Go South, Young Man: Review of Aerolíneas Argentinas 737 MAX 8 Economy

The changes in view from El Calafate to Ushuaia were dramatic, but it sure was beautiful near El Calafate! Photo by: Evan Berman

On my way to Buenos Aires from Patagonia, I routed through Ushuaia in order to see the “End of the World,” as the city is known. This is the review of the flight from El Calafate to Ushuaia.

The recap of this quick flight is part of the larger South American Adventure. For more information on this trip, follow these links:

Intro

24 Hours in New York, NY

Flight: CHS-JFK in Delta Comfort+

New York Hotel

Flight: JFK-SCL in LATAM Economy+

W Santiago Hotel

Hyatt Place Santiago/Vitacura

3 Days in Santiago, Chile

Osaka Santiago, Chile Restaurant Review

Flight: SCL-AEP in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy

Flight: AEP-FTE in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy

Trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentine Patagonia

El Calafate Hotel

36 Hours in El Calafate, Argentina

Restaurants in El Calafate

Flight: FTE-USH in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy (This Article)

Flight: USH-AEP in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy

2 Hours in Ushuaia, Argentina

Buenos Aires Homestay

2 Days in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Flight: AEP-SCL in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy

Flight: SCL-MIA in LATAM Business Class

Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale/Plantation

Flight: FLL-CHS in Silver Airways Economy Class

Conclusion

Flight Info:

Route: FTE-USH (El Calafate, Argentina’s El Calafate Airport to Ushuaia, Argentina’s Malvinas Argentinas International Airport

Date: Friday, 11/25/2022

Flight: AR 1864 (Aerolíneas Argentinas)

Plane: Boeing 737 MAX 8

Seat: 10A (Main Cabin Window)

Est. Departure: 1:30pm local time (11:30am EST)

Taxiing: There was no taxiing– the airport was so small, we just backed up and took off!

Takeoff: 1:48pm local time (11:48am EST)

Gate: 2 (Main Terminal)

Est. Arrival: 2:50pm local time (12:50pm EST)

Touchdown: 2:42pm local time (12:42pm EST)

Arrived at Gate: 2:45pm local time (12:45pm EST)

Gate: 4 (Main Terminal)

Pricing:

Flight: I booked all of the intra-South American flights through Chase Travel. The entire trip cost $531.60 and I used the $300 travel credit from the Chase Sapphire Reserve as well as 15,440 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to pay for the flight. As such, I paid $0 in “real money.”

Earnings: 88 Delta SkyMiles

Flight Info: Class G, 353 miles

MQM: $250 (minimum amount for credit on all flights, from Delta)

MQS: 1

MQD: $18

Booking:

The $300 would be covered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel Credit. Unfortunately, this means I did not earn points on the flight, but free travel is always a positive! Photo by: Evan Berman

As mentioned above, I used the Chase Travel portal to book these flights. Argentina’s official exchange rate makes everything much more expensive in USD than using the “Blue Dollar” rate of converting to Argentine Pesos from USD in Argentina.

I compared prices on Aerolíneas Argentinas’ own website, AmEx Travel Portal, Capital One Travel Portal, Chase Travel Portal, and Google Flights. The prices on the AmEx Portal and Chase Travel Portal were equivalent (lower than the price of Google Flights). I chose Chase as I could use the Travel Credit and redeem at 1.5 cents per point, compared with AmEx’s 1 cent per point.

Booking via Aerolíneas Argentinas would’ve been more expensive than with Chase Travel Portal. Photo by: Evan Berman

Because I booked via a travel portal (as opposed to directly with the airline), despite inputting my Delta Frequent Flier Number (both are SkyTeam members), it did not show up in the confirmation email from Aerolíneas Argentinas (AR). Additionally, I had to call Chase as for some reason, despite receiving confirmation, the trip was not showing up on AR’s website. Thankfully, I spoke with a competent supervisor who was able to do something that made the reservation appear on AR’s website.

Note that if you have elite status with another SkyTeam partner, you may choose to include this frequent flier number instead. I have entry-level Silver Status with Delta and that entitles me to a free checked bag, priority check-in, priority baggage handling, and priority boarding on SkyTeam flights.

The other consideration is where to credit your flights. I use this helpful website, Where to Credit to determine the best course of action. All you need is the airline and booking class. Look for that on the confirmation email after purchasing or when choosing the specific fare, note the class. In this case, I valued Delta status perks over redeemable miles, but you may have a different calculus.

Lounges:

Surprisingly enough, if you are flying from an airport with only 7 gates, there is no lounge!

Recap:

I might not have read it but at least I could confirm we were flying a 737 MAX 8! Photo by: Evan Berman

As mentioned above, this plane is a Boeing 737 MAX 8. All of the flights I review on this trip save the ones to and from North America were on either 737 or 737 MAX planes.

View of the cabin in this AR 737 MAX 8. Photo by: Evan Berman

Despite the late takeoff, the flight was quick and uneventful and we got in just about on time. As usual, I enjoyed boarding early (thanks, SkyTeam Elite Status) and ensuring my bag was placed in the overhead bin above me.

I opted for a window seat given the layover time and was glued to my window for the dramatic scene outside. The beautiful view of the water below at the beginning of the flight gave way to a stormy view of the ocean as we approached Ushuaia.

The legroom on these short flights is perfectly fine, especially without anything under the seat. Photo by: Evan Berman

The 737 MAX 8 we flew has the typical setup of 2-2 seats in Business Class and 3-3 in economy. There is no premium economy on these flights.

Status Benefits:

I was very happy to avoid this long line and drop my bag off with not wait thanks to Delta Silver (and thus, SkyTeam Elite Status)! Photo by: Evan Berman

When I talk about priority check-in, here’s why it can be so important. This is the line for standard check-in. The Sky Priority check-in line had no wait at all. Had I needed to use the standard line, I may have missed my flight waiting!

Meals:

This was a quick flight of just over 1 hour and there was no meal service due to the inclement weather for most of the flight.

Sleep:

This was a quick daytime flight and I did not sleep.

Experience:

All calm before the storm. Photo by: Evan Berman

The flight was short at just over 1 hour. That being said, I loved watching the view outside the window change as we headed further south, from the beauty near El Calafate to the storm of Ushuaia.

What a view of the turbulent water near Ushuaia! Photo by: Evan Berman

Customs:

This was a domestic flight, so there was no need to clear customs.

Recap:

After an enjoyable, though all too short, stay in El Calafate, Argentina, it was time to head to Buenos Aires. I first flew down to Ushuaia, known as the “End of the World.” It might be the beginning of the New Year but I’ll see you at the End next time! 😉