Good service on Aerolineas Argentinas, terrible airport and web operations
 

I'm from the U.S. and flying several times on Aerolineas Argentinas over the next three weeks. They canceled my scheduled flight several days ago since it was on a MAX 8 (glad they did, since there's no way I would have boarded that plane) and did a remarkable job of getting me into my preferred seat on a flight two hours later. Baggage check in for my two flights taken so far was fast and with very professional staff. The planes themselves were spotless and well maintained, and the cabin crew was very professional.

The entire experience was destroyed by airport boarding procedures that are something you might have seen 30 years ago. At Iguazu Falls, for example, no signs as to how they will handle boarding or when. You have to figure out that your "boarding time" is when you will pass through the general shopping and lounge area to another lounge area. Not a single airline person is present in this first area to answer questions, manage the lines and sort things out. In this case, a Norwegian Air plane was departing five to ten minutes before our plane, so a line of about 150 people was being processed by a sole person at the security desk, suddenly followed by their calling our flight. At which point, some people formed their own separate line and crammed in front of everyone else while the rest of us dutifully (and stupidly) queued up at the end of the regular line.

Now you're in the second lounge with no idea what will happen next while the Norwegian Air passengers likewise are quite confused. Finally, the Norwegian Air people head to Gate 2 while we go to Gate 1 which actually is at the same place until you figure out there may be a second gate on the right but barely marked as such. And then you see a sign that has the lower rows on the left and the higher rows on the right. But when they start boarding, it makes no difference. Everyone just jams up to the person who again is checking boarding passes.

So an airline that is making great strides in its equipment and other offerings losses much of the goodwill it is creating by not paying attention to what happens at the airport.

On top of that, it is virtually impossible to find the English language portion of their web site that actually allows check in, etc. (Google only directs you to an English version web site that offers no functions), and unless I missed it, there's only a Spanish language app to be downloaded, with the result I had to constantly use Google Translate to do electronic check in and other functions.

Sky Team, are you paying attention to what your partner is doing?

This is latin culture! No lines, every man for himself.

Thanks for the report. Our family of four will be flying from AEP to Iguazu Falls, then from Iguaza Falls to El Calafate (connecting through AEP).

Do they have any type of early boarding for kids? Also, is there any way to get a reserved seat other than by calling? We are travelling on Delta miles award.

Check with travel agent, hotel, Delta or even Sky Team
 

I'm writing via a satellite link from Antarctica aboard the Royal Canadian Geographic Society (RCGS) Resolute, a great ship with a great crew by the way. I had a reserved seats months ahead of time but needed to have my travel agent do it. If you don't have a travel agent to help with this, my suggestion is you ask Delta or even call Sky Team and see what they can tell you. Alternatively, once you're in Argentina ask your hotel or a guide to help since they know the system pretty well. There's also an app for the airline, but unless I missed it, it is entirely in Spanish. There'a also a web site but I found Google searches kept taking me to a very limited set of pages but when hunting around I found a web site that allowed me to do electronic check in 24 hours ahead of time. Somehow my local travel agent was able to get me boarding passes several days before that. Hope that helps.

Sooooo... first time in Argentina, then? :cool:

yes, my first time there last month, and will be my last time.

Eh, to each his/her own. It can be somewhat maddening at times (trying to cross 9 de Julio during the middle of a corte), but I've generally enjoyed my time in the country.

Quite easy to find it all and a lot of info there, and various services, even flight changes.

Use the Argentina-English version of the site here: https://www.aerolineas.com.ar/en-ar , not the same as the Google delivers but there is a link on what Google sends you to, just change the language.

Honestly they should have the same features on any version but Google seems to send a searcher to a site for booking on them only. I think that's due to having search preferences as English so you get the crawled native english booking site, not their actual customer site which is going to be aimed at mainly Argentinians, I'd imagine.

As for all this last minute shoving, not too uncommon but I'd not be outside security near boarding time in a large or even smaller Latin American airport. The rugby scrum is usually repeated at the first sign of boarding as well, screw all this business class stuff, let's go! Andale!

So one-way in J EZE-MIA is $3,500 that is insane.

As a walk-up fare, or as an advance purchase fare? By itself, that statement doesn't really mean much.

it should be very easy for you to find out if this is an advance purchase fare.

Yes of course,but that wasn't my point.

I was looking for a cruise from Miami and a one-way J ticket back to MIA.

I was looking for a cruise from Miami and a one-way J ticket back to MIA.

Unless you are waiting for a bus!