Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Buenos Aires to Montevideo
High-speed ferries carry passengers from downtown
Buenos Aires to the Uruguayan capital in only 2¼ hours.
Tigre to Carmelo
Regular passenger launches speed from the Buenos Aires suburb of
Tigre to Carmelo in 2½ hours (services also go to Montevideo from Tigre).
GETTING AROUND
Air
Airlines in Argentina
The national carrier,
Aerolíneas Argentinas
(AR;
www.aerolineasargentinas.com
) , offers
the most domestic flights, but it's not necessarily better than its competitors. Other airlines
with domestic flights include
LAN
(
www.lan.com
)
and
Líneas Aéreas del Estado
(LADE;
www.lade.com.ar
) , the air force's passenger service. The latter has some of the least ex-
pensive air tickets and specializes in Patagonia, but it has very few flights and most are
short hops.
Some domestic airlines operate on a two-tier system, where foreigners pay more than
locals for the same ticket. If you fly to Argentina with Aerolíneas Argentinas, however, you
can get discounted domestic tickets via a special 'air pass'. The catch is that you must
purchase these outside Argentina, usually when you purchase your international flight.
Demand for flights around the country can be heavy, especially during some holidays
(such as Christmas or Easter) and the vacation months of January, February and July.
Seats are often booked out well in advance so reserve as far ahead as possible.
Nearly all domestic flights land at
Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery
(Aero-
parque; 011-5480-6111;
www.aa2000.com.ar
) , a short distance north of downtown
Buenos Aires. It's worth noting that Argentina's domestic flight system can be very unreli-
able - flights are often cancelled or delayed, and there can be frequent labor strikes. It
might be a good idea to avoid tight itineraries; for example, leave a day's cushion in
between your domestic and international flights.
ARRIVAL TIPS: AEROPUERTO INTERNACIONAL MINISTRO PISTARINI
»
Citizens from some countries have to pay a reciprocity fee (tasa de reciprocidad)
before flying into Argentina; this fee is equal to what Argentines are charged for
visas to visit those countries. These fees are US$100 for Australians (good for one
year), US$160 for Americans (good for 10 years) and US$75 for Canadians (per
entry - sucks, eh? Or go for the US$150, good-for-five-years option).
