dg4255

I decided to take a summer vacation to a cooler climate as , of course, the seasons are reversed in Argentina from Europe. I will include the hotel reports as well. And post the pics when I have uploaded them

8 Aug 2007 – Air France 1927 Venice Marco Polo –Paris Charles de Gaulle Seat 1C
Scheduled Departure 555pm – Actual Departure 555pm
Scheduled Arrival 745pm – Actual Arrival 730pm
Airbus A320
I arrived at the airport a bit early for check-in, but this just gave me an excuse to have an espresso and enjoy some people watching. The amazing things you see people do! Never a bore. I had checked in online as Air France now gives passengers that do online check-in some extra kilos for checked luggage and I was going to need those few extra kilos as I always overpack and wanted to bring some prosecco from my area of Italy to Gaucho100K. Air France C class pax are allowed access to the Alitalia lounge. However, as VCE is my home airport, if you registeryour flights online with their Il Milione program, after a certain number of entries, you receive complimentary membership to this private club. It allows for free access to the Marco Polo Lounge, discounted parking, special security lane only for Il Milione members, discounts in all of the airport shops, free luggage wrapping and insurance, free wireless, etc. The Marco Polo Lounge is MUCH nicer than the Alitalia lounge. With a staffed bar and a large outdoor terrace where one can stand 4 levels above the apron/runway and do some plane spotting, breathe in the smell of Jet A all while having a beautiful view of Venice just beyond the runway.
Upon boarding, two FA’s and the pilot welcomed passengers on board. Only 3 rows of C class on this aircraft and with 5 pax total. Pre-departure drinks (champagne, orange juice, and water) served by our Classe Affaires FA, Stéphane. He actually looked me in the eye and smiled when offering the tray of beverages. Nice touch! Four crewmembers, including an Irish lass as our chef de cabine, did the pre-flight announcements and we were cleared for takeoff. Due to some really nasty weather in the area, the turbulence was terrible and cabin service was delayed until about 40 minutes into the 1h20m flight. Small snack containing a piece of bread with salmon and dill, zucchini tartlette, dried beef and crème fraise in a puff pastry, and an apple strudel slice were accompanied by glass of Médoc. Service was fantastic. Stéphane was awesome. Nice start to the trip.
Then there is the new lounge in the S3. Upon entering, I was asked in French if I speak French. I like that. I am not a man that appreciates assumptions. When I reply in French that I do speak French, she spoke English to me. Ummm.. Ok. Well, whatever. No wireless yet.. Food consisted of some packaged salty stuff, some sliced cheeses, small cups of chopped fruit, choice of tuna/basil – egg/tomato – smoked ham/pesto on baguette slices. Not impressed. Drinks are self-serve. Lounge is very spacious. Bathroom doors open the opposite direction than any other door on the planet which was kinda weird. I mean, usually pull to go in, push to go out, right? Wrong. Just something I noticed. Not a big deal, but just struck me as odd. Several men seemed to need to use the bathroom, but after giving a tug to the door, assumed it was locked. Kinda funny actually. Bathrooms are clean and large. Wish they had air dryers as I am not fond of fabric towels on a rolling dispenser.

Air France 420 Paris Charles de Gaulle – Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini Int’l Seat 3B
Scheduled Departure 1115pm – Actual Departure 115am
Scheduled Arrival – 750am+1 – Actual Arrival 934am+1
Boeing 777-200 changed to Boeing 777-300ER
Well, this is where it gets a little frustrating. Boarding time rolled around. Went through the C class line, got to the jetway, and waited. And waited. And waited. About 30 minutes later, a woman popped her head out of the plane and said that there was an unfixable mechanical problem with the plane and we would have to go back to the gate area. After they unboarded us in the computers and I went back to the lounge with the rest of the F/C pax, we just waited some more. Finally at 1155pm, they said they had found another plane and we would be taken to it. So, instead of using the jetbridge, we took buses and I swore we were going to drive to Buenos Aires. It was easily a 15 minute ride. Then we parked outside of the new plane and had
to wait. Many pax were getting very restless and there were 3 screaming babies on the bus. It was just not fun. They wouldn’t even open the doors so we could get some air. After about 20 minutes of waiting, we were finally allowed to board. However, it wasn’t another 777-200, but instead a 777-300ER. I was shown to set 3B and settled in. Now, I am only 5’8” (1m73), butthis seat when laid into the sleeping position is not so comfortable. Perhaps in a non-bulkhead row, I would not have continually had my feet squished into the bulkhead wall. I can only imagine the discomfort of a taller person. However, for sitting, the seat was quite nice and I found it very comfortable. I was seated next to a Uruguayan businessman who lives in Italy, so struck up a friendly conversation in Italian, which prompted a change in FA’s for us. A very dapper looking young male FA came over and introduced himself in Italian, said he was originally from Torino and that he would be serving us for the flight. Previously, we had a young French woman. Towards the end of the flight, the Purser came over and thanked us for choosing Air France and let us know she had heard us speaking in Italian and wanted to make sure we were served well by our Italian FA. Nice touch. Certainly wasn’t necessary as I am a native English and native French speaker (being Québécois), but was a nice thought. First, we had pre-departure champagne/orange juice offered, then shortly after takeoff, hot towels.
Then dinner service started. Here were the selections offered with my choices with an asterisk:

Hors d’Oeuvre
*Duck foie gras terrnis with gingerbread and marinated dried fruit
Goat Cheese tomato cake with arugula with balsamic vinegar

Main Course
*Lamb noisette accompanied by bean purée and sugar snap peas with olive oil
Fillet of cod with scallion vinaigrette, cardamom basmati rice and Chinese-style sautéed vegetables
Fillet of chicken with orange sauce accompanied by buttered sautéed zucchini and dauphinoise potatoes au gratin.

Selection of Cheeses (I did not eat this)
Camembert, Comté, Sainte-Maure

Desserts
Vanilla pineapple almond cake, chocolate pistachio cak, strawberry sherbet with cookies, fresh fruit

Espresso served at the bar Espace

Wine List
Champagne - Nicolas Fueillate Bland de Blancs
White Languedoc – Cigalus 2005 Gérard Bertrand
Red Burgundy – Côte de Beaune Villages 2005 Antonin Rodet
Red Bordeaux – Médoc Château de Villambis 2003 Cru Bourgeois

There was the Buffet set up on both sides of the aisles in the C class divider area between rows 4 and 5. There were little sandwiches, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, drinks, cookies, pastries.

I was pleased with the foie gras especially. The combination with the gingerbread and the white Languedoc was magical. The lamb was really quite good and the bean purée was almost like mashed potatoes. I ate this course with the Bourdeaux which was especially nice. Very deep wine with a full body.

The night passed slowly and I was able to sleep about 4 hours. It is always so strange to watch other people sleeping, isn’t it? From the woman in 3E who literally drooled a bucket full of saliva all over the pillow, to the man in 3D who had his hand in the front of his pants all night long, to the man in 4A who passed gas all night long audibly enough for me to hear it. I am afraid to think of what I do when I am sleeping. I may never sleep on a plane again!!

About 1h45m outside of Buenos Aires, the lights were gently turned on and breakfast service started.
Fruit Juice, coffee, tea, hot chocolate
Fresh fruit, cereal yoghurt

Fresh bakery selection, breakfast pastries, butter and preserves

Main Course
*Omelette presented with cèpe mushroom cream sauce
Crêpes Suzette served with double cream, watermelon and orange preserves

The omelette was good, although nothing fantastic. The breakfast was good, but nothing spectacular. Service by PierPaolo, the Italian FA, was superb. Second rounds of coffee were offered and we landed in Buenos Aires late. One of my bags did not make it. But I was not the only one. They had said all the bags and cargo had to be moved over, so perhaps some of the luggage did not make it. Overall, the service onboard was impeccable. Every crew member was genuinely smiling and without hesitation made the flight enjoyable. I felt they could’ve walked around with extra small bottles of water throughout the flight, but they didn’t. The IFE is ok. I did watch a movie and some tv, but I had my video iPod with me and had preplanned to watch some things I’d downloaded from iTunes.
With the exception of the delay and frustration of waiting on that hot bus (I can hear from FTers yelling "COMPENSATION!!"), the flights were very nice, with very excellent service, good food and good wine. Just get my bag to me and I will be happy.

More to follow...

Meriem

Very nice report, thank you ! AF service can be superb.

dg4255

Ok, so here is the next part:
14Aug - Aerolineas Argentinas #2742 Buenos Aires Aeroparque - Iguazu
Scheduled Departure 750am Actual Departure - It Didn't

In grand Aerolineas Argentinas style, no announcements, no updates, no nothing. And finally, on the remote tv's it showed as cancelled approximately 4 hours after scheduled departure time. Later, I found out the plane we were supposed to be on was at the International airport and for some reason the pilot refused to fly it the 10 mins to Aeroparque. No clue what was happening. So, we rebooked for the next day.

15 Aug - Aerolineas Argentinas #2742 C Class - Seat 1C
Scheduled Departure - 750am - Actual Departure - 830am
Scheduled Arrival - 920am - Actual Arrival - 1000am
Aircraft - MD83

Ummmm.. Not sure where to begin with this. I love Argentina, but this airline is a pathetic excuse for a transportation company. Business class is called Club Condor. But according to the wall behind the check-in counter, it's C ub Cond r. Looks like the L and O have been missing for a looooong time. That's not the only thing missing. The plane was absolutely filthy. Boarding was chaotic. Flight attendants were snobby and obnoxious. Was giving a glass of orange "juice". Tasted like Tang though and I don't think there was any juice in it. Then was given a mint. After take off, a strange sandwich of sorts was almost thrown at me. It was like 2 used kitchen sponges (bread) with cat food inbetween and a really really really overcooked hard boiled egg sliced and mushed in with the cat food.
The flight landed and I was happy to get off that plane. The seats are filthy and hard. The legroom is terrible. This is a miserable airline.

Aerolineas Argentinas 1729 C Class - Seat 1B
Scheduled Departure 430pm - Actual Departure 540pm
Scheduled Arrival 620pm - Actual Arrival 750pm
Aircraft 737-200

Uggggghhh. Another Aerolineas Argentinas flight. Nicer flight attendants, that's for sure. Same crappy flithy plane and crappy seat. Filthy filthy filthy. Falling apart filthy. Was given the same "sandwich" we had on the outbound flight, minus the overcooked hardboiled egg slices. So, in effect, it was just two used kitchen sponges with cat food inbetween.

For $733 per person in C ub Cond r, it just isn't worth it. Fly LAN if you can. No C class, but an A320 with AA miles to earn. Just avoid Aerolineas at all costs.

HIDDY

Enjoying your report so far.^

The only people who seem to have a good word for Aerolineas Argentinas are Argentine and I would avoid flying with them if possible. Last time I flew from Aeroparque to Iguazu was with Lapa and liked the experience but not sure if they exist anymore.
Look forward to the pics.

dg4255

16 August - AA 943 Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini - Montevideo Carrasco Int'l C Class - Seat 4B
Scheduled Departure 1120am - Actual Departure - 1145am
Scheduled Arrival 1205pm - Actual Arrival - 1210pm
Aircraft - 767-300

Check-in was a nightmare. First, got the hard grilling that is normally reserved for US bound passengers. I mean, this flight ends in MVD. It doesn't continue until MUCH later the same night. Then, had to stand in line for over 1 hour while the 1 check-in agent served about 10 people ahead of us in checking luggage, doing boarding passes, etc.. No Business Class line.. Nada.. Poor job, AA.. Made it to the Admirals Club. Nice lounge. Really liked the decor. Very Patagonia. Only 2 negative comments: no liquor and who in their right mind considers Nescafe from a dirty machine fit to be served at an airline's private lounge? Was there for 45 minutes. Whatever.
Boarding went smoothly after we were all rigorously searched, patted, and prodded again. GOt on board. Old C class seats, not the new ones. Pillow and duvets in plastic on each seat. Coat was hung promptly by a nice flight attendant. Asked for coffee with Bailey's but was told there was no alcohol on the plane except for champagne. I thought that was fair until I looked around and saw all those big fluffy duvets and pillows and thought, Why in the world are there these amenities for a 25 minute flight, but no alcohol? Maybe, it's just me. I promise I am not a lush and I do like my comfortable sleep, but at 1100am in the morning, it is noon just one time zone ahead and I want my liquor. :-) So, I got my two glasses of champagne before takeoff and was a happy camper. Flight was only about 1/2 full in C and packed full in coach. Took off a little late about 1145am and made it to MVD about 1210pm. By far, the shortest mainline AA flight I have ever had. Our "cruising" altitude was 9000ft. Not that we did that much cruising. Was a fun landing though. He swooped down below the clouds and I thought we were gonna crash and burn. It was a fast fast fast landing even though we were flying into a very stiff wind. Then, at the last second, he levelled out and we landed light as a feather and stopped in less than 5 seconds. Just a really strange flight. But nice, nonetheless. My two friends back in coach said it was the nicest flight they'd ever had. They are Italian and used to Alitalia, so I am not going to really believe anything they say when it comes to airline quality. :-D

jetfan

Great trip report! ^
You made me kind of embarrassed when you described what all these people around you were doing in their sleep.
My goodness, I am wondering if I do any of those things too, who knows!!

Nice to read about the AF service it can be truly great.
I fully agree with you as the seat is just not quite right on the 777-300 although I hear it's better (version 3) on the 777-200.
Pretty bad that AF left some luggage behind (I would imagine the 773 has more cargo space than 772) and in selecting which containers to take along they did not take the priority baggage of P/J Class pax and FB Elites!

Let us know about your return trip too please!

Falco Peregrinus

Very interesting trip report, thanks.The Cigalus (a newcomer in AF's wine lists) is indeed very tasty and a welcome change to the woody 100% Chardonnay that so many airlines serve on board.

dg4255

Here are my reports for the hotel in Montevideo. I will save the BsAs hotel until later as we still have 2 more nights there.

16-19 August - Sheraton Montevideo Hotel

I called the hotel about 2 weeks in advance to double check all was ok. Very nice lady, Victoria, confirmed we had 2 single beds with a rollaway (There are 3 of us in the room. The hotel only offers 2 singles or 1 king in the rooms.) She also confirmed a nonsmoking room which is definitely a deal-breaker for me if not available. I enquired about upgrading to a suite and was told it was only available for Thursday night, but not the remaining two nights. She said she would reserve it for the first night and waitlist us for the other two. She also confirmed they would send a car to the airport to pick us up at our arrival time.
Well, our flight arrived about 10 minutes late, but that paled in comparison to the hotel's car which never arrived at all. After an hour of waiting and doing my best to figure out the phone system, I finally found the Uruguay Tourist Office and spoke to a nice young man who called the hotel. They had no record of a car to be sent. So, we took a taxi.
At check-in, they couldn't have been more apologetic. Then, before I could even ask about the waitlist, I was told they were very pleased to inform that a suite had become available on one of the executive floors for the entire weekend. This hotel is really really nice. I am normally not a fan of Sheratons. But this hotel is really quite nice. Its location is great (with a large, modern, and really fantastic shopping mall attached to it) and spectacular views of the Rio Plata (which looks more like a sea than a river). The health club on the 26th floor is large and spacious with a big indoor pool and jacuzzi. Steam rooms and a dry sauna room are also available.
The executive lounge is nice, but a bit small for the number of people that were accessing it. Seems like they could do with at least 5 or 6 more tables. The food on offer was very ample. Breakfast consisted of a variety of pastries (including dulce de leche filled - my favourite!), omelettes with ham and cheese, scrambled eggs, little potota thingies, mini sausages, bacon, fried ham, cereals, lots of fruits, at least 6 different kinds of juice, yoghurts and yoghurt-based drinks, and really good coffee. They have very friendly staff that were on top of things at all times.
The second night we were here, there was a strong smell of cigarette smoke on the floor and it was seeping in under the doors. I went out into the hallway and the smell was really strong coming from a room about 1/2 way down the hall. This kinda bothered me. Ok, it really irked me. I called the front desk and let them know. They came up immediately to my room and asked me to point out the room. Duh, not that hard to figure out which room it was. They knocked on the door and when it opened, the guy answered with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. There is a huge sign just as you step out of the elevator in English and Spanish (20th Floor - This is a nonsmoking floor). The guy was visibly upset and kinda spouting off in Spanish. They informed him he would be charged $500 to deep clean the room and he could move to a smoking floor. He protested, but this lady wasn't taking crap from anyone. She didn't like his attitude very much I guess because she radioed security and had him booted from the hotel! His wife/girlfriend was not happy and was hopping mad. This was about 10pm. The next day, I had a letter from the manager of the hotel apologising for the incident with a $50 credit to the room for the disturbance. Nice touch and certainly not expected.
I would definitely stay at this hotel again and highly recommend it to anyone coming to Montevideo.This is in a very upscale neighbourhood with a great shopping mall attached that has nightly live music throughout. We saw at least 3 different groups playing everything from jazz to a religious a capella choir. Great weekend!!

dg4255

19 Aug - PLUNA 159 - Montevideo Carrasco Int'l - Buenos Aires Aeroparque C Class - Seat 1J
Scheduled Departure 1pm - Actual Departure - 205pm
Scheduled Arrival 130pm - Actual Arrival - 240pm
Aircraft Boeing 737-200

Made it to the airport at 1130am and easily found the PLUNA check-in counters. They had Executive Class check-in counters, but were unmanned. They had two people at the Economy Class check-in serving 0 passengers. I figured this was going to be a light load. After being checked-in and handed boarding passes, we paid the departure tax of US$16 each, then we headed over to security and finally to the PLUNA VIP Lounge. Hmmmm.. Lounge is a loose word for this. Seriously, crackers. That was it. Coffee, bottled water, coca-cola, and crackers. The lounge is quiet (we were the only 3 passengers) and there was a tv permanently set to HBO. I will post the pics later. Pretty sad. At 1235pm, we were asked to head down to the gate where we boarded a private van and were taken to the plane. I have pics of the plane I will post later too. It was an older 737-200, but they've refurbed it pretty well. It was extremely clean and very comfortable for a short flight. Business class consists of just 2 rows with a 2-2 config. Our flight attendant Nicolas took good care of us. Some idiot forgot his carry-on luggage in the terminal, so we had to wait for a bus to come pick him up, take him to the terminal, retrieve his bag, and return back to the plane. This is the reason for the delay. Shortly after take-off, Nicolas brought us a fancy yellow plate with a napkin and a bag of salted peanuts and asked us for our drink orders. He came back 2 minutes later with a diet coke in a real glass. It was the first time I've been served peanuts on a platter, but it was interesting and nice. Flight landed just a few minutes later and we deplaned. Business class pax were put into a special van and we were driven the approximately 20 feet to the terminal. Why we couldn't walk it, I have no idea. Ok, so PLUNA is a decent airline. The plane was really clean even if old. It was not worn-down inside. It looked like they'd redone it about 4-5 years ago. The flight attendants were really friendly. The little yellow platter was interesting (given it was just a bag of peanuts on it). Real glass for a drink. I would definitely fly them again. If one has to go from Buenos Aires to Sao Paolo and has to choose between Varig or Aerolineas Argentina nonstops vs PLUNA with a connection in Montevideo, I'd say give PLUNA the business. They are certainly more reliable and the flight was very pleasant.