Argentina's most
important
domestic airport
by far is Buenos
Aires's
Aeroparque Jorge
Newbery .
There are
connections from
the Aeroparque
to all
provincial
capitals and
major tourist
centres of the
country,
including Puerto
Iguazú, Puerto
Madryn/Trelew,
and El Calafate.
Most people who
are keen to get
an overview of
Argentina's
tremendous
variety in a
limited time
will rely
heavily on
domestic flights
to combat the
vast distances
involved (what
takes an hour by
plane might take
twenty by bus) -
and even if
you're not
pushed for time,
it's always
worth checking
out prices, as
some cut-price
deals booked in
advance can work
out to be little
more expensive
than the bus.
One of the best
deals is the
"Visit
Argentina" air
pass sold by
Aerolíneas
Argentinas and
valid for
domestic flights
on Aerolíneas
and its
subsidiary,
Austral. This
pass must be
bought in
conjunction with
your
international
flight, and it
is not for sale
within
Argentina.
Flights are
awarded on a
voucher scheme:
if your carrier
to Argentina is
Aerolíneas the
basic option
(one to three
coupons) costs
$299; with any
other airline it
costs $339. Both
variants can be
supplemented by
up to a maximum
of eight
coupons, each of
which costs $105
extra. They're
not so brilliant
if you value
flexibility
ahead of a fixed
itinerary: you
have to nominate
your flights in
advance; you can
stop only once
per city; and
you can make
only one free
change of route
(additional
changes cost $50
each). The pass
is valid for up
to two months.
If you're
planning to stay
longer in
Argentina or
want greater
flexibility with
your routes, you
may be better
off buying
individual
tickets . To
keep prices
down, ask for
the banda
negativa
deals, where a
percentage of
seats are sold
off at a
cut-price
ate. These sell
out fast for the
popular routes,
so book as far
in advance as is
possible. The
same is true for
any ticket to
holiday
destinations at
peak times.
Service on the
different
domestic
carriers varies
considerably.
Aerolíneas
Argentinas is
currently fairly
run-down and is
not renowned for
its in-flight
service,
offering little
more than a
snack, even on
longer flights
to destinations
such as Ushuaia
(3hr 30min). Its
partner airline,
Austral, is
suffering from
an even more
acute lack of
investment and
its fleet is
outdated; and
LAPA, which
tends to be less
expensive than
Aerolíneas/Austral,
is renovating
its fleet but
has had a
dubious safety
record in the
past. Southern
Winds, a new
company based in
Córdoba, has a
good reputation
and a modern
fleet of
aircraft, but
charges high
prices by
comparison with
its competitors
(often twenty
percent more).
One of its
strengths is
that it has a
good network of
connections
between
provincial
cities, which
means you don't
always have to
go via Buenos
Aires. Dinar is
another dynamic
airline that is
rapidly
garnering a
significant
share of the
market, with its
regional focus
being around
Salta and the
Northwest.
The military
also provides
civilian
services - the
airforce's
LADE is one
of the cheapest
methods of
travel in the
country, but
there's limited
availability on
most flights and
they're often
heavily booked.
Its flight
routings are
often
convoluted,
bearing some
resemblance to a
delivery round,
although
improvements
have been made
with the recent
suspension of
many services to
smaller
provincial
destinations as
part of an
economy drive.
In a similar
vein to LADE,
the navy
operates a
ridiculously
cheap $10
Aeronave
service from Río
Grande to
Ushuaia, but you
can buy tickets
only at the
airport and
won't know if
you have a seat
until the last
minute.
Domestic
departure taxes
tend to hover at
around $5 to $13
(check to see
whether or not
this has been
included in the
price before
buying your
ticket). Many
smaller airports
are not served
by public
transport,
though some
airline
companies run
shuttle services
to connect with
flights;
otherwise,
you're stuck
with taxis,
which can hit
single
travellers'
budgets hard
(most airports
are 10-20km from
town).
