YVR Cockroach

Had a couple of domestic AR flights last week. They were fine, and pretty much on schedule. Check-in was fast and no dickering for excess weight that 4M seems to make its money on.

No wine even for purchase on morning flights.

Had forward seat assignment (1st or 2nd row of economy) but that may have been due to booking by a local travel agent.

Lanny

Wow flew AR AEP-REL-FTE-USH-RGL-AEP and WOW. What a crazy experience.

On the first flight, the cockpit door of our MD80 FLEW OPEN DURING the TAKEOFF ROLL and we were all looking at the clouds out the cockpit window during takeoff. That was wild...

It seems they are a little bit more wild than most other pilots I've flown with.

I have to say however, the service itself was pretty decent. Actually better than most North American carriers.

I would fly them again as long as they were a lower price. If LAN was lower however, I'd probably fly LAN.

Enjoy!

britenbsas

I would always recommend another airline over Aerolineas if there are options but the domestic flights are not too bad for delays/cancellations. Most of the industrial action that blighted their operations in recent years seems to have abated and, in fact, the latest industrial action a few months ago was on LAN. I have never had any major delays or cancellations on intra-Argentina flights and the service is OK for a short flight.

Your comments about safety are unfounded. Aerolineas has a respectable safety record and IMO is neither more nor less safe than LAN.

EZE-Bs As?

Don't always believe what friends tell you. Aircraft don't have "floorboards" and it is impossible for any "wind" or external air to enter a pressurized cabin. I am not a huge fan of Aerolineas myself but crazy stories such as this don't help the OP or anyone else

YVR Cockroach

EZE, AEP and MEX seem to be a graveyard for old a/c. AR and AU have a lot of old a/c using space there that they may not even use anymore. AR seems to be operating only 737 NGs domestically these days (AU operates the M80s). AR had some old 737-200s that are being stripped for parts, as well as M80s. I think there are the old 742s at EZE because no one wants them. I do believe the 744s at EZE used to belong to CP.

I think I only noticed one long-ish AR delay when I was flying out of AEP. Everything else appeared to be mostly ontime.

Shiva

I'm flying them in January, USH-AEP and AEP-ASU. However, the two flights, one-way, are on separate tickets, with USH-AEP arriving at 1am and AEP-ASU taking off early the next morning. Can anyone tell me if it's possible to spend the night at AEP? I don't really need to sleep, although that'd be nice, but I'm worried that someone might come by and kick me out.

fly747first

AR has some new 737-700s now. When you fly with them, expect massive delays and frequent cancellations. Crews can be quite surly and unprofessional. Meals (including snacks on short domestic flights) are generally good.

starlanet

Had a nice experience last month, flew MDQ-BUE, and yeah late departure but we arrived right on time. In my own opinion, the service was better than most North American carriers, got a free bag with snacks and juice for a 45 minutes flight which was really nice for a pretty short flight (I was expecting nada).

I booked it myself, and it allowed me to assign my seat online or change it later (5A). Other experiences flying Aerolineas were good too, luckily never experienced cancellations and got free drinks and snacks as well. I have to say the service is pretty decent, they have a respectable safety record, and if you fly domestic in the US, most airplanes are pretty old...

imverge

Certainly not better than any Canadian carrier (AC, WS or PD) in my opinion.

The FA's on Aerolineas are very lazy, service even worse now that the government took over the airline.

Their planes are old and the interiors are dirty.

lucycan

It looks like I can fly AR to MDZ either out of AEP or EZE. Which should I choose?

YVR Cockroach

EZE if you're arriving into Argentina from anywhere except Uruguay and connecting within 3-4 hours. AEP if coming in from MVD or spending time in Bs As first (cheaper and faster to get to AEP than EZE from the downtown area).

britenbsas

Neither. Fly LAN from AEP. Far superior to Aerolineas Argentinas and much less likely to face a delay/cancellation

lucycan

Unfortunately its 3-4x the price

Looks like I can fly TAM or AA from GIG to EZE. Which is the lesser of two evils??

EDIT: LAN is close in price but very bad travel times for direct flights. Either very early am or late pm.

glu800

I think everyone's pretty much painted an accurate picture of AR flights, but I'll add my 2 cents.

I flew AR for a couple of legs a month ago: AEP-(RGL)-USH, FTE-AEP, and AEP-IGR-AEP.

The AEP-USH flight was absolutely miserable. Sat on the tarmac for about 40 minutes in the hot sun, with NO air on. Flight attendants opened both front and rear doors on the 737, but no help. After about 1/2 an hour, they told us they were waiting for some "paperwork". The plane was ancient, and honest to god, it was the tightest legroom I've ever seen. Finally took off and the temperature returned to normal after about 10-15 minutes in the air. They served dry sandwiches with a slice of "meat" and cheese, along with your choice of coke, sprite, or water. Food was edible, but not good by any means. And a square baklava type of dessert. I took a couple of pictures that I can post later.

FTE-AEP flight was in an Austral MD-88 I believe. Flight was on time and service was MUCH better than the previous flight. Legroom was more generous, but I don't know the exact pitch. Food served on the flight was a few slices of chicken over rice... the rice was more like dried pellets. Dessert was a very dense chocolate square.

AEP-IGR-AEP flight was pretty much same as the FTE-AEP flight, on Austral MD-88. On time, very pleasant FAs. Served similar sandwiches as first flight I was on.


On a side note, I flew LAN from USH-PUQ, and I must say they are a much more professional airline... service is a lot more refined, plane was very new. And even though there was no food service on the very short 40 minute flight, they came around and offered caramels for everyone. I was very impressed.

I would definitely recommend LAN over AR any day.