Buenos Aires Airport

I was dreading returning to the States via the Buenos Aires Airport after reading the reviews. While the airport is inefficient and the processes disorganized the actual experience was not as horrible as I thought it would be. I think I got there just before the big crush of people for the evening flights back to the States which undoubtedly helped. My advice: It's a waste of time to check in on-line for a Delta flight. The Delta staff insist on printing boarding passes and just won't accept the on-line version. Contrary to what you may hear there are no automated check-in machines at the airport. I was told there were 2 for Delta - there are actually none. Security is convoluted and not reassuring. You go through luggage "security" prior to getting in line to get your boarding pass at the main passenger desk. I saw no value in the process but they dig out the paper print out they have for your reservation and hand it to you to take with your luggage to the desk. Fortunately the check-in line was short but had lengthened by the time I finished. You get your boarding passes at the main desk and they check in your checked baggage. No problem with this part of the process and my luggage arrived just fine at JFK. You next pay your $18 tax to exit Argentina. The tax booth is now in the middle of the international airlines main passenger service area so very convenient. Less than 5 minutes but again the line had grown and I think I just lucked out. There was a tax window upstairs as well but it didn't look staffed. You next fill out your immigration form and take it your receipt for your tax payment and your carry-on baggage to go through Security. One station operating and over a 100 people in line. But don't worry it's not very thorough so the line moves quickly - less than 30 minutes. Fast but not a feeling of confidence. You find your departure gate after walking through an expansive duty- free area - don't bother buying water at this point as they won't let you take it through the next security check. You clear a mini-security as the final step prior to boarding. Very quick - line again moves quite fast. If you need to leave gate area to use bathroom you have to re-clear this security check. But it's fast. Refund of VAT - I didn't go through this process as I didn't buy much so I can't comment. Overall I found the people friendly and helpful - the entire process took about 1 hour 15 minutes but I believe that if you arrive at 7 or 8pm the process could take the 3 hours you read about.

Flew in and out December - January to and from Europe. I was prepared for a hard time in an airport which has not attracted good (or even adequate) reviews but it was not too bad. Upon arrival (mid morning) my only comment would be that Immigration was heavily overloaded although they did their best to process us as fast as possible. Luggage delivery time was quite reasonable. We arrived early for departure having read all of the comments about delays - it took us about 45 mins to check in pay our tax and get through security and immigration. I think this time could be very much longer at peak times since the queue snaked a long way at a reasonably quiet time of the day.

I have flown into and out of Ezeiza several times in the last 2 years. I just arrived in BA yesterday and the immigration baggage claim and customs area seem to have been re-done and are a lot more efficient. I enjoy the fact that you can duty-free shop entering Argentina! Departure is less organized but I check in using the business class queue (American Airlines) which usually takes only 10-15 minutes at the worst (the economy queue is always very long). Taxi Ezeiza is always a safe bet for transport into the city a kiosk right in the center of the floor when you exit customs. They are fast and efficient at a published rate that is always cheaper than the remises (and they offer a cheaper rate from the city to EZE - call to make an appointment when you leave).

I've traveled through EZE a couple of times in the last month. Arrival is no problem and I had no problems getting a reasonably cheap taxi to the centre from the kiosk outside the terminal. Where EZE is lacking is at check in. I've checked in on different occasions for flights to the US with Delta and to Europe with Lufthansa. In both cases I arrived with a good 3 hours to spare and had to queue for at least 1.5 hours to check in for Economy. In both cases the queue snaked outside the roped off area and down the terminal! They really need more staff and more open check in desks for Economy. With less than 1 hour to boarding there was till a massive queue for a 747 flight - which ended up leaving late. Don't forget you have still to queue to pay airport tax security screening and passport check So arrive early folks!

Most comments are concerning EZE the international airport outside of town. The domestic airport near the city center is smaller and simpler but relatively modern with plenty of dining options. Do beware of theft: my digital camera was stolen from next to me when my back was turned. There was no place to report this within the security area (woman at the info desk suggested I look for someone outside of security and when I later at another airport asked an Aerolineas Argentinas rep about asking whether a camera had been turned in she essentially said kiss it goodbye). Back at EZE one point is that the most obvious money exchange places as you exit give the lowest rates. The national bank branch giving the best rates is outside of security and a couple of turns to the right. Not at all obvious. Ditto on taxis: those easiest to find are very pricey. For cheaper ones you need to hunt a bit outside.

Buenos Aires airport can be somewhat frustrating but compared to transiting through Washington Dulles en route to Canada it is a breeze. Upon arrival it takes some time in the queue to clear Immigration. You will be given a copy of your Immigration declaration put this away somewhere safe as you may be asked for it on departure. However the real problem unless you can carry your baggage manually is the shortage of luggage carts. They are provided free of charge but there just aren't enough of them. I had to wait 30 minutes before airport staff finally arrived with some but friends who arrived later never did get one and had to man-handle their luggage to Customs. If you do have to wait for a cart you can use the opportunity to exchange US dollars at the bank that is adjacent to the Customs exit area - it's the one that airline staff use and they give a fair exchange rate. Clearance through Customs posed no problems once I got a cart but if you are taking a taxi downtown be extremely cautious. Do not under any circumstances accept the offer of taxi touts outside the airport offering to get you a cab - you can get badly burnt. Use only those yellow cabs parked at the official rank which you will see on exiting the airport. When leaving the best bet is to book a "remise" - a car that will pick you up and charge a pre agreed amount. In my case it cost 70 pesos from downtown to the airport. Airport departure procedures are more complex and frustrating than arrival. First you need to queue to obtain a boarding pass and the time this takes seems to vary from day to day. I went through in about 15 minutes but my friends took far longer than that. Next if you are going to claim a tax refund on purchases you will need to queue at the Customs booth - same ground floor level as the airline desks - to get your tax forms (the ones provided by the stores where you made your purchases) stamped. Next go upstairs to the tax refund office and queue once more to obtain your refund. This should not take more than 10 minutes. You will have the option of immediate payment in Argentine pesos or dollars which can be credited to a credit card. I took the cash as I will be returning to BA again. Next you have to queue once more to pay your airport departure tax - adjacent to the tax refund office. This can be paid in US dollars ($18.00) the equivalent in pesos or by credit card. When this is done you will go through initial screening next to the airport tax counter. Once inside you will next have to queue to pass Immigration. There is a form that has to be filled out - available at airline check-in desk - and you may possibly also be asked for the Immigration form you were give when arriving. Once this is done you are basically done until boarding time whan your hand luggage will be manually examined prior to boarding. To be sure of getting through all these procedures on time one should allow 2 1/2 hours to be on the safe side. And best eat before leaving for the airport as there is nothing much available at the airport in the way of food.

I connected from SCL to ORD via EZE. I concur with the comment that prices are obscenely expensive. I bottle of soda was 7.50 Arg. pesos. There is really only one place to eat after security in the international (non-AR) terminal. There's a fair amount of shopping but food and beverage options are very limited.

EZE airport is clean modern european style. Only downside is that the it is extremely expensive the prices are too much It seem that the airport operator has a monopoly and they control all the shops. I loved the airport the people and the city but that the prices are too much.

My wife and I took the Manuel Tienda Deleon coach from the airport to Buenas Aires last Wednesday. Some 20 minutes after we were dropped at our hotel I received a phone call to my room from the Manager of the coach company. It seems the driver had noticed that I had inadvertently given him $100 along with the $10 tip I had intended. He immediately returned to the hotel with the $100. Let's say I was a very happy camper and very impressed with the driver's honesty. A great first impression of Buenas Aires.

I visit Buenos Aires 2 or more times per year and while the city remains great Ezieza Airport is becoming more of a mess each time I visit. In all fairness arrivals are usually OK - in January I deplaned went thru Immigration claimed my bags and was on my way within 30 minutes. Try that in Chicago or JFK ! Now for the bad news: departures are a disaster - I would recommend arriving 3 hours early even if flying First/Business Class. I took nearly an hour to get checked in for a Business Class passenger then you pay the airport tax and head upstairs to security (a breeze) and Argentine Exit Stations (slow) . Boarding Areas are filthy and feature broken down chairs! A final cursory search of your hand luggage occurs at boarding - then you have an 8-11 flight back to the USA. What a mess.