EZE: Quilombo Total!
 

I arrived at Terminal A this morning to total chaos. It's obvious that the airport is overloaded just by observing all the aircraft that are parked remotely.

It took 60 minutes to clear immigration even though I was off my UA flight before the majority of passengers. Passengers were queued up around the upper concourse even before being able to take the escalators downstairs to the immigration hall.

Security officers were trying direct the passengers queued upstairs (en castellano), into different lines: US citizens, Argentines and transit passengers. Not very successfully I might add.

And of course some of the passengers don't help by not having filled in their immigration forms before approaching the immigration booths :mad:

I get nervous when I know that my luggage has been on the carousel for a long time unattended, especially since there were problems last week with "missing" luggage from the AR passengers that were stranded. Fortunately my LED HDTV was packed in a nondescript suitcase and was still on the carousel when I exited immigration. ;)

One of the taxi dispatchers then tried to con me, quoting a fare (en castellano I might add) of ARS$285 to Palermo just as I was getting into a cab ... I made sure that he and the taxi driver that eventually took me were aware that I knew the scam that was being attempted. I had a few choice words and was exiting the cab before the driver apologized to me and quoted me the correct fare (in writing).

My flight was completely full this morning, with standby passengers not being fully accommodated at IAD.

John

Sounds a bit hectic at EZE. I'm awful glad I won't be passing through it during this period.
What is it with airports and dodgy taxi drivers? Just about every airport has their fair share of these low-lifes even LHR has them. I do like airports which controls taxi drivers and lets you know how much you will be paying before you get in the cab.
EZE taxis are usually pretty good though.

Personally, I love being able to take a train into the city instead, like in Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur. I loathe having to negotiate for a cab after a long flight. This is why since moving to BsAs I've grown accustomed to making arrangements with one of the remise drivers I like to come meet my flight.

Not to get too far off topic:

When I lived in KL, I could walk 5 minutes from my apartment to the subway, take it to KL Sentral station where I could check into my flight and drop off my bags, then relax on the train ride out to the airport and just go straight to the gate. I've never enjoyed the whole process of flying as much as I did when doing so out of KUL and flying on MAS. It was, dare I say... civilised.

Here in Buenos Aires, I've just cancelled all my flights and moved my commitments to January so I can avoid the mad house that is EZE.

^

I'm hoping the "on time" gods cooperate and at least have AEP done by the time I return, in early January. The delay gods actually did me a favo(u)r because I last departed on 31 Oct.

I can beat that - I departed EZE just a few hours before AEP closed!

I was on that same flight.

I surmised the kid in the green uniform who was wrangling the lines wanted to make a separate queue for those pax that needed to pay a reciprocity fee, but when I asked if Canadians should join the new line he was making, he said, "Americans only".

I stayed in my (slow) line until I made it to the top of the escalator leading to the immigration area when he saw me again and said, "Canadian? Over here."

50 minutes later, I finally cleared customs. Viva EZE... :rolleyes:

I think that they assumed that only US citizens would be on a flight from the US ... no mention of Aussies either, or Mercosur citizens who can enter the Argentine citizen/resident line.

Unfortunately this was via one of official taxi companies that have an airport concession, and one of the guys who works for them always recognizes me and says hello.

John

Bienvenido a Casa mi querido Kiwi.... :D

Muchas gracias - it's because ... I really need the miles :D

Rubbish!!

You love the Quilombo... cant live without it... :p

If you didnt, you would have bought a Pad in Singapore, Geneva... or perhaps Kyoto.

:D

My wife and I flew out of terminal A at EZE the evening of 9 November and did not experience the disruptions that others have reported. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:40 p.m. We arrived at EZE at 7:15 p.m., got through check-in at AA in less than 5 minutes, and cleared immigration and security in less than 10 minutes. That left us a little over 2 hours to hang out in a very crowded AAdmiral's Club until our flight boarded.

The departure lounges in EZE are a disgrace..... :mad:

Who could turn down front seats at the cirko? :D

You may be a bit too generous in your compliment.

http://www.airplanefood.net/images/z...pg&w=500&h=375

Canned fruit cocktail in plastic beverage cups. Dee-lish! And Gor-May!