A day trip to Iguazu Falls on LATAM
Sep 3, 2016, 1:13 pm
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Back at IGR.
14:50.
The LAN check in area was abandoned, which I found a little surprising until I learnt: my return flight was an hour late! And more than that, it had been formally rescheduled as of 11:00. If I had had internet access, I would have seen the email about it from CheckMyTrip earlier in the day and adjusted my plans accordingly. (Though quite whether I would have trusted it enough to be ‘late’ back to the airport is another matter.)
Still, this left me sitting around at the airport for nearly 90 minutes, and as you can imagine, it did not offer much in the way of facilities, with just a small landside café. On the off chance, I enquired about lounge access, not expecting there to be one. To my surprise the LATAM lady said ‘Yes there is a lounge at the airport, but it is not for LAN customers … but since you are a oneworld Emerald passenger, and we have delayed you, I will see if I can arrange something’ (!!!) As all of my LATAM flights have been awards paid for by BA points, I wonder if she knew how little I contibute to LATAM’s bottom line; probably less than the students sat on the floor by the escalators paying revenue fares for a single flight. Still I wasn’t about to bring that to her attention.
After a few telephone calls, including one back to LATAM Argentina HQ (I was beginning to feel embarrassed) she said she could not help, but that an airport representative would be coming to speak with me to see what they could do. Did they think I was some sort of minor celebrity?
This special lounge dragon duly appeared, but it was not good news. My particular colour of American Express card was accepted, but only the variant issued in Argentina. She agreed that this was a bit silly, and at the time I made a mental note to complain to Amex (I never bothered). The IGR lounge had an agreement with Priority Pass, but it was not yet in effect. Alternatively I could pay 600 ARS for access, roughly 42 USD.
I mulled it over briefly: there are very few lounges on the planet that are really worth 42 USD to get in, and frankly I was dubious that an airport in provincial Argentina with only two gates would possess such a lounge. Still if you have been to its lounge, or if it is two weeks into the future and you get in with a Priority Pass, please let me know what you think!
Instead, I took a seat upstairs; there is a large waiting area before security, and suddenly feeling a little tired, I more or less snoozed for an hour.
IGR-AEP
Flight LA 4029 operated by LATAM Airlines Argentina
Equipment: Airbus Industrie A320
Seat: 1A
Class: Y
Departure:1550 rescheduled for 1650 (actual wheels up 1733)
Arrival:1745 rescheduled for 1845 (actual wheels down 1838)
The federal police were inspecting IDs on the way back, including checking entry stamps in passports, quite unlike the ID-less departure from AEP. I assume there is a threat of illegal immigration from the nearby border. Security was easy again and beyond it were two interlinked rooms airside and another miniature café. It took me some minutes to realize that there was a separate room for Gate 2, used by LATAM, since security dumped me in the room for Gate 1, used by Aerolíneas Argentinas.
My aircraft arrived: the same one that delivered me there that morning.
Priority boarding was properly enforced and I was aboard. The same plane was operating this rotation as I’d been on this morning.
I was (un)lucky enough to have two spare seats beside me on the return.
The service was identical to this morning, except they had taken the time to update Vamos magazine to the September edition. Perhaps this was the cause of the delay?
While flicking through Vamos, I noticed that the map of international LATAM destinations has a curious omission: one of the points to which they fly is not labelled. Anyone know why the name of this particular airport might cause such difficulty?
The pilot did not apologize for the delay but he did get us back to AEP pretty quickly.
Back to the Intercontinental.
AEP airport seems to be designed to make you walk the length of the terminal as frequently as possible, with the escalators down from the airside level as far from the baggage claim exit as the building's dimensions permit.
The taxi price had been inflated since this morning to an eye-watering 270 ARS, to be paid in advance—perhaps a mistake of using the first taxi booth I saw, but I am suspicious of hailing metered taxies from airports after an expensive ‘faulty’ meter incident in Sofia. In this instance it may have been cheaper to be ripped off!
The taxi utterly stank of bleach, to the point where it stang my eyes, almost as though the driver was using the product not so much to remove soiling but rather to cover the smell. I also noticed that my seatbelt was secured to its fixing point on the chassis with only an elastic band, but fortunately traffic was heavier and the chance to speed was limited. It took a good thirty minutes to get back to the Intercontinental.
After a quick meal, I fell into bed, rather exhausted. I was ready to attend the first events of the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...05-2016-a.html.
TL;DR.
^ I had a fantastic day at the Falls.
^ If you are a fast walker and a little bit lucky, you can comfortably see some amazing sights in one day.
^ There is definitely enough to occupy you for two days or more, if you have them.
14:50.
The LAN check in area was abandoned, which I found a little surprising until I learnt: my return flight was an hour late! And more than that, it had been formally rescheduled as of 11:00. If I had had internet access, I would have seen the email about it from CheckMyTrip earlier in the day and adjusted my plans accordingly. (Though quite whether I would have trusted it enough to be ‘late’ back to the airport is another matter.)
Still, this left me sitting around at the airport for nearly 90 minutes, and as you can imagine, it did not offer much in the way of facilities, with just a small landside café. On the off chance, I enquired about lounge access, not expecting there to be one. To my surprise the LATAM lady said ‘Yes there is a lounge at the airport, but it is not for LAN customers … but since you are a oneworld Emerald passenger, and we have delayed you, I will see if I can arrange something’ (!!!) As all of my LATAM flights have been awards paid for by BA points, I wonder if she knew how little I contibute to LATAM’s bottom line; probably less than the students sat on the floor by the escalators paying revenue fares for a single flight. Still I wasn’t about to bring that to her attention.
After a few telephone calls, including one back to LATAM Argentina HQ (I was beginning to feel embarrassed) she said she could not help, but that an airport representative would be coming to speak with me to see what they could do. Did they think I was some sort of minor celebrity?
This special lounge dragon duly appeared, but it was not good news. My particular colour of American Express card was accepted, but only the variant issued in Argentina. She agreed that this was a bit silly, and at the time I made a mental note to complain to Amex (I never bothered). The IGR lounge had an agreement with Priority Pass, but it was not yet in effect. Alternatively I could pay 600 ARS for access, roughly 42 USD.
I mulled it over briefly: there are very few lounges on the planet that are really worth 42 USD to get in, and frankly I was dubious that an airport in provincial Argentina with only two gates would possess such a lounge. Still if you have been to its lounge, or if it is two weeks into the future and you get in with a Priority Pass, please let me know what you think!
Instead, I took a seat upstairs; there is a large waiting area before security, and suddenly feeling a little tired, I more or less snoozed for an hour.
IGR-AEP
Flight LA 4029 operated by LATAM Airlines Argentina
Equipment: Airbus Industrie A320
Seat: 1A
Class: Y
Departure:
Arrival:
The federal police were inspecting IDs on the way back, including checking entry stamps in passports, quite unlike the ID-less departure from AEP. I assume there is a threat of illegal immigration from the nearby border. Security was easy again and beyond it were two interlinked rooms airside and another miniature café. It took me some minutes to realize that there was a separate room for Gate 2, used by LATAM, since security dumped me in the room for Gate 1, used by Aerolíneas Argentinas.
My aircraft arrived: the same one that delivered me there that morning.
Priority boarding was properly enforced and I was aboard. The same plane was operating this rotation as I’d been on this morning.
I was (un)lucky enough to have two spare seats beside me on the return.
The service was identical to this morning, except they had taken the time to update Vamos magazine to the September edition. Perhaps this was the cause of the delay?
While flicking through Vamos, I noticed that the map of international LATAM destinations has a curious omission: one of the points to which they fly is not labelled. Anyone know why the name of this particular airport might cause such difficulty?
The pilot did not apologize for the delay but he did get us back to AEP pretty quickly.
Back to the Intercontinental.
AEP airport seems to be designed to make you walk the length of the terminal as frequently as possible, with the escalators down from the airside level as far from the baggage claim exit as the building's dimensions permit.
The taxi price had been inflated since this morning to an eye-watering 270 ARS, to be paid in advance—perhaps a mistake of using the first taxi booth I saw, but I am suspicious of hailing metered taxies from airports after an expensive ‘faulty’ meter incident in Sofia. In this instance it may have been cheaper to be ripped off!
The taxi utterly stank of bleach, to the point where it stang my eyes, almost as though the driver was using the product not so much to remove soiling but rather to cover the smell. I also noticed that my seatbelt was secured to its fixing point on the chassis with only an elastic band, but fortunately traffic was heavier and the chance to speed was limited. It took a good thirty minutes to get back to the Intercontinental.
After a quick meal, I fell into bed, rather exhausted. I was ready to attend the first events of the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...05-2016-a.html.
TL;DR.
^ I had a fantastic day at the Falls.
^ If you are a fast walker and a little bit lucky, you can comfortably see some amazing sights in one day.
^ There is definitely enough to occupy you for two days or more, if you have them.
Last edited by Calchas; Sep 4, 2016 at 8:26 am
Sep 3, 2016, 9:59 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SFOSJCOAK
Programs: AA-EXP & 1MM+, AS, MR-LTT, HH Gold
Posts: 7,581
Wow, a day trip to Iguazu Falls. Well done!
Iguazu Falls are incredible from the Argentinian side, but they are even more so on the Brazilian side. As you said, the logistics worked out better the way you did it.
I have been only to the Brazilian side. In case you wonder what was it like, happy to share a few photos from Iguazu Falls, Brazil.
https://stefanofoto.smugmug.com/Amer...alls/i-KVfcjzG
Iguazu Falls are incredible from the Argentinian side, but they are even more so on the Brazilian side. As you said, the logistics worked out better the way you did it.
I have been only to the Brazilian side. In case you wonder what was it like, happy to share a few photos from Iguazu Falls, Brazil.
https://stefanofoto.smugmug.com/Amer...alls/i-KVfcjzG
Sep 3, 2016, 10:46 pm
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Sep 3, 2016, 10:48 pm
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Wow, a day trip to Iguazu Falls. Well done!
Iguazu Falls are incredible from the Argentinian side, but they are even more so on the Brazilian side. As you said, the logistics worked out better the way you did it.
I have been only to the Brazilian side. In case you wonder what was it like, happy to share a few photos from Iguazu Falls, Brazil.
https://stefanofoto.smugmug.com/Amer...alls/i-KVfcjzG
Iguazu Falls are incredible from the Argentinian side, but they are even more so on the Brazilian side. As you said, the logistics worked out better the way you did it.
I have been only to the Brazilian side. In case you wonder what was it like, happy to share a few photos from Iguazu Falls, Brazil.
https://stefanofoto.smugmug.com/Amer...alls/i-KVfcjzG
Sep 4, 2016, 2:42 am
#22
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,596
Back at IGR.
14:50.
The LAN check in area was abandoned, which I found a little surprising until I learnt: my return flight was an hour late! And more than that, it had been formally rescheduled as of 11:00. If I had had internet access, I would have seen the email about it from CheckMyTrip earlier in the day and adjusted my plans accordingly. (Though quite whether I would have trusted it enough to be ‘late’ back to the airport is another matter.)
Still, this left me sitting around at the airport for nearly 90 minutes, and as you can imagine, it did not offer much in the way of facilities, with just a small landside café. On the off chance, I enquired about lounge access, not expecting there to be one. To my surprise the LATAM lady said ‘Yes there is a lounge at the airport, but it is not for LAN customers … but since you are a oneworld Emerald passenger, and we have delayed you, I will see if I can arrange something’ (!!!) As all of my LATAM flights have been awards paid for by BA points, I wonder if she knew how little I contibute to LATAM’s bottom line; probably less than the students sat on the floor by the escalators paying revenue fares for a single flight. Still I wasn’t about to bring that to her attention.
After a few telephone calls, including one back to LATAM Argentina HQ (I was beginning to feel embarrassed) she said she could not help, but that an airport representative would be coming to speak with me to see what they could do. Did they think I was some sort of minor celebrity?
This special lounge dragon duly appeared, but it was not good news. My particular colour of American Express card was accepted, but only the variant issued in Argentina. She agreed that this was a bit silly, and at the time I made a mental note to complain to Amex (I never bothered). The IGR lounge had an agreement with Priority Pass, but it was not yet in effect. Alternatively I could pay 600 ARS for access, roughly 42 USD.
I mulled it over briefly: there are very few lounges on the planet that are really worth 42 USD to get in, and frankly I was dubious that an airport in provincial Argentina with only two gates would possess such a lounge. Still if you have been to its lounge, or if it is two weeks into the future and you get in with a Priority Pass, please let me know what you think!
Instead, I took a seat upstairs; there is a large waiting area before security, and suddenly feeling a little tired, I more or less snoozed for an hour.
IGR-AEP
Flight LA 4029 operated by LATAM Airlines Argentina
Equipment: Airbus Industrie A320
Seat: 1A
Class: Y
Departure:1550 rescheduled for 1650 (actual wheels up 1733)
Arrival:1745 rescheduled for 1845 (actual wheels down 1838)
The federal police were inspecting IDs on the way back, including checking entry stamps in passports, quite unlike the ID-less departure from AEP. I assume there is a threat of illegal immigration from the nearby border. Security was easy again and beyond it were two interlinked rooms airside and another miniature café. It took me some minutes to realize that there was a separate room for Gate 2, used by LATAM, since security dumped me in the room for Gate 1, used by Aerolíneas Argentinas.
My aircraft arrived: the same one that delivered me there that morning.
Priority boarding was properly enforced and I was aboard. The same plane was operating this rotation as I’d been on this morning.
I was (un)lucky enough to have two spare seats beside me on the return.
The service was identical to this morning, except they had taken the time to update Vamos magazine to the September edition. Perhaps this was the cause of the delay?
While flicking through Vamos, I noticed that the map of international LATAM destinations has a curious omission: one of the points to which they fly is not labelled. Anyone know why the name of this particular airport might cause such difficulty?
The pilot did not apologize for the delay but he did get us back to AEP pretty quickly.
Back to the Intercontinental.
AEP airport seems to be designed to make you walk the length of the terminal as frequently as possible, with the escalators down from the airside level as far from the customs exit as the dimensions permit.
The taxi price had been inflated since this morning to an eye-watering 270 ARS, to be paid in advance—perhaps a mistake of using the first taxi booth I saw, but I am suspicious of hailing metered taxies from airports after an expensive ‘faulty’ meter incident in Sofia. In this instance it may have been cheaper to be ripped off!
The taxi utterly stank of bleach, to the point where it stang my eyes, almost as though the driver was using the product not so much to remove soiling but rather to cover the smell. I also noticed that my seatbelt was secured to its fixing point on the chassis with only an elastic band, but fortunately traffic was heavier and the chance to speed was limited. It took a good thirty minutes to get back to the Intercontinental.
After a quick meal, I fell into bed, rather exhausted. I was ready to attend the first events of the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...05-2016-a.html.
TL;DR.
^ I had a fantastic day at the Falls.
^ If you are a fast walker and a little bit lucky, you can comfortably see some amazing sights in one day.
^ There is definitely enough to occupy you for two days or more, if you have them.
14:50.
The LAN check in area was abandoned, which I found a little surprising until I learnt: my return flight was an hour late! And more than that, it had been formally rescheduled as of 11:00. If I had had internet access, I would have seen the email about it from CheckMyTrip earlier in the day and adjusted my plans accordingly. (Though quite whether I would have trusted it enough to be ‘late’ back to the airport is another matter.)
Still, this left me sitting around at the airport for nearly 90 minutes, and as you can imagine, it did not offer much in the way of facilities, with just a small landside café. On the off chance, I enquired about lounge access, not expecting there to be one. To my surprise the LATAM lady said ‘Yes there is a lounge at the airport, but it is not for LAN customers … but since you are a oneworld Emerald passenger, and we have delayed you, I will see if I can arrange something’ (!!!) As all of my LATAM flights have been awards paid for by BA points, I wonder if she knew how little I contibute to LATAM’s bottom line; probably less than the students sat on the floor by the escalators paying revenue fares for a single flight. Still I wasn’t about to bring that to her attention.
After a few telephone calls, including one back to LATAM Argentina HQ (I was beginning to feel embarrassed) she said she could not help, but that an airport representative would be coming to speak with me to see what they could do. Did they think I was some sort of minor celebrity?
This special lounge dragon duly appeared, but it was not good news. My particular colour of American Express card was accepted, but only the variant issued in Argentina. She agreed that this was a bit silly, and at the time I made a mental note to complain to Amex (I never bothered). The IGR lounge had an agreement with Priority Pass, but it was not yet in effect. Alternatively I could pay 600 ARS for access, roughly 42 USD.
I mulled it over briefly: there are very few lounges on the planet that are really worth 42 USD to get in, and frankly I was dubious that an airport in provincial Argentina with only two gates would possess such a lounge. Still if you have been to its lounge, or if it is two weeks into the future and you get in with a Priority Pass, please let me know what you think!
Instead, I took a seat upstairs; there is a large waiting area before security, and suddenly feeling a little tired, I more or less snoozed for an hour.
IGR-AEP
Flight LA 4029 operated by LATAM Airlines Argentina
Equipment: Airbus Industrie A320
Seat: 1A
Class: Y
Departure:
Arrival:
The federal police were inspecting IDs on the way back, including checking entry stamps in passports, quite unlike the ID-less departure from AEP. I assume there is a threat of illegal immigration from the nearby border. Security was easy again and beyond it were two interlinked rooms airside and another miniature café. It took me some minutes to realize that there was a separate room for Gate 2, used by LATAM, since security dumped me in the room for Gate 1, used by Aerolíneas Argentinas.
My aircraft arrived: the same one that delivered me there that morning.
Priority boarding was properly enforced and I was aboard. The same plane was operating this rotation as I’d been on this morning.
I was (un)lucky enough to have two spare seats beside me on the return.
The service was identical to this morning, except they had taken the time to update Vamos magazine to the September edition. Perhaps this was the cause of the delay?
While flicking through Vamos, I noticed that the map of international LATAM destinations has a curious omission: one of the points to which they fly is not labelled. Anyone know why the name of this particular airport might cause such difficulty?
The pilot did not apologize for the delay but he did get us back to AEP pretty quickly.
Back to the Intercontinental.
AEP airport seems to be designed to make you walk the length of the terminal as frequently as possible, with the escalators down from the airside level as far from the customs exit as the dimensions permit.
The taxi price had been inflated since this morning to an eye-watering 270 ARS, to be paid in advance—perhaps a mistake of using the first taxi booth I saw, but I am suspicious of hailing metered taxies from airports after an expensive ‘faulty’ meter incident in Sofia. In this instance it may have been cheaper to be ripped off!
The taxi utterly stank of bleach, to the point where it stang my eyes, almost as though the driver was using the product not so much to remove soiling but rather to cover the smell. I also noticed that my seatbelt was secured to its fixing point on the chassis with only an elastic band, but fortunately traffic was heavier and the chance to speed was limited. It took a good thirty minutes to get back to the Intercontinental.
After a quick meal, I fell into bed, rather exhausted. I was ready to attend the first events of the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...05-2016-a.html.
TL;DR.
^ I had a fantastic day at the Falls.
^ If you are a fast walker and a little bit lucky, you can comfortably see some amazing sights in one day.
^ There is definitely enough to occupy you for two days or more, if you have them.
Sep 4, 2016, 8:29 am
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Which is also on my wish list for a day trip, but sadly the flight schedules don't permit it.
Thanks, it really is worth visiting even if you only have a day.
I have been told the best views are from the Brazilian side, so it might be worth factoring in some time on the other side of the border.
I have been told the best views are from the Brazilian side, so it might be worth factoring in some time on the other side of the border.
Sep 4, 2016, 2:47 pm
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
The same aircraft operated both my out and return legs, and I sat in the same seat both ways. So unfortunately, the view, while very beautiful (particularly the sunset) did not photograph very well. I did include a picture of the airport upthread taken from my seat, and you can see it is a low quality picture.
Sep 5, 2016, 1:52 pm
#28
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Edinburgh
Programs: BA Gold. Flying Blue, Radisson, Accor
Posts: 289
Sep 6, 2016, 12:41 am
#30
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,181
I went in 1976 from BA like you.
To get to the falls in Brazil we had to take a small boat.
It looks a lot more fun today and based on your pictures I would not mind returning.
I was there in their winter though and weather was pleasant.
To get to the falls in Brazil we had to take a small boat.
It looks a lot more fun today and based on your pictures I would not mind returning.
I was there in their winter though and weather was pleasant.