This is about the CO part of the trip. I might expand it, in which case I’ll post it to the Trip Reports forum.

Last Friday (June 1) morning I jokingly suggested to my SO that we spend the weekend in Buenos Aires. Much to my surprise, she agrees and says to go for it. Being unsure about the logic of the trip, we decide to wait until the afternoon to decide. At about 4:30pm CDT I find two standard coach seats are still available on CO51/52 (IAH-EZE-IAH) leaving at 9pm and returning on Sunday night at 9:50pm, arriving back in IAH on Monday at 6:20am.

I complete the reservation (my first CO reward ticket) 4h20m before scheduled departure and try to check in. The first problem is that CO.com never remembers my SO’s passport details. Even though a CO agent has checked them at IAH, I have to re-enter them every time. Even then it refuses to issue her a boarding pass.

That problem seems small in comparison to the one I see when I get to the seat map; all seats are full! What the #$@? How did I get two standard reward seats on a full flight? I call the elite desk and the friendly agent looks at the seat map and says that this is the first time he’s seen this in his many years there; all seats in Y and J are filled. While he does his thing he compliments me on the idea of a weekend in BA; he says he thinks it’s pretty cool. After some checking, he sees that the actual number of seats sold is less than the number of seats, so we’re good to go. I try to check in again and get seats 23 K & L. Sequence 496! I guess that’s what happens when the flight comes from FRA and EWR.

We rush to get things ready and drive to IAH through rush hour traffic, getting there about 1 hour before scheduled departure. There’s only one security lane open in terminal E and it’s slow. Additionally, everyone is using the Elite line until right before we get to the screening point, at which point people start to use the plebian line to cut to the front. Argh!

Getting to the gate, we discover that our flight is delayed until 11:08pm; CO51 was delayed by weather in EWR. I check flightaware.com to see that CO is actually being truthful about the timing of the delay. In the end our flight CO5051 departs at 0:01. We get into EZE before noon; still leaving enough time for a full day.

(A day & night in EZE; lots of steak consumed).

After breakfast I try to check in for the flight. Again, CO.com doesn’t remember the SO’s passport details and refuses to issue her a boarding pass. At least we get exit seats (19 A & B).

(Another day in EZE)

CO checkin goes quickly. Argentina confirms its status as a third world nation by collecting the departure tax at the airport, and not as part of the ticket. We wait in a short line for the boarding pass check, then a long line for security (no shoes off!), then a longer line for exit control. Then we wait and wait. Then another line at the gate for the stupid US-imposed security. Our flight departs on time and arrives 25 minutes early. We get the car and I drop the SO off at work.

That was a fun weekend.

Note to others: standard rewards for IAH-EZE in Y seemed to be wide open. EZE is a great value; lots of cheap/good food.

What no tango? Glad you had fun. Any places you'd recommend for food?

We went to a tango show at Cafe Tortoni (US$50 for two including booze). The sale of alcohol there seemed to be illegal, given that other places claimed that alcohol sales had to stop at 8pm (or so) for Sunday's election.

We had steak at Cabańa Las Lilas (US$65 for two; no wine served after 8pm because of the election). Given its mention in the NY Times, we were a bit disappointed. Maybe it was the lack of wine. Maybe it was our expectations. For US$65, who cares? It was still an awesome deal. Note the varieties Semen they have on offer.

My favorite for food was Munich Recoleta (lunch was US$33 for two, including a bottle of inexpensive wine), but that was probably because I was starving after getting into EZE.

I couldn't agree more. I have also done EZE on the weekend. Frankly, S. America becomes more and more appealing over Europe pops for reasons of pure economics and minimal jetlag.

Is there something I need to know about Argentina before I think about going there?

The schedule was pretty much perfect: a 9pm departure (in theory) and a 6:20am IAH arrival. Only one night's hotel stay required.

I could not find any place outside of driving distance that had that kind of schedule. The only problem is the need to spend 50k FF miles per person.

They raise a lot of cattle.