Hello, everyone. It's been a long time since my last FR.
I originally planned this trip to Rome FCO in June, although I had to postpone it to July, due to my Argentine-Japanese love ;)
Honestly, Aerolíneas Argentinas would be my last choice traveling to Europe, but I had an open ticket with that airline and the Flight Report database needed an AR's long haul Flight Report. Also when you are in love you tend to be less picky about airlines… lol
I expected to get an upgrade to Club Condor (AR's business class), with the Aerolíneas Plus Platinum membership and there were no more seats available in that class… Too bad, because I knew the AR's ancient IFE equipping the A340 fleet
That afternoon, check in and security were smooth. Then I moved to the new American Express Centurion Lounge. Very good design.
Clean and modern restroom in the Amex Lounge
The new Ezeiza Airport Terminal B. I don't know why, that orange ceiling reminds me Aeroflot…
Remember the Brazil's World Cup? This ad was obviously funny before their semifinal against Germany. It says: Dance like one of us…. What a pity Brazilian friends… lol
Boarding started with Sky Priority passengers + children under 3 years and their parents.
My plane, a former Iberia A340-300… What should I expect? Nothing extraordinary in terms of comfort…
Once onboard I discovered the old Iberia seats.
The cabin was surprisingly very well preserved
The seat pitch was very good for my height. I have to admit the seat was one of the most comfortable I've ever tried in long haul Economy class. You know, there was a time in the 80s and 90s when Eco seats were designed with human beings in mind…
Aerolineas Logo (condor) on the pillow
Aerolineas advanced IFE for the next 14 hours… God, help me… lol
Alta, the Aerolíneas Argentinas magazine. It says: Together with the national team. Yes, our football players were so close…
A Turkish Airlines A340-300, ready for flying to Sao Paulo (GRU) and Istambul (IST)
Qatar Airlines B777-200LR. Sorry for the blurry pic
After a rejected take off (the captain mentioned a false alarm), we took off a few minutes later
The boring Noah movie was played on the main CRT screens, or better, tubes… lol
Lights on, before meal service
An hour later, dinner was served.The cabin crew was diverse. Some of them were very professional and nice. Some were… well the opposite…
I chose the grilled pork beef. The other option was lasagna. It was ok. The wheat salad was tasteless. The chocolate and banana tiny cake was nice
The printed menu was a nice and luxurious detail (In Economy), from the Aerolineas mediocre catering service
After finishing the meal, I was ready to explore the advanced IFE… 12 music channels. I just listened to Michael Jackson's Xscape new album and Aretha Franklin's Greatest Hits.
There was a time, in the 20th century, that smoking was allowed during flight. This blocked ashtray is a living proof
This cabin picture showing the old CRT TVs could have been taken 20 years ago…
A visit to the well maintained lavatory
After the second film ended, electronic noise was displayed for almost half an hour as part of the cutting edge IFE programming…lol
Then, I slept aprox. 6 hours. I have to admit again, the seat was very comfy.
On the other hand, no moving map. I calculated we were flying over Africa, according to my watch…
Dedicated to the winglets fans
Dedicated to the fuel dump nozzles and CFM56's fans… lol
An hour before landing, breakfast was served. Mini focaccia (bread), banana, muffin, yogurth, butter and dulce de leche. Decent. It could have been worse.
Does anyone know this airport?
We started approach to the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO)
Italy is stunning in summer, certainly.
I'm pretty sure we didn't dumped fuel this time, but…
Almost 14 hours later, we landed in Rome. The longest Aerolineas Argentinas route
In my opinion the AR's winglets are among the best designed
And the cargo door was unlatched
After disembarking through a jetway, I spotted this FCO airport ad in Japanese… ;)
Baggage claim area screen. After getting my bag, I went to a hotel in the Fiumicino town to rest, until next day when I had a flight to Berlin, my final destination and next FR.
I hope you enjoyed reading. Comments and questions are welcome.
Tourism bonus. Fiumicino is a very nice and relaxed town.
Thanks for sharing !
This cabine need to be refresh !
And the catering doesn't look good...
AR need to improve to be more competitive against LATAM for example !
But some time old school cabine has some advantages like a comfortable seat
SMilano, thanks for your comment. I hope Aerolíneas improve its service with 4 brand new A330s scheduled for delivery in 2015/2016.
Great FR, thanks. I'd have been upset that when I step inside the plane I notice the Iberia seats, as I want to try the original AR seats. AR is my most favorite livery in the world along with KLM. I just love their blue colour. So nice. Thanks for the great report :)
Whitelight44: thanks for your comment. Sadly, there is no original AR seat in the leased A340 fleet. Just a mixture of former IB, AF and CX old seats...
I agree, the Aerolineas livery is one of the world's most beautiful.
Aw, interesting thanks for letting me know so I should make sure I choose their A330 when I travel with them to get the AR designed seats. Thank you.
There was a time in the 80s and 90s when Eco seats were designed with human beings in mind : I love that!
Now, we have IFEs... and backaches. Not mentioning the woes of giants 1.70m tall and above !
There was a functional ashtray in the armrest on the Air France A318 I took last Sunday. It had first flown in 2006, many years after smoking was banned on all flights.
Very nice wing views - I agree on the winglet decoration; I can't understand why some airlines leave it blank.
???????? means Welcome in Roma.
Thanks for you dedication for the FR database - I note that this report did not improve AR's ranking.
Marathon: thanks for your comment. LOL about seats and giants complaining...
Thanks for the Japanese translation!
Maybe some airlines leave their winglets blank because they think painting them is not worth it, for so few passengers with a window seat.
Thanks for sharing this FR
At least you had comfy seats
The AR is average : so so FAs, the catering not appealling at all, no IFE
Gorgeous winglets
See you soon for your next FR
Lagentsecret: thanks for your comment!
I always wondered how was AR's economy class. Do you know if it's different on A330 ?
I boarded the Turkish Airlines plane next to you during its stop in Sao Paulo :D
At least I like the livery and the winglets.
Thanks for sharing :)
Momolemomo: thanks for your comment. The Aerolineas Argentinas A330 fleet (flying from EZE to MIA and JFK) has been refurbished and is equipped with PTV.
It's crazy that you boarded that TK A340 few hours later. There are flight reporters everywhere :)
Thanks for sharing this detailed report! Good to see a new report from you. Well, Aerolineas lives up to it's reputation of being mediocre. The beautiful livery and winglets are deceiving, LOL...the rest is very average. Like everyone else has already pointed out, the good thing about the old seats is that they are comfortable and more padded than the newer generation slimline seats that are becoming the norm in aircraft interiors. The lack of seatback IFE for such a long flight would drive me insane! LOL. See you soon for the next report!
Kévin: thanks for your comment. I'm glad to be here again :)
Thanks for sharing this report. You are right, AR is a rather obscure carrier that does not get much exposure.
Very average flight made worse by the lack of IFE.
The small printed menu is a thoughtful touch and the livery is beautiful. The meat portion of the main dish seems generous for Y.
Jetsetpanda: thanks for your comment. Agree with you about the meat portion size. Don't forget Argentina is a carnivorous country... lol
So if I understand, if you take a 340 Aerolineas, you can seat in an Air France or Iberia cabin?
That airport you asked for is Olbia-Costa Smeralda International Airport (OLB/LIEO) in Northern Sardinia ;) very good and detailed report!!