Navigating Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport, Argentina
Most international flights leave Buenos Aires between 9:00 pm and 1:00 am. Air Malaysia, Lufthansa, Delta, United, American, Continental, COPA (Panama), LAN Chile, CAM (Brazil), GOL (Brazil), British Midland, Alitalia, Air Canada, British Airways, Iberia, Aerolineas Argentina, Air France, South African Airways, Quantas and Bolivia. No wonder the airport is in chaos! Take a tranquilizer and/or put yourself into a trance otherwise you're not going to get on the plane without a meltdown.
Allow at least three hours if you have tax-free purchases which almost everyone has since there is no minumum to spend in order to get a tax-free refund.
This is the very long routine we experienced:
- Check in at your airline.
- Present your rax-free slips to be validated on the main level in the check-in area.
- Have your purchases with you in case they want to see them. They did want to see the pair of shoes I bought and, fortunately, they were in my backpack.
- Go upstairs and wait in line for your refund. Either given in Pesos or a credit on your credit card (we're still waiting for the credit).
- Stand in line to pay a departure tax. (You can charge it on a credit card.)
- Stand in another line for x-ray...and
- Stand in the last line (until boarding) for customs.
After all that, you can browse through the myriad of shopping selling everything from Armani to Cuban cigars. To pay, you once again have to wait in very long lines at the cash registers where they give you a receipt to pick up purchases when boarding your plane. Got it?
Bon Voyage...
