Aerolineas Argentinas launched a promotional push to extend its reach into North America, using its codeshare relationship with Delta as a springboard to penetrate the American airline market.
The Argentinean airline has decided this is its big moment-time for Argentina to break wide open in the American travel market.
There are many reasons to believe that the assessment is correct.
Aerolineas Argentinas' investment in the North American market is based on a well-founded belief that Argentina is poised for a growth spurt right now. With so much attention on Brazil during recent years and on Peru for a long time (plus some on Chile and Ecuador), it's time for Americans to turn their attention to Argentina.
Tango on Down
Argentina has a rich range of tourism offerings: From glaciers and wilderness in Patagonia and the jump-off point to Antarctica in Ushuaya; to mountain ski resorts, beaches, Iguazu Falls; to the cowboy culture, the tango and the rich and diverse urban culture of Buenos Aires.
The country has the advantage of being perceived as a safe destination. Some Americans who have shied away from Europe in recent years are seeing Latin America as a viable, safe alternative. And when flying straight south, jet lag is not a factor.
While Europe offers undeniable cultural richness, Argentina actually offers much of the same. A great diversity of European culture can be experienced in Argentina, transplanted onto the new continent in much the same way as it was in the U.S.
According to Marcelo William Bottini, Aerolineas Argentinas' regional director for North America, "Argentineans are Spanish, French, Italian, English, German and Jewish."
Those various immigrant groups preserved their cultural roots, which have all become part of the cultural tapestry of modern Argentina.
Establishing a Beachhead
Aerolineas Argentinas entered a codeshare partnership with Delta Air Lines in December 2015 that gives the company some penetration into the U.S. market. With Delta as a partner, Aerolineas Argentinas offers daily flights to New York, Miami and Atlanta, with feeds via Delta from Boston and Los Angeles.
The airline is at work to expand that penetration now.
Argentina is also playing the easy entry card: No visa is required for Americans to visit the country.
Meanwhile, the airline is upgrading its fleet, adding new in-flight entertainment options in both its Condor business class and Economy class, as well as renewing its wine list and giving its menu a remake under its new corporate chef Emanuel Zarlenga, starting in January.
Numbers
- Aerolineas Argentinas was founded 1950
-82 aircraft
-22 international destinations
-More than 340 daily flights
-81 percent on-time arrival year-to-date
-More than 11 million passengers in 2016
-Nearly 3 million frequent flyer members
-3 hubs: Aeroparque, Ezeiza and Cordoba
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