On two occasions, Argentina Airlines cancelled a leg of my flight plans on me and only gave me a few days notice. Doing so caused me to have to rebook other flights and stay over in Buenos Aires for a night. Although they covered a portion of my costs, most of these changes cost me a fair bit in out of pocket expenses. They told me that they would cover my flight rebooking fees, but did not. I filed a complaint online as they required, and after 2 months they got back to me... but in Spanish which I don't understand. Repeated attempts to get them to respond in English have gone unanswered. The best I can understand, they are only offering a small discount off of my next flight... which I obviously am not planning on taking due to the way I've been treated. Most of the flights were late or had problems of one sort or another. Leaving from Miami we were over 3 hours late after taxiing out to the runway and back 3 times due to mechanical gliches they were unable to locate upon returning to the terminal. This delay would have caused me to miss my connecting flight, but Argentina Airlines changes were already causing me to overnight in Buenos Aires. Although I found the crews to be pleasant and the planes in relatively good order, my advice is to stay away from flying with Argentine Airlines unless you need to due to their propensity for changing flight plans at will.
Well Intentioned, Poorly Executed,
Nov 16, 2007
reviewer: Eric
from Argentina
There is much to say about the grand failure that was the privatization of Aerolineas Argentinas in the early 90s under the Menem administration. After shifting through some different hands, all but one of the planes owned by the airline were sold off, as well as all of their international offices (they now have to lease ancient aircraft). A dire understaffing situation has led to SERIOUS delays, in particular with domestic flights. In my most recent trip, to Salta (in the NE of the country) from Aeroparque, there was an initially announced 4hr delay, with the plane then not leaving for 90 minutes after this (with me arriving somewhere around 3AM in a small city with an understaffed airport). However, the staff of the airline remains resiliant and polite, and service has not been quite yet stripped to the bare bones seen on much of the American and European airlines.
With international flights Aerolineas normally offers a notably cheaper fare, and domestically there is near an absolute monopoly, so as long as you have some patience Aerolineas can do the trick if you want to save some cash/avoid taking a long-distance bus. Just plan for and expect delays.
Another side note that ticks many people off - domestic fares are notably cheaper for Argentine residents (in four flights with them, I more than twice paid for my naturalization fees to become a legal resident in the country). Not being paid for with state funds anymore, this might be enough to tick off a foriegner to pursue other options if possible if taking stands is your sort of thing.
Terrible,
Oct 25, 2007
reviewer: Michael
from UK
Among all the non-low-cost airlines I have ever used, Aerolineas was by very far the worst. I also made the experience of constant short-notice changes of the departure time (which however seems to be a problem with Ezeiza airport rather than AA, because it happens on all flights to Bs As). The service was rude, the food abysmal, the TV screen too far away and the picture too bad to see anything, it was freezing on board and: on the way to Bs As, the flight was delayed for six hours, upon arrival at 3am it took 2 hours to get your luggage and on the inbound flight to Madrid/London, the luggage was lost. Never again Aerolineas!
Great Service,
Dec 26, 2006
reviewer: Billy
from USA
The crew went out of their way to accommodate our special need for a handicapped in law.
The Worst Airline Ever,
May 13, 2005
reviewer: John Smithers
from UK
This is the worst airline I have ever been on. Not only is the service onboard lousy, but they are the most unreliable airline ever. I booked a holiday four months in advance, travelling from London to BA, in that time several amendments were issued, the flight went from a direct flight to changing planes on outbound and return journeys. In addition, a few days prior to leaving Argentina, we received the news that the return flight had been brought forward from an evening flight to an early afternoon flight, cutting our holiday short. I have never heard of any reputable airline changing their flight schedules at such short notice unless there has been a major international incident.
Aerolineas Argentinas - NEVER AGAIN!!!
Very safe and excellent service.,
Apr 28, 2005
reviewer: Adrian
from Syd-BA-Syd and many others
I flew all around the world with many airlines, and I also flew my fair share of trips with Aerolineas Argentinas. One of the first misconceptions about this airline is that it is as dodgy as the country they represent. Wrong! Aerolineas Argentinas is one of the oldest airlines in the world and has a sensational safety rating, only marred in relative recent times and not that tragically as many other first-timers. There is something about the pilots that you notice on take-off and landing, perhaps is the Fangio influence but this people drive very well and arrivals are smooth in every possible weather condition.
This airline will make some people feel nervous, however. There is a degree of casualness and informality very rare in the industry, but that does not mean that you are less safer, it means adult-treatment and that is a welcomed feature. The planes are clean and well maintained, perhaps you will notice a detail here and there but overall acceptable. Let's say put up with the broken ashtray that you do not need anyway, but rest assured that the mechs are top-notch and well maintained.
Cabin crew is amusing, no other words to describe them. Long-gone are the times when the corridors of AA planes resembled a fashion catwalk, but in trade you get very seasoned personnel that likes to serve and enjoys their time in the air. English is rudimentary and it comes accross abruptly. Notwithstanding, service is polite and professional and you do not get either the fake, exaggerated smile that makes me feel so uncomfotable on other airlines. Never a question about an extra drink or some real food, not just a bag of crappy peanuts if you are hungry. These guys have full-bar refreshments and sandwiches throughout the whole trip and I have never seen that in any other Economy cabin.
Things can change a bit with a plane full as the crew gets fairly stressed and their weaknesses accentuated. If you are lucky and have a flight at half capacity or less, and if you can speak the language or make an effort to hang around the galley areas and communicate, it is as flying amongst friends.
I have done more than 60 flights with this company over a 25 year timespan, and the airline may change hands, the country may be a mess, but Aerolineas Argentinas remains always a solid performer and a safe bet.
Excellent service,
Feb 26, 2005
reviewer: Steve DENTON
from Belgium
On 19th February 2005, flight AR 2813 from Ushuaia to Trelew was unable to land in Trelew because of bad weather. Instead, the flight continued on to Buenos Aires, its final destination.
This problem was handled by Aerolineas Argentinas in an extremely courteous, efficient and generous way. On arrival at Aeroparque, representatives were waiting for us in the baggage hall with tickets back to Trelew the next day and a bus took us without delay to a hotel for the night and breakfast and lunch were provided. The bus then returned in the afternoon to take us back to the airport. The way in which Aerolineas Argentinas handled this problem went a long way to compensate for our disappointment in not being able to visit the Valdés Peninsula.
The other passengers to whom we spoke were also very impressed with the customer service of Aerolineas Argentinas.
During our holiday in Argentina, we were also impressed by the cleanliness and smart appearance of the aircraft , the courtesy of the cabin crew and the punctuality of the flights (we made 10 AR flights in total).
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Never again....,
Aug 11, 2009
Well Intentioned, Poorly Executed,
Nov 16, 2007
Terrible,
Oct 25, 2007
Great Service,
Dec 26, 2006
Very safe and excellent service.,
Apr 28, 2005
Excellent service,
Feb 26, 2005