How to Navigate Argentina Domestic Transport: Best Tips for Budget Travel in 2023

This adventure through Argentina was a whirlwind of six domestic flights, each taking us to breathtaking destinations:
1. Buenos Aires (EZE) — Ushuaia
2. Ushuaia — El Calafate
3. El Calafate — Bariloche
4. Bariloche — Buenos Aires (AEP)
5. Buenos Aires (AEP) — Iguazu
6. Iguazu — Buenos Aires (AEP)

The first flight, a chartered one arranged by the cruise company, set the stage for our journey. The remaining flights were all booked with Aerolíneas Argentinas, whose prices can be compared on both their official website and third-party platforms. It’s important to note that Aerolíneas Argentinas frequently updates its schedules, making it risky to book tightly connected flights on the same day.

If you purchase tickets through a third-party platform, be sure to add your email address to the airline’s official website to stay informed of any changes.

Buenos Aires is served by two airports: Ezeiza (EZE), which is farther from the city center (an Uber ride to a hotel near the Obelisk costs over 11,000 pesos), and Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP), which is more conveniently located. During our trip, five of the flights experienced schedule changes. The three flights involving AEP not only had their times altered but also their departure or arrival airports.

I must highlight the disappointing after-sales service of a particular platform. After a schedule change, their problem-solving efficiency was abysmal and unprofessional. For instance, the fifth flight from Buenos Aires to Iguazu saw its departure airport changed to EZE, with a delay of over three hours.

The customer service representative initially claimed that this did not qualify for a free rescheduling. After persistent complaints, the issue was finally resolved, but it took nearly a month. In contrast, another platform handled a similar situation for the sixth flight much more efficiently, completing the free rescheduling in just half a day.

The difference in service quality was stark.

Another frustrating experience occurred with the fourth flight from Bariloche to AEP. The original flight was canceled, and the new one was delayed by almost six hours, with the airport changed to EZE. I contacted the online customer service to request a refund. A few days later, early in the morning before the scheduled departure, I received a message asking me to confirm the seat cancellation and contact customer service again.

Unfortunately, the signal in the remote mountainous area was extremely poor, making it a struggle to send even a single message. Dealing with customer service under these conditions was exhausting.

I just want to ask, when a customer has clearly expressed their intention to refund and has even provided a screenshot of the email from the official website about the schedule change (a few hours later, I also received a text message confirming the schedule change from the same platform, but until the day of the originally planned flight, the order details still showed that the flight information was normal), shouldn’t the online customer service have promptly confirmed the seat cancellation with the customer?

In the middle of this, I also received a call from a customer service representative who even got the name of the airport wrong, stating that it did not meet the conditions for an involuntary refund. It left me completely speechless. It has been a week since the initial refund request, and the day of the originally planned flight has already passed.

The order still shows that the refund is under review (an involuntary refund typically requires 30 working days), and there has been no further news.

Airport security check:
For flights 1, 4, 5, and 6, we brought water in cups, and it passed the security tests without any issues. AEP airport was quite crowded; we arrived two hours in advance, and after completing all the necessary procedures, we only had half an hour left before boarding. The other two airports were relatively less busy, and the procedures were completed in just a few minutes, so arriving two hours in advance meant a longer wait.

Iguazu airport was nearly empty, perhaps because our flight was at around 3:00 PM. From check-in to the security check, it took us only five minutes.