Thursday, September 19, 2024

Aerolíneas Argentinas - Or, more precisely, "Trash Airlines"

I just came back from a trip to Argentina to see family and friends. 

Part of the planned trip involved a flight inside the country to see my son, his wife, and my granddaughter, almost four years old, who I haven't seen in person for two years.

The outbound and inbound flights were cancelled by the airline due to a Pilots, Navigators and other unions strikes. They all may have a just salary or work conditions claim, I wouldn't know. One of those strike days alone left 37,000 passengers stranded. We were two of them. Why the customer, who pays for  everything, has to be the victim of their actions, instead of the execs, share holders, the officials and the government that owns and regulates them? Why not taking the issue directly to them? Go and picket their homes or something.

We had aligned with that flight two hotel reservations for two different places, private transportation to and from them, dinner reservations and other scheduled activities (tours, etc). I had to scramble on the phone, computer, apps, etc., trying to untangle that net and being exposed to charges from all of them, as the cancellations that Aerolíneas Argentinas forced me to make were already within the penalty period (too close, or on, the date).

The Airline was unreachable, either by phone, email, app, etc. Their App and Website collapsed, links wouldn't work, filled forms will empty themselves suddenly, the information requested was unrelated or non-applicable for foreigners, etc. A veritable S..t show.

NO SUPPORT, NO OFFER TO RE-BOOK, NONEXISTENT CUSTOMER SERVICE. 

Finally, after days of trying, I got an automated claim number. It's worth s...t, and still no one contacted me about a refund.

I could never see that part of that family. Thanks, Aerolíneas Argentinas (from now on TRASH AIRLINES.

They refuse so settle in person at their locations and tell you to do it online, which is a dead end. Still trying to get an answer (and of course a refund). 

In previous trips this is what my family suffered with them, chronically: sudden cancellation of flights, arbitrary change of dates for the flight (up to two days), change of departure and destination AIRPORT!

It's obvious that they are UTTERLY DYSFUNCTIONAL.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR: NEVER FLY WITH THAT UNRELIABLE, UNCOOPERATIVE, DISORGANIZED MOCKERY OF AN AIRLINE, EVER.

 

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