are the right ages). But once you do that, you're done.

Passport is every 5 years, but now you can renew it at a consulate and it's valid even after you enter Argentina (before you had to re-renew it if you entered the country). Much easier to do it that way, you can have it done in an hour or two instead of waiting a few days for Policia Federal to do it.

Every two years? I don't know. Maybe driver's license if you're advanced in age. But I don't have one of those (well, not an Argentine one).

Gaucho100K

If you have a DNI, no matter how old it may be, you are set. It does technically expire, but I think that presented with a DNI, even the toughest LAN prison-matron would not argue.

Gaucho100K

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smunky

Do you know if the non-resident rule applies to intra-Chile flights as well (specifically Santiago - Punta Arenas)?

Gaucho100K

Sorry, I have no idea how this works in Chile.