Originally Posted by
Gaucho100K
Last but not least, there is the issue of fare eligibility, etc... but that's another game and while everybody is entitled to choose to roll the dice, I will only say that if a non resident gets caught playing this game, be prepared to face the music..... as I say above, each person needs to do their own due-diligence and decide whats best suited for their own personal situation.
I think it would help if, assuming it is possible, we could avoid any muddying of the waters by not mixing up different and wholly unrelated issues.
The question of what fares a non-resident is entitled to is wholly unrelated to the question of which means of payment can be used by a non-resident for a domestic air ticket (regardless of the fare used for that ticket).
On the question of fare eligibility, I think that the issues and answers are reasonably clear:
Qa1: Are residents eligible for domestic low fare categories sold on the Argentinian version of LA or AR but not in the other international versions of those sites?
Aa1: Quite clearly and resolutely: NO. Both websites make that 100% crystal clear.
Qa2: Are there ways for non-residents to get around that prohibition?
Aa2: Yes in certain circumstances. These are documented elsewhere. But let us be clear that these are get-arounds rather than exceptions: in other words, you are doing something that you are not supposed to do by doing it.
Qa3: Are those getarounds entirely foolproof and without any risk whatsoever?
Aa3: No.
Qa4: Is it ethical for a non-resident to purchase a resident-only fare?
Aa4: FTers have taken different views on this and I am not sure that much light would be thrown by re-opening that can of worms.
OTOH, I am very unclear as to what the situation is with respect to paying for plane tickets and I would welcome a clear answer to the following question:
Qb1: Can a non-resident lawfully purchase an Argentinian domestic air ticket by paying cash in Argentinian pesos?
The closed
* thread referenced above seemed to answer that question very clearly in the negative (see, in particular
Gaucho100K last post in that thread)
David Beach in his post yesterday took very clearly the opposite position and answers the question with a resolute "yes", unless I misread his post and what he is actually saying is: "well, it is not really legal but it is feasible in practice anyway".
Gaucho100K in his most recent post in this thread gives us a "yes but... no but... yes but ..." kind of answer and introduces a distinction between domestic and international tickets that was not in the closed thread.
So, which is it? Is it:
Ab1v1: Yes, it is perfectly legal and you can do it anywhere: just go to a Lan or Aerolineas Argentinas office in Argentina or pay through Pago Fácil or whatever method of pago presencial offered by the airline or travel agent and get your pesos out on the table;
Ab1v2: Yes, it is legal in principle but in practice airlines and many TAs will insist that non-residents pay by other means;
Ab1v3: No, it is not legal and you are not supposed to do it but, in practice, airlines and/or most TAs turn a blind eye so it is not that difficult to pay cash in pesos;
Ab1v4: No, it is not legal and only shady, unscrupulous TAs will go along with it and, by the way, you better work on your finest Porteño accent if you want to pull it off;
Ab1v5: something else;
Ab1v6: nobody really knows for sure what the answer is.
*:
why is it closed, by the way?