7 Surprises From My First Time Flying Aerolíneas Argentinas

Numerous airlines run the route between São Paulo, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. When you add that São Paulo has 3 airports and Buenos Aires has 2, you’ve got numerous options for flying between these 2 cities.

Among the airlines shuttling passengers between the 2 largest cities in South America, you’ll find Aerolíneas Argentinas, the state-owned carrier of Argentina.

My wife and I first flew Aerolíneas Argentinas in November 2024, taking a 3-hour flight on a Boeing 737-800. Some aspects of the trip were positive; others weren’t.

These are the 7 things that surprised us on the flight.

1. Departure Terminal in São Paulo

Our first-ever Aerolíneas Argentinas flight took off from São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU) in Brazil and landed at Aeroparque Internacional Jorge Newbery (AEP) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And we were waiting for the flight in the wrong terminal at our departing airport.

At São Paulo-Guarulhos, most international flights depart from Terminal 3, which locals and airport staff normally refer to as “the international terminal.” However, a few airlines operate international flights from Terminal 2, including Aerolíneas Argentinas. We had simply assumed the flight would be in Terminal 3. Since we didn’t have any checked baggage and had our boarding passes from checking in online, we simply headed to the Amex Centurion Lounge after arriving in Terminal 3 on an American Airlines flight from the U.S.

A few hours later, we looked for our gate on a departures board and realized it would be in a different terminal. We still had plenty of time to spare, but we were glad we checked the board in advance — avoiding the need to run for our flight or possibly miss it.

2. Confusing Boarding and Deplaning

For our flight, Aerolíneas Argentinas used 4 boarding groups. A sign at the gate indicated boarding groups 1 and 3 would use the left lane. Groups 2 and 4 should use the right lane. The unspoken idea was that group 3 should stay out of the way until group 1 was finished.

In theory, it was a good idea.

What really happened? Everyone in groups 3 and 4 mixed with people in groups 1 and 2, who then jostled to the front. In the end, we had 1 shapeless amoeba moving toward the gate. Even though we were in boarding group 2, the plane was almost full by the time we got on.

Not to be left out, the deplaning process was equally chaotic. First, the boarding door didn’t open for over 20 minutes after we parked on the apron. Once the door was opened, the crew realized there weren’t any stairs at the door, which led to another 10 minutes of waiting.

Then, the back door opened, and we were told we could deplane from both the front and rear doors. That turned out to be untrue, and the rear door was closed. Lastly, the bus up to the terminal left while it was only half full, and we stood around for a while until more buses came.

3. Advertisements on the Seats

That cloth over the headrest on a seat? It’s called an antimacassar. And our Aerolíneas Argentinas flight had advertisements there.

After an initial shock, this made sense to me, given the airline’s financial situation. It hasn’t turned a profit in many years. In fact, Argentina’s President Javier Milei wants to sell the airline, seeing this as a way to offload the indebted airline from the government’s balance sheets. So far, there aren’t any offers on the table, and the airline’s unions oppose the sale.

Until then, selling advertising space inside the planes probably makes sense. To be clear, it hasn’t gone to the extremes of advertising in every available space like some other airlines. However, it is uncommon to see these ads in business class.

4. Wear and Tear in the Cabin

The plane’s outside looked nice. And the cabin appeared modern at first glance.

However, a closer look showed obvious signs of age. A clear example was right above our heads. The overhead bins had worn-off paint and smudges from being touched and used repeatedly.

5. Spacing at My Knees

We fully expected to have our knees jammed into the back of the seats in front of us during this flight. We were pleasantly surprised to find that wasn’t the case. Economy seats had 32 inches of pitch — the space from your seat to the one in front of you. That’s above what multiple U.S. airlines offer for legroom.

Thus, even at 5 feet, 10 inches tall, there was still space between my knees and the seat in front of me.

6. German Signage

Signs at our seats and in the lavatories offered English and German. Stickers that had clearly been added to the plane later provided Spanish. That was odd for an airline based in a Spanish-speaking country, but there’s a reason: some of the 737s now flying with Aerolíneas used to belong to German carrier Air Berlin.

7. Inflight Food Offerings

On an international flight, receiving a meal is common. Many airlines offer a meal — even in economy — on the São Paulo-Buenos Aires route, which is flown by almost a dozen carriers. However, Aerolíneas Argentinas didn’t offer a meal on this flight. Instead, we had a choice of nonalcoholic drinks and received a package with 2 cookies inside.

Final Thoughts

In many ways, this felt like an average economy flight, the same as on numerous other airlines. We did encounter surprises, though, including completely disorganized boarding and deplaning and advertising inside the cabin. Those would feel unfamiliar to someone used to domestic flying in the U.S.

Also surprising, though, was the generous legroom in coach, which was bigger than what you’d find on U.S. legacy carriers. I would be willing to fly Aerolíneas Argentinas again.