I Spent 22,500 EuroBonus Points on Aerolíneas Argentinas: Buenos Aires to Madrid

On my last visit to Sweden I found an interesting combination with my EuroBonus points: inbound with Aerolíneas Argentinas + SAS (via Madrid) in Economy Class, and the return with KLM in Business Class via Amsterdam. Ever since I completed my SAS EuroBonus Millionaire challenge and got my 1 million points, it has been increasingly hard to find good awards. Since I usually travel from South America to Europe or the United States, there are not very many airlines one can pick other than AF/KL, AR, and Delta. In addition, I usually travel with companions, which makes it harder when finding multiple seats.

The total price for the mixed cabin round trip (Buenos Aires -> Madrid -> Stockholm -> Amsterdam -> Buenos Aires) per person was 127500 EB points + 1735 SEK (~185 USD). However, I managed to use one of my SAS Amex 2-for-1 vouchers that was about to expire, which means that I brought down the price to 63750 points + 1735 SEK per pax. It’s a pretty good deal considering that those tickets are often over 5000 EUR when booking cash.

Note that these awards were booked prior to the last price increase (which came into effect on December 1st). Today, the same itinerary would be slightly more expensive (140k EB points instead of 127k).

The experience was mixed, but overall solid and did the job. Here’s the report on the outbound leg at the start of the trip.

How I Booked This Flight

If we just consider the Economy Class leg, this trip today would cost the same as it did before the December 1st devaluation (only Business Class awards increased). When booking a round trip, this flight costs 45k EuroBonus points + ~1700 SEK in taxes. When booking one-way, the price goes up to 54k points. Since I booked a round trip and used a voucher, I ended up paying a total of 22500 points + ~850 SEK per person for this segment.

Check-In & Security

The flight departed at 3 pm, so I had to be at the airport by noon. The traffic in Buenos Aires that morning was a nightmare; it took me an extra hour to get to Ezeiza Airport, which is quite far away from the city.

I went straight to the check-in lines and discovered that they were almost empty. Aerolíneas Argentinas dominates the departure terminal with the central part of the terminal entirely dedicated to them. I was able to use my SAS Gold/SkyTeam Elite card to go through SkyPriority and check my luggage.

After I was done, I went upstairs to go through security and immigration; the whole process took less than 10 minutes, and all the agents were nice and friendly. It was a beautiful, sunny day outside, perfect for flying.

Lounge

As I was flying Economy, I only had access to the Aerolíneas Argentinas lounge because of my SAS Gold status. That lounge is solid and does the job, but there are better options in Ezeiza. Instead, I went to the Amex Centurion Lounge using my Amex Platinum. I had roughly 2 hours to spare, and I used that time to work and catch up with email.

Recently, they tightened the restrictions inside the lounge, so it’s not allowed to take pictures or record without authorization.

Boarding

Boarding started on time so I went to the gate ~10 minutes before boarding. I could use the SkyPriority lane (which usually means an extra hour on the plane), but since I had carry-on luggage, I wanted to make sure it fit properly. I also wanted to take a few pictures before all the passengers boarded.

Overall, the process was smooth and silent, something quite rare in Argentina.

Cabin & Seat

The plane has a 2-4-2 configuration. Unfortunately, when I checked in, there were no available window seats, and as I was traveling with a companion, the options were limited. We managed to get an aisle and a middle seat, which were fine (I was in 22E). Aerolíneas Argentinas charges a fee for booking seats in advance, which can be quite expensive (over ~$100). Plus, if you book with EuroBonus points, your reservation code won’t really work on their system, as they don’t give you the airline booking code. Instead, you need to contact the airline’s call center, give them your e-ticket number, and ask an agent to share the airline booking code. Then, you can book seats in advance and manage the reservation online.

As I entered the plane, the cabin looked fresh and calm, everything was clean and tidy. Aerolíneas also has some older A330s (20+ years old), where the entertainment system is much older and the seats are older (but with more cushion). You could tell this one was on the newer side.

At the seat, there was a blanket and a pillow (no headphones, those are free too, but they hand them out later). An interesting detail was that there was no water, but a small bottle of Coca Cola Zero.

The seat space isn’t super generous, but it’s not sub-par. It’s in line with what you’d expect from a standard Economy Class seat. The recline was decent, and legroom was ok, unlike some airlines I’ve tried recently where the space is tight (Virgin Atlantic).

The flight was completely full. The boarding process took over 40 minutes.

IFE, Power & WiFi

The IFE wasn’t the latest, but it was responsive and had a relatively recent selection of movies (including F1 and some other Oscar-nominees). The screen had a USB-A port and a headphone jack. There was no power outlet other than that. The plane has WiFi but only to access the entertainment system from your phone, tablet or computer. There’s no internet offered.

Takeoff

We took off 11 minutes late, and the sky was very clear. I couldn’t record or take pictures as I didn’t have a window seat, and this plane has no cameras.

First Meal: Brunch?

Shortly after takeoff, the crew started a brunch service. It’s identical to what they serve for breakfast: a yoghurt, crackers and cream cheese, a cereal bar, coffee and tea. It’s a bit disappointing as a first meal, and it can get a bit confusing compared to other airlines departing at the same time.

Usually, most airlines flying to Europe would wait one or two hours before starting their service, and directly offer a full dinner. Then, they consider that sleep time until breakfast, which happens one or two hours before landing. They follow this schedule to adjust meal times to the European time zones and help with jet lag.

The flight with Aerolíneas was different: they served a brunch right away, then they darkened the cabin for about 4 hours, and then mid-flight they offered dinner. So yes, they woke everyone up to have dinner and then go back to sleep.

Then, the most interesting part was that there was no breakfast or pre-arrival meal.

Dark-cabin Time

After the first meal service, there were about 4 hours of dark cabin time, where most people just watched movies or tried to relax. The flight was smooth with occasional turbulence (as usual) when leaving Brazil and getting closer to the Equator. I watched a couple of movies that were really bad.

Second Meal: Dinner

Midway through the flight, they served a proper dinner. There were two options: creamy pasta or pastel de papa, which is a traditional Argentinian recipe. Both of the options were underwhelming, and quite salty. Along with that, you get a side salad, crackers (no bread), and an alfajor as dessert. You can also get coffee or tea.

After this meal, I tried to sleep as much as possible.

Arrival

It was tough, but I managed to nap 1-2h at a time until the end of the flight. As I mentioned earlier, there was no pre-arrival meal. I was too uncomfortable to be able to sleep, but at least I managed to relax.

The landing was smooth, and the sun was already rising. The approach into MAD is always long. We were supposed to arrive at Terminal 2, but after landing we went to a remote position and were taken by bus to the terminal. That gave me an opportunity to take a few good pictures of the plane.

The passport control line at that time was crazy long, but it was moving fast. The EU lane was almost empty and moving much faster.

Final Verdict: Is Aerolíneas Argentinas Long-haul worth it?

Overall, I’d say that the experience with Aerolíneas Argentinas was decent. For the price I paid, it’s definitely a bargain. You get a non-low-cost experience and a cheap way to get to South America, which is often quite expensive. If I were paying full price for a revenue ticket on this route (cash), I’d consider other options like KLM or Air France. The hard product can make a difference (flying on newer planes like the 787 or A350), and the soft product on those airlines is better (better meals, IFE, power outlets, onboard WiFi/internet). On the bright side, the staff was very friendly and the whole flight was smooth and quiet.