Buenos Aires choices - EZE
 

I might be headed to EZE from EWR

I've read the other threads on getting to EZE:
1. via PTY on Copa from MIA
2. via PTY taking CO EWR-PTY and overnighting in PTY
3. via ATL on the DL codeshare
4. abandoning CO and taking AA JFK-EZE

My fundamental question is: Under the assumption that I'm happy to burn some miles, what's my best chance at getting into the front cabin?

Also, I can't even figure out how to book the Copa flights from EWR online as a single ticket.

Umm. Also again, is it possible to burn miles for a Copa upgrade to EZE? From the website, it doesn't seem to be allowed except from Y.

The only way I've done it is EWR-GRU on CO in BF, upgraded with miles, and then GRU-EZE on Varig (RG) in coach. I think they just tack the GRU-EZE fare onto your ticket. I was able to book all this thru CO telephone reservations.

Varig coach was not bad at all for the 2 1/2 hour flight. We got a hot meal (steak or pasta I think), free drinks, and IFE. I was able to get bulkhead seats no problem, and got the miles credited to my UA account.

You can do it with Copa but it will require an overnight somewhere (MIA or PTY probably) so it wasn't worth the trouble for me.

Edited to add: Correct me if I'm wrong, but DL doesn't fly to EZE anymore so that's not an option.

[This message has been edited by IAH_FLYER (edited Mar 20, 2004).]

According to
this thread over in the DL forum, DL has announced their intention to start up ATL-EZE again beginning 1 December 2004. Of course, BE isn't as good as BF and who knows how bad BE award availability is going to be.

Thanks for the report on the GRU-EZE flight. I had eliminated it as an option, but maybe it's worth a side trip to Iguazu Falls between GRU and EZE even though it'll be pretty hot at the end of January, when I'm thinking of going. I also wonder if you can fly from Rio to Iguazu and then on to Buenos Aires.

I remember seeing EWR-EZE as a future route on CO's route map a few years ago. I wonder what happened to it?

It's awesome that DL is going to service EZE again. I know CO got as far as announcing intent to service EWR-EZE back in 2001 (?) but they cut it once the Argentine economy tanked. Not a single flight was flown. If I'm not mistaken, the frequencies went to AA.

I did the IAH/GRU run last year, and really didn't like flying TAM or VARIG too much. For some reason GRU is a real pain to transfer through. You end up walking about a mile from the time you exit the airplane to when you get to the other terminal to catch your connecting flight.

I'm taking Copa from LAX to EZE in 10 days or so, so I'm hoping it will be nice.

I don't think you can check availability for CO or NW on the web. You need to call, and then have them check. If you don't want to burn as many miles, you can get a cheap ticket to SJO, and then only use 40K miles for FC/BC on the rest of the trip.

[This message has been edited by Jaimito Cartero (edited Mar 21, 2004).]

I got back from EZE just a couple of weeks ago. My routing was MEX-PTY-EZE and return. I have just posted two trip reports in the trip reports forum (one for the outbound and another for the return). Perhaps you may find them useful for your upcoming trip to EZE.

If you have any questions regarding Copa's (loong) flight to EZE, please feel free to ask me.

------------------
Saludos,
El_Chilango

I flew CO TPA-IAH-GRU in August 2001 to attend a meeting outside of Sao Paulo. (I arrived one day late because CO couldn't get me out of TPA in time to make the cnx in IAH, but that's another story.)

I had a few free days after my meeting, and I wanted to extend the trip to EZE. A very helpful CO agent checked possible routings, including returning EZE-PTY-IAH-TPA and EZE-PTY-MIA-TPA, but we finally concluded that the best choice was to do the TPA-IAH-GRU r-t on CO and then buy a r-t ticket between GRU-EZE. I flew TAM and was extremely happy with their service on the 2 1/2 hour flight, with beverage service, meal, and post-meal coffee or tea.

Because you (apparently) don't have a reason to be in or near GRU, this may not be the best routing for you. However, given the EQM rules on CO, you are probably best off flying CO as far as you can and then going on to EZE.

Incidentally, CO did have plans to start serving EZE in fall 2001. In fact, EZE was shown as a future destination in the CO in-flight magazine as late as March/April 2001, I believe. When I asked the CO agent about it when I purchased the ticket to EZE, she told me that the economic problems in Argentina made CO decide to back out.

As Jaimito Cartero noted, GRU is not the most connection-friendly airport in the world. If you decide to transit through there, give yourself plenty of time to connect both ways. There's not much to do at the GRU airport, but outside of immigration, there's a McDonald's, a few small souvenir shops, and a coffee shop that will sell bags of its delicious whole-bean coffee.

4. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Seriously, if you have-- or can get-- AA miles, I would think the convenience of flying non-stop from JFK-EZE would be a no-brainer, doncha' think? And, any discount economy fare you find will be upgradable on AA.

BTW, you can earn AA Platinum (mid-level) on this one, paid r/t.

Just to clarify why I didn't like Varig or Tam. The service was okay, the planes were okay. However, I've never been on an airline that wouldn't let use an MP3 or CD player during the flight. At all!

I usually read or listen to music (or both), and when you're deprived...

Good point! I completely forgot about that. My experience on TAM was pre-iPod, but I thought it strange that they would not allow me to use my CD player...at any altitude.

Does this mean that they won't let me use my laptop?

How can I earn AA Plat with a single 10,500 mile round trip?

Well, I will have to shlep from NJ to JFK - the last time I did this it took the driver 2 hours.

Actually I made a "hang-over" boo-boo-- depending on fare class, 10,000 miles will earn you AA Plat (fare classes H, K, M, Q, W, or V.) If you book in "deep discount" economy (G, L, N, S) you'll only earn Gold on a JFK-EZE-JFK on the same trip.

Info is under "Platinum challenge" on AA board-- very, very simple to sign up.

Only Brazilian carriers fly into the Brazilian side, and only Argentine carriers to the Argentine side, meaning you will have to transit across the border on your own. I know of people who have done it-- but I personally don't know particulars.


I gather you're purchasing a ticket, then you'll upgrade with miles..... Maybe take a look at travel via Santiago--- you can get from EWR to SCL the same day (well, technically-- arrivwe at like 3am) and fares from SCL to EZE are pretty cheap- like $120 round trip. Generally, though, COPA fares are not very competitive (I'm thinking the EWR-SCL market) compared to what you will likely find between New York and Brazil. It is another option, though.

If I were using purely miles, I would consider this option since $$$ out of pocket is minimized.

Another option: also check connections via EWR ro MCO to PTY.... my hunch is an upgrade will be failry easy to get on the MCO-PTY as it's a leisure market, plus MCO may have availability if MIA does not.

[This message has been edited by Viajero Joven (edited Mar 21, 2004).]

If I recall correctly, you could use a laptop, but not any music on a laptop. Vewwwwy stwange.