Aerolineas Argentinas

Scared out of my wits! – Firstly I must point out my experience was in 2006...the details have faded, but the experience overall will stay with me forever. I was flying from Santiago to Melbourne. First leg was to Buenos Aires, the next stop was to be Auckland. First problem was that I had no sound or TV working in my seat and there was no other seat available. After… Read more

meal service the lights were turned off and it seemed that everyone was asleep (except me!).

The plane was experiencing a fair bit of turbulence, but no communication from the flight deck (wouldn't want to wake people!) Then there were some big drops and odd noises (still no communication) Finally sounds that in hindsight indicate landing.The deceleration and initial bang on landing were very scary (remember the cabin is dark and there was no communication) I didn't consider that they were landing noises because we should have been somewhere over the Pacific at the time! It wasn't until we had landed that we were informed there had been a change in course to allow us to land in Ushuaia to refuel...way off course!

The fact that there was no communication with passengers is very poor practice and there was no landing protocol observed.

On top of this there was still a long haul to NZ with no entertainment available to me.

NEVER again!

Like stepping on a plane in the 80s – An epic flight on an old-fashioned plane. Flying with Aerolineas in 2008 made me feel like I was flying in 1992 (excuse the earlier 80s hyperbole). If I'm going on a long flight (18 hours I believe), I want decent amenities. Once you fly a decent airline, using Aerolineas is like stepping back in time. I'm pretty sure the Hallmark movie showing… Read more

on the one main screen was a VHS as it was of a flickering quality. It was This Christmas, a 2007 movie with a review of 5.7 on IMDB. Fun times were had. Please pity my first world problems - we did not have our own personal touch-screen TVs on each seat.

Boarding time was lengthy. Food was pretty bland - from what I recall lunch was a small cheese and bacon roll. Flight was also rather boring.

I'll give Aerolineas 2 stars, because I got to try an Argentinian beer, and also because the seat next to me on the flight from NZ to Buenos Aires was empty. That was nice. price, reliability basic, old-fashioned planes

A Disappointing Experience – At check-in: My husband and I are sitting at Buenos Aires International Airport waiting for our flight to Sydney. You know things are bad when you feel the need to warn others before you even get on the aeroplane. Our flight to Sydney leaves at 8.50 am. Having left our hotel at 6.15 am we arrived at the check-in queue before 6.45 am. We… Read more

tried last night to do a web check-in but got a message saying that web check-in was unavailable on this flight.

The configuration of the Aerolineas A340 plane is two-four-two. We have been allocated two seats in the middle of the centre row of four seats. Neither of us was given an aisle seat. I don't expect much from seat allocation but I do expect that a couple travelling together in a two-four-two configuration should be able to get at least one aisle seat. After all 50% of seats in a two-four-two are aisle seats. When we queried the allocation the woman on the check-in counter told us that check-in opens four hours before a flight leaves and if we wanted an aisle seat then we should have arrived then. Four hours prior to 8.50 am is 4.50 am. I simply don't believe that 50% of the passengers, or frankly any passengers at all, had checked in that early. It was clear that we were far from the last few passengers to check-in. There was a queue of people behind us at the counter and there were hardly any other passengers at the gate when we arrived there.

The employee who dealt with us at the check-in counter was rude and unhelpful. She made no effort to accommodate our request but simply stated that if we wanted to board the flight and we wanted to sit together then we would have to take the two middle seats she offered. She said that nothing else was available.

At the gate:

There were so few passengers at the gate when we arrived that I decided to try again. The person at the counter was sympathetic and gave the impression of wanting to be helpful. She quickly found us two seats together, with one being an aisle seat. They were in the last row, which is far from the most pleasant place to sit on a long international flight but better than two middle seats. So much for the earlier claim that there were no aisle seats available.

On the plane:

We are now on the plane, a couple of hours into the flight. The flight is not full. Most but not all of the aisle seats appear to be taken and there is at least one row where a passenger is stretched out comfortably across four seats. Why we were not allocated seats in that row is beyond me.

Seat allocation generally:

My husband and I fly overseas on average about three times a year. This is the first time we have flown internationally with Aerolineas Argentinas. Years ago it used to be the case in Australia that if you flew internationally and hadn't bought your ticket through a travel agent it was difficult to keep a family together. Travel agents appeared to have the right to have aisle and window seats pre-allocated to their customers, leaving only the less desirable seats for others. I suspect that we have been the victims of such a system.

Qantas in particular, but also a number of other airlines, have finally recognized that families are entitled to expect to sit together on long haul flights without having to take the worst seats on the plane. They have introduced various systems including web check-in and the right to choose your seat at the time of booking, to overcome the unfairness of travel agents and anyone else who has an inside knowledge on the booking systems taking up all the coveted seats and leaving ordinary passengers to wonder why they get treated so badly.

The Flight.

The seats are no more or less uncomfortable than any other airline.

The food is on the wrong side of downright awful. Personally I can't eat it at all. It has now been a very long, tedious and hungry flight.

The entertainment system doesn't exist. The planes are equipped with old fashioned movie screens. From the back row I can't see the movie and there is too much general plane noise to hear it. The picture quality is also extremely poor.

Would I fly Aerolineas again?

NO! Not until they bring themselves, particularly their seat allocation system, up to the standards of other airlines.

Seat allocation, food, in-flight entertainment.