Taking full advantage of a trip starts from the very beginning: when buying airline tickets. Here’s a list of the best websites for getting flight discounts you can’t find in US flight-related websites!
Written by Carla Chinski, Content Marketing Manager for Vamos Academy
Even if not all of these websites are strictly Argentine, they’re still kind of local sites that are probably off your radar if you’re planning to fly in from the US or the UK (or any other location!) But first, there are some obstacles you need to know about when flying.
A bit of context: because of exchange rates and the low availability of U$D in Argentina, there’s a newly-implemented government decree that forbids Argentines to buy tickets in installments–with or without interest rates. This won’t affect tourists coming into the country that have other, more stable and valid currencies, like the Euro or the United States dollar, so no need to worry about that. You should know that it’s precisely because of this that tickets for flying to Argentina are comparatively lower in themselves, discount or no discount.
Also read: https://vamospanish.com/discover/
pesos-vs-dollars-vs-credit-cards-argentina/
These websites will allow you to access discounts for local, inter-provincial flights. Travelling north or south of the country is a great idea if you really want an in-depth look at what the country has to offer (just to name a few locations: Córdoba, Calafate, Salta.) And, if you’re travelling to study Spanish and take lessons abroad, you’ll probably want to get to know Argentina a bit more than your average traveler.
General Tips for Buying Airline Tickets to Argentina
Know more before traveling to Argentina by plane: Argentine Government’s official site for tourists.
Call by dialing +54 9 11 3682 4880
- The local Argentine airline is Aerolíneas Argentinas, which has been privatized and been state-owned several times now. There are local flights, which land and take off from Aeropuerto Jorge Newbery; international flights take off and land at Ezeiza Ministro Pistarini, located in Greater Buenos Aires area known as Monte Grande. Although “Aerolíneas” isn’t exactly known for its stellar service, it’s good to become familiarized with the website for online check-ins, states of flights and flight reservations. For local flights, you can also fly with other companies like SKY, JetSmart of LATAM.
- Flybondi is Argentina’s first low-cost airline. Although there aren’t plans in place to open up another one any time soon, it’s the cheapest airline for flights within Argentina (Flybondi airline currently doesn’t offer international flights). There’s a “Previaje” discount in place for 2021 and 2022 which you can learn about here, with an English version available
- If you can, choose an airline for local flights, and do not travel by bus. It seems like a crazy statement to make, but: currently, long-distance bus tickets and airplane tickets for flights to Argentine provinces cost almost exactly the same, with a huge difference in travel and wait times. Additionally, traveling by plane is safer than doing so by bus.
- You can always use non-local websites to check for cheap flights. It’s advisable to look up flights for Buenos Aires on skyscanner.net; it’s a website that compares flights on different companies and websites and lets you know which company has the best deal.
- Because of the current exchange rates and economic crisis, tourists from outside Argentina can get their tickets at the official government-approved rates and you can pay for flights using your country’s currency with a lower–or the lowest–U$D rate, so you won’t have annoying tax rates to pay–which is what happens to Argentines, making international flights almost inaccessible to your average citizen.
- It’s much better to take a local flight to Argentina from a site like Miami with frequent flights to Argentina than to get out straight from a smaller state, even if there are flights being offered from that location. Here’s a useful map of the best locations to go to Argentina from:
- Of course, airfares to any country depend upon supply and demand: it’s that simple. However, there are some objectively cheaper or “dead” months for the airline industry in general (objective meaning it’s more likely you’ll find discounts; December is pretty much the most active day of the year.)
- Unfortunately, airfares in Argentina are cheaper for citizens / those who have an Argentine ID (a.k.a. Documento Nacional de Identidad.) There is, however, a way to go around this that’s convenient because of how common it is nowadays: purchase your ticket online. Also do the check-in online and take only a carry-on with you to avoid unexpected fares.
Be aware of the following: In general, these websites tend not to feature the option to choose flight class and services, and they don’t include baggage on board or dispatched luggage, as well as seat selection.
Turismocity
Turismocity consistently offers discounts for travelers to and from a wide range of destinations. As we’ve specified above, Turismocity’s webpage features flights from Miami to Buenos Aires, as well as to other airports for international flights, which will make your trip much more affordable. The website also features flying packages (“paquetes”) for inter-provincial travel, with significant discounts for flying to Argentina’s provinces, north or south.
The search bar is pretty standard: choose a date, specify from where you’re taking off and landing, how many passengers are flying on that date, and which class you want to fly in. The site itself offers discounts you won’t be able to find in the airlines’ official sites; what’s most convenient about Turismocity is that you’ll be able to fly to Argentina paying a fair price, even including taxes (known as IVA, in Argentina).
Despegar.com
The Despegar website explains the gist of it: “Get the cheap flights you need for your next trip with Despegar. Get ready to find thousands of airfare deals in just a few clicks. Here you will discover the greatest variety of flights of the most important airlines in the market, with more than 250 air transport companies at your disposal. From this platform you will be able to buy cheap flights to any place on the planet and compare rates, not only from the different airlines, but also by date, seeing when you can acquire the cheapest plane tickets.”
Further, the Despegar.com airplane tickets website does not offer any significant discounts for internal flights (for example, the most you’ll get is a 2% – 10% flight discount. Don’t be discouraged by this, as Despegar still has a lot to offer international travelers beyond flight packages. You can rent a car, get in-airport assistance and–most importantly–you can get flexible reservations for your flight to Argentina, which can mean that you’ll get your money back if the flight gets moved or cancelled. This is a huge deal as of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic which has made flying subject to changes, and is a trend among airlines.
NOTE: You need to register with your passport number | Call 0800 810 999 for reservations
Al Mundo
Almundo.com.ar is a local Argentine website that lets you access flight discounts to the country even if you haven’t decided which dates you’ll be flying on. There are some useful features you can take full advantage of in this case:
- Baggage / luggage and taxes are included in your airplane ticket’s total fare;
- You can choose a specific airport to take off and land in with just a click, and also choose specific times for flights–a feature which isn’t available in some of the other sites.
- Keep in mind the discounts for flying to Argentina are pretty significant (you can save about a thousand dollars even if your start date is coming up soon!)
Volalá
Volalá’s website offers insurance (“cobertura de salud” or “cobertura médica”), as well as lots of info on COVID-19 regulations for traveling during the pandemic; so, if you’re looking for info on safe travel, this is the site for you. You can also do your web check-in using Volalá.
Volalá has pretty significant discounts for international travel to and from Buenos Aires. Another useful feature is that you can search for flights directly and sort them from prices low-high and high-low. Keep in mind Volalá does not have a direct number where you can reach the company for customer service.
