Aerolineas Argentinas review - by L Norman

11 September 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Never again! Flew from Manaus via San Paulo, Buenos Aires to NZ and onto Sydney. Travelled in darkness most of the way and could not even get a drink of water! The movie screen was 10 rows up and all you could see was a green hue. If you like ham and cheese rolls for breakfast, lunch and dinner then this is for you.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by A Davis

7 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Business class Sydney to Buenos Aires via Auckland. Would describe the experience as appalling. Each leg of the trip was delayed by a number of hours. The seats in business class were antique, barely reclined, and had very short footrests. The crew were quite friendly and food was barely ok. The inflight entertainment was non existent. No power outlet for laptop computer. Yes it's a lot cheaper than flying with the alternate carrier (LAN) but what an agonising experience. Apparently these sorts of delays are very common with AEZ.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by Ray Edmondson

2 August 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

SYD-EZE. I echo others comments about indifferent staff, non-functioning reading lights, sections of the cabin where the entertainment system didn't work, and low-grade meals. From my seat I could see a video screen, drastically in need of colour adjustment, and most of the time I could hear the English sound track - when it wasn't getting cross-talk from the Spanish sound track. I would not travel on this carrier again by choice.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by Ian Guy

27 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

AKL-SYD return. Outward was over 2 hours late - this was despite being advised otherwise the night before. No movie on outbound flight, service poor, few staff spoke English, meals terrible. Return leg, even worse! Flight delayed for 29 hours, no hotel provided, only Au$15 per passenger for meals. The flight was rescheduled for 27 hours later, but even then it left 29 hours late. Calls to the info line the day of the rescheduled departure again indicated no delays. At least on the return leg they had a movie and reasonable catering. After having said 'never again' I made the mistake of booking the 'bargain' flight. Instead this has cost my family $300 in hotel and food, plus a days lost income - my advice, book a reliable carrier who has enough aircraft in their fleet to run their timetabled service.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by John Sweet

19 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Auckland-Buenos Aires-Santiago Chile return, Business Class. All delayed or cancelled and poor service. My options were to write a ten page essay listing all the problems we had flying with Aerolineas Argentinas or to sum it up in a couple of words. Never Again!

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by James Lowe

3 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW-MAD-EZE and return Economy class. Cheapest option - decent price at short notice for long haul flight. However, every single flight was significantly delayed, usually with no announcements or information given for a very long time, usually only triggered by mass passenger protest. Average delay (across all 6 flights) was 8 hours. Ground staff are uninterested (bordering on rudeness) and unhelpful in general. Long- haul planes are old and slightly dilapidated (lights / entertainment systems etc not working for all seats) and food and inflight service is below average - though not awful.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by Simon Smith

30 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

LGW-MAD-EZE and EZE-SCL in business class. First the good points: the price was much lower than other carriers; the long haul flights (on a 747-400) was good – seats comfortable, not flat beds but good recline and lots of legroom, and good food, wine and service. Minor bad points – there is no business class LGW-MAD, which is fine in principle but it means there is no lounge access or faster check in either (and check in at LGW is very slow); also IFE is very limited – a choice of only 3 films, and the same in both directions, so not much use on the return leg; the first two seats I tried on the return EZE-MAD flight were broken, I was able to move as it was empty in business class but if it had been full this would have been a problem. Now the really bad points. I had no luggage after the outward flight – I didn’t really expect any because LGW-MAD flight was late and so I only had 15 minutes to make the connection, but it took me over an hour at the airport the next day to extract my bag because the staff weren’t in their office and the information desk staff refused to try to contact them. After the return flight, I still have no luggage a week later. In the return direction the EZE-MAD flights were all running between 12 and 30 hours late; because I was checking the airport websites I realised this and was able to change onto another flight (the one from the previous day running 22 hours late) but nobody from the airline had tried to contact me to warn me and there was no information on their website. If I hadn't checked this myself I would have got home 2 days late I think. Overall the flights were good but it was all marred by delays and horrendous ground service.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by Frances Ihalauw

31 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

SYD-AKL-EZE-SCL. Old plane, crew very disinterested, seemed to disapear after dinner, no movie or entertainment for the whole flight - the whole back section of the plane seat lights did not work. The return flight to Syd was better, but the customer service needs to be looked at, the crew just seemed like they didn't want to be there.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by M Urquiza

26 April 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

Buenos Aires-Barcelona on a Airbus 340, Tourist Class. The boarding was a little chaotic, passengers with too many carry-ons and bags, and crew doing almost nothing to accelerate the boarding process. Departed 1 hour late. Interior was bright and new-like. Good legroom and seats comfortable. Food was good, better than I expected. One movie and some programs about Buenos aires, music, sports, etc. Crew was nice and friendly, although, for much of the flight after the meal service, they almost dissapeared. We arrived 40 minutes late. All in all, the experience was similar to other major carriers and for the price I paid and because the flight was non-stop and very convenient, I would recommend Aerolineas Argentinas.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by Marc Osterweil

25 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

Flew tourist from Ezesia to JFK via Miami. It was the worst flying experience I have ever had. The check-in lines were endless. The final boarding security check at the gate also endless and they lined us up in the smoking section where I stood for 1.5 hours. The flight was 2 hours late for boarding and then stood at the gate for another 1.5 hours, fully boarded. They did not turn on the air conditioning so the plane was stifling. A pregnant women was suffering greatly and there were many young children aboard. I was the only one to complain loudly and was told that they could not turn on the air conditioning until they left the gate. The staff onboard were rude and unhelpful. The original nonstop flight Buenos Aires to JFK had been cancelled and all the passengers placed on this flight. We were told that we could remain on board in Miami but this turned out not to be true and we had to collect our baggage and go through immigration and customs and then find our way back to another gate to reboard. This, of course, lasted longer than they said and so we were there for hours. On the flight to JFK, they served a snack. When people complained, they were told that they should always bring their own food for flights of 3 hours or less! We all thought this was the 16 hour flight, not a 2 1/2 hour flight! They also didn't have the special meal (snack) that my companion and I ordered and had on all the other legs and on the flight from New York to Buenos Aires. I recommend avoiding Aerolineas at all costs. Everyone I met in Argentina was surprised that I had booked my flight on them and now I know why.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by Nicholas Gorton

6 March 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

LGW-EZE via MAD. Business Class seat not available from LGW-MAD however Air Plus Comet who code share with AA provide a meal and drinks to Business Class passengers. Chaos at Madrid transferring to EZE flight and boarding a free for all via bus transfer to airoplane. Once on board, cabin crew friendly, seats comfortable and plenty of space in Business (B747-400). Food and service good and nice selection of Argentinian wines. Arrived at 12.30am in EZE - no luggage, took until 3pm to register for no luggage as 100 fellow travellers had the same problem. EZE-LGW Via MAD Business (Condor Class). Again good seats but not flat reclining. Same films on return journey. Ran out of beef but enjoyed a good pasta dish. We left 2 hours late made up 1 hour and they kept the plane waiting for the MAD-LGW connection. Easier returning if you remembered what to do from the outward transfer. Boarded plane and waited for luggage to be put on plane which delayed us by 1 hour. Arrived Gatwick - No Luggage but only 12 fellow passengers. The problem is Madrid airport, Gatwick baggage claim told me they are the worst airport in Europe for luggage not connecting with flights.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by G Aguilar

1 March 2007

AKL-SYD return in Economy Class. SYD-AKL leg Cabin crew looked very disinterested on boarding and generally throughout the flight. When call bells were pressed I observed a female flight attendant deactivating the alerts without assisting passengers, moments later disappearing to an almost empty Business Class. Food was inadequate; bland and poorly presented. Breakfast was a tuna roll a choice of drinks. In-flight entertaining consisted of a non-existent headset to watch some sort promo on Polo, but as we weren’t issued headsets I couldn’t quite tell. I will not fly this airline again; service is subststandard; ageing aircraft; very poor crew and terrible in-flight entertainment.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by S Stratton

28 February 2007

Flew Aerolineas from Newbury, the Buenos Aires domestic airport, to Ushuaia, AR, and back early and mid-Feb 2007. Both flights were over four hours late taking off, despite good weather and no obvious reasons for being tardy. In both cases, we had to on and offload up a ladder because they failed to hook up to a jetway at Ushuaia and Newbury. With carry-on luggage commensurate with an 18-day stay in and around Argentina and Antarctica, lugging the heavy carry-ons was both tedious and unsafe. The flight back to Buenos Aires was initially scheduled to land in EZE, the international airport. This made sense as the majority of passengers were headed back to the US. But, the arrival point was revised at the last minute to land back in Newbury - a considerable distance from EZE, requiring us all to lug many heavy bags around. Landing at the domestic field instead of EZE also added to the already four hours late arrival of the flight at Newbury. We (all 62 passengers) missed our connection flights from EZE to the States. I would strongly recommend anyone with an option to not fly Aerolineas Argentinas.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Mark Cook

26 February 2007

Nearly all flights delayed. In the case of our return flight from EZE to Madrid, 5 hours, meaning missing the connection to London, having to be put up in Madrid overnight and arriving home a day late. No explanation given and a fair amount of chaos at Madrid. Very slow check-in and one of the longest waits for baggage I've ever had. On board, not much legroom and barely enough food to survive. To cap it all, on the flight from EZE to Madrid, the headphones didn't work so we could watch the films but not get the soundtrack. The stewardess promised to report it but that's the last we heard. Since I couldn't watch the film, at least I could read my book? Alas, No, as the reading lights weren't working either.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by K Linmana

26 February 2007

EZE to SYD via AKL, in D. Check in is a nightmare in EZE, counters are not marked, English language skills of check in staff are very limited, staff is unfriendly. CC Lounge is nothing special, be prepared for it. Flight delayed by four hours, this is a common occurrence with AR you have to allow plenty of time and energy when flying AR. The food were worse than hospital food, served on a small plastic tray out of a trolley in those disposable aluminium dishes, food also looked dried out, old. Coffee served was instant Nescafé. No menus. Seat pockets were torn. Seats in C class were the old ones I remember from 10 – 12 years ago. No flat beds here! No fancy footrests, no big screen TVs either! The individual TV screens were the original very small ones that were first introduced. When arriving in SYD, the cabin had to be sprayed, as the residual certificate expired. All overall, AR flights 90% at least are delayed by hours, nobody will tell you why, the product is too expensive, and no information will be given.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Terry Jackson

13 February 2007

Travel in D class from EZE to VVI. Plane delayed by a number of hours, this is very common factor with this carrier. No good for business travelers. No food selection, menu has not changed for more than two years. No IFE, seats are average, aircraft would have 30 plus years old, good idea is not to ask the stewardess for anything eg. drinks. Would rather pay more than to fly a different airline next time.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Karl Timmerman

9 February 2007

MAD-EZE Business Class on upper deck, Club Condor passengers boarded first. Boeing 747-400 comfortable seats, very small personal tv. Newspapers, magazines and menu available. Service was efficient and friendly. The food was better than I expected. Everything is served on baby blue and gold china. The best was comfort and generous legroom and food. The downside was the small personal screen tv and small details like no welcome drinks and hot towels.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Barry Anderson

5 February 2007

Iguazu to Buenos Airies. The flight left four hours late for a 1 hour, 45 minute trip. All flights that day had similar delays. Cabin service was indifferent, no apologies or explanations were offered for the late flight for the late flight. The flight to Iguazu was OK - indifferent cabin service, but otherwise OK.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Gino Uguccioni

29 January 2007

I have just returned from a flight SYD-AKL-EZE-COR and back to Sydney on AR Business Class and can say that after more than 20 years of flying mostly C class, the entire experience of flying on AR was about the worst I have had. Thanks to your comments on this website I had an inkling of what to expect on AR, but never thought it would be as bad as it was. Since all other flights were booked out over the Xmas/New Year holidays I had no choice but to fly on AR. Flight SYD-AKL was delayed 3 hours. No announcement was ever made. No explanation ever given. Just a lame "sorry for the delay and we apologise for any inconvenience", which you will soon learn prefaces almost every AR flight you will take! When we went to board there was no separate queue for business class and no one took any steps to invite business class passengers up so you just waited in the queue. This issue wasn’t really a big deal, but then again this extra level of service is why we pay the higher C class fare. Then we were delayed another 2 hours out of AKL, again with no announcement given. When I purchased duty free at AKL airport and gave the sales girl my flight number, she laughed and said "Oh, you're on that flight that is always delayed!". We arrived several hours late in Buenos Aires, and there was not one announcement to advise passengers what would happen regarding the international and domestic connections that many people had missed. In the seats near me there were very upset people and a near revolt by those who had missed the only flight of the day to various cities in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. All they wanted was information and to know what arrangements/assistance would be offered by AR with their onward flights. They were very curtly told to go to the transfer desk in the terminal. The transfer desk was TOTAL chaos, as I soon learned by looking at the arrival and departure signs in the terminal that most flights were delayed and everyone was clamouring for assistance. There was no special assistance for business class passengers - they had to elbow their way to the counter along with many very angry frustrated people. My return flight from Buenos Aires to Sydney arrived 5 hours late, again without a single word to explain the reason for the delay and no offer to help with connecting flights. Regarding the service on the long haul sectors SYD-AKL-EZE and return - the most charitable way to describe the overall AR experience is to say that it was shockingly bad. Seat pockets were torn. Seats in C class were the old ones I remember from 10 – 12 years ago. No flat beds here! No fancy footrests, no big screen tvs either! The individual TV screens were the original very small ones that were first introduced. Although there was a listing of the movies of the month shown across the AR network, there was no tv/movie program relating to my flights, so you had no idea what was showing. About 3 hours into the AKL-Buenos Aires flight there was still nothing on the screen, when suddenly, after the meal service, they announced that the video program would commence and that there were 4 movies available in business class. No mention of what they were though! And interestingly they were not the ones in the program, so you had to flick through them after they had started to see what was showing!). Best not to talk about the meals! They were worse than hospital food, served on a small plastic tray out of a trolley in those disposable aluminium dishes. Coffee served was instant Nescafé. No menus, no china plates, no difference to economy class meals. Definitely not worthy to be called business class meals, and far worse than any C class meal I have ever had. Most surprisingly noneof the AR flights offered a pre-dinner drink service. After take off, you didn’t see the flight attendants for about 2 hours until they started to serve the meals. The drink trolley was immediately in front of the meal trolley. A second glass of wine was not offered. Although there was no problem getting a refill if you rang your call button or asked for one, I would have expected someone to go back through the aisle offering a top-up. I could go on and on, but I think you get the message. Despite the above comments I emphasize that I am not a particularly demanding passenger, as my comments relate to pretty basic levels of service one would expect to find on any business class flight. Nowadays the major differences between airlines service on C class are the little things, and the finesse with which they are done. However with AR the basics in business class are sorely lacking and I will never fly them again. My experience on the domestic sectors was that many domestic flights are delayed. This trip I only went to Córdoba but almost every flight showing on the departure panel was delayed or cancelled. No reason was ever given for a delayed flight. My advice would be to allow far more time than would normally be the case for your connections, and not to expect much help or sympathy from AR staff.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by G Graziano

26 January 2007

Barcelona to Buenos Aires in Economy class. Very spacious legroom. Food was ok. A good selection of Argentinean wines. No PTV or AVOD, just old style screens. The magazine is excellent. I have no complaints, a very pleasant experience. The only downside is the poor inflight entertainment.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Valerie Broom

22 January 2007

LGW to Buenos Aries and did several internal flights all with Aerolineas Argentinas. Quite the worst carrier we have ever used. Sullen staff, little or no legroom, no decent in flight entertainment. Food just inedible, on internals, always a cheese/ham sandwich. Will never repeat the experience.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Nahuel Gorman

19 January 2007

Lima to Buenos Aires on a Being 737-500, airplane looked fresh on the inside. Crew young and friendly. Breakfast consisted of a small yoghurt, croissant, fruit, marmalade and butter. All in all, flying with Aerolineas was a good experience. Flights on time, reliable and the ticket price was a bargain compared to other options.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Jim Cook

12 January 2007

LGW-MAD-EZE-USH Business Class. Arrived at Gatwick to be told at check- in that our tickets were incorrect and would have to be re-printed. Tickets returned to us at gate with no further explanation. Air Plus Comet to Madrid OK. Aerolineas Argentinas to EZE comfortable despite old style seats but food was awful, did not see anyone finish a main course. One of our cases had gone missing en route so we completed the lost luggage forms and were told to phone the next morning. Despite numerous attempts no one ever picked up the phone! Walked downtown to the Aerolineas main office but were refused any assistance because we did not have our passports! Found another office where our credit cards were reluctantly accepted as proof of ID and we were informed that the missing item was already at our hotel. Good result, lousy service. That evening my wife was sorting through our travel documents and noticed that our flights to Ushuaia had been changed on our re-printed tickets to leave from EZE and not the domestic airport as per our original itinary. A small detail that no one had bothered to tell us about! Delays and flight changes were all we had to put up with on the way back but at least the food was much better. Cabin crew were pleasant and helpful on all flights but this airline has dreadful organization and customer service. It should be pointed out that their fares are much lower than competitors on this route so you can save a lot of money - but be prepared for a bumpy ride.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Simon Smith

27 December 2006

Tried to fly Buenos Aires AEP to Punta del Este, returning from Montevideo. On arrival at AEP for the outward flight, found the airport in complete chaos as it had been shut for several hours (due to a storm, so not Aerolineas fault). After about an hour I managed to find an Aerolineas staff member who told me that the flight was cancelled and when I asked what I should do she said "do what you want". We paid to rebook on another carrier but on arrival at Punta del Este, found that our original flight had actually operated, albeit 4 hours late, and that Aerolineas had cancelled our return legs because we hadn´t taken the outward flight. We managed to persuade them to reverse this, but then found that the flight had a schedule change of 3 hours. We did eventually return with Aerolineas and the flight itself was fine, although it was on a 737-200 which looked and sounded like it should have been in a museum. Overall not a good experience.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Richard Aspinall

3 December 2006

Buenos Aires (AEP) - El Calafate - Buenos Aires (EZE) in Economy. As has already been mentioned, it's absolutely vital to re-confirm your reservations with this airline. Our outward departure time was changed 3 times and even then they couldn't avoid a further delay. The flight itself, 3 hours on an old 737 with a cold cheese sandwich, actually wasn't too bad at all. However, coming back involved a further timetable change, a delay and (best of all) a complete change in arrival airport to EZE, which is about 30 miles away from BA. As we're only customers after all, Aerolineas didn't bother to mention this at re-confirmation, nor even at check-in, and it was only after looking incredulously at the departure boards that we realised. Mind you, given this leg was on an ancient MD-80, I should just be grateful we arrived at all. What particularly grates is the dual pricing policy, where us silly foreigners pay multiples of what the locals do.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Ewan Tait

27 November 2006

LGW-MAD-EZE / EZE-El Calafate / El Calafate-EZE / EZE-MAD (all economy class). LGW-MAD was ok, no complaints there. Long haul sectors in both directions were awful. Ancient 747-200, late boarding, no reading light on the return, not enough legroom, nowhere near enough cabin baggage space (bag under my feat in both directions), couldn't hear or understand the announcements. Food was fine but nothing special. Short- haul internal flights were fine and no complaints there. Certainly wouldn't fly long haul with them again.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Jeffrey Boen

5 November 2006

EZE-IGR. Four days before the flight I was notified by e-mail that due to construction the airport was changed from AEP to EZE. However, two days later the airport was changed back to AEP, so reconfirming on the day of departure of not only the dep. time but also the airport is in this case strongly advised. I had to wait 20 minutes on the phone until I got through to an agent. My hotel's concierge told me that that's common with AR. The nearly empty flight on a MD80 left on time. Friendly F/As. Ham/cheese sandwich for this 1.5 hour flight. Good (and free) Argentinian Merlot wine. Refills. All together a pleasant inflight experience.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Julie Waller

1 November 2006

I have just returned from Argentina having flown 3 internal flights and 2 on the Outbound. All Internal flight departure times were delayed/changed with no explanation as to why this had happened. BA to Comodro Reveria was 6 hours delayed ensuring that we arrived at our hotel at 4am. Calafate - Urshaia was delayed and we ended up having to fly to Rio Grande with a 3 hour bus transfer. We arrived at our destination 9 hours late. We were offered no food on this haul & no explanation to the delay/change of flight. I later found out that apparently it was due to the fact that the airline had not paid the Military their bill to use the Airport.) Urhsaia to BA was delayed, but this was only 1 hour. Madrid to London Gatwick was delayed by 2 hours and my luggage is still some where at Gatwick Airport. The Luggage handlers had gone home leaving one guy to get the luggage off the plane. If I was an Argentinian I would be embarassed by the poor showing of your National Carrier. I have been left feeling that they have thrown away the Timetable.

Aerolineas Argentinas - by Hector Perekalski

22 October 2006

Miami-Ezeiza. The plane was an Airbus 310, too small, hard seats, not much legroom, and to make it worse, the plane was full. Food was ok, the crew was friendly and very casual. Ezeiza-Miami, Airbus A340, bigger, nice interior, comfortable seats, clean. Nice and friendly staff. Food was ok. They should upgrade their flight entertainment and introduce PTV's. A good experience in general.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by Lyn Cleber

19 October 2006

I flew from Sydney with this airline. I agree, the staff ignore you on the long haul and I had a problem breaking one of the staff from a long conversation when I needed something. The flight was good and thank goodness no delays. I have been warned that friends recently had delays of up to 12 hours and the flight was just cancelled. The food was okay and wine good. As I want to return to BA soon I will probably fly with them again, but only if I cant get another suitable flight. All in all, our Tango club use them all the time and will probably use them again.

Aerolineas Argentinas review - by Josh Curhan

22 August 2006

Buenos Aires AEP-Posadas economy. Aerolineas Argentina/Austral Boeing 737-200 at an early 5:55am departure. Boarding was prompt and smooth, but had to bus out to plane parked at a remote stand. Aircraft was relatively clean inside. Flight attendants courteous, and even on a short 1.15 hour flight, a pastry and beverage service was offered to each passenger. On-time departure and arrival, no real complaints. Return: Iguazu-Buenos Aires AEP economy. Flight supposed to depart at 10:15am but didn’t leave until 1:40pm. Apparently the inbound aircraft had a mechanical problem that diverted it somewhere else, thus the delay. The overhead announcements were garbled and inaudible, but a man came around notifying each passenger about the delay, thus all were informed. Not sure if compensation was offered; I didn’t ask for any. Again, an AR/Austral Boeing 737-200 but with a much brighter blue interior. Interesting note: the armrests didn’t go up, but there was a button that allowed them to move from side to side, giving you an extra inch or two of seat width if there was no one sitting next to you. Flight was only about 25% full. Landed (safely) in a hailstorm in Buenos Aires. Apart from the delay, an enjoyable flight.