Ban on flying: what air tickets can be purchased in quarantine and from what date

05/01/2020 - 13:22

• Clarín.com
• travels

Closed borders, planes on the ground, people at home, and classless kids. The world of tourism in crisis. We do not go out, even less do we know when we will travel again. Despite all this, the different actors in the travel sector are considering possible scenarios for when tourism is an option, with or without a vaccine that stops the coronavirus . That is why there are already several airlines that are designing security measures, as well as airports, hotels and tourist destinations.

This week in Argentina it was determined that tickets cannot be operated or sold until September 1. With such a distant date on the horizon, the airlines pointed out that financing is complicated , the income of money to be able to subsist until the situation is fairly normal.

Taking into account that today in the country you can only buy to travel only from September , we did a search on the websites of airlines and online travel agencies. And this is what we find.

Ezeiza airport empty. Photo Juano Tesone

Let's start with Aerolíneas Argentinas . We looked for a flight Buenos Aires-Bariloche for the July holidays and, logically, the screen indicated that the search had no flight alternatives. But when changing the date for September 1, voilà! The options were displayed on the screen: a ticket to Bariloche, without luggage dispatch for September 1 costs $ 5,523 round trip .

The Aerolineas Argentinas website with a search for tickets to fly before September (Capture)

We tried LATAM with another national destination, Ushuaia and the situation was the same . A possible flight alternative appeared to buy just from September for $ 5,741, round trip, without luggage.

Availability of LATAM tickets to fly from Ezeiza to Rio de Janeiro from September 1 (Capture)

International? The same, we look for a flight from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro in LATAM and the options enabled are only those from September onwards: $ 16,524 round trip.

At Iberia we tried a flight to Barcelona : nothing in July, nothing in August . In September, tickets start at $ 70,122.

Iberia website in search of a ticket from Ezeiza to Barcelona in August (Capture)

Another European, Air France, also shows ticket options just for September, from US $ 754. The lower rate indicates that it cannot be canceled, but it can be changed without cost, although the difference in fare will be charged . And one more, Lufthansa: US $ 1,058 the flight from Ezeiza to Frankfurt, only enabled from September.

Based in Panama, Copa Airlines clarifies from the outset that its operations are suspended until June 1 . We then searched for a flight from Buenos Aires to Panama for July and August and the search yielded no results. In September, tickets from 1 to 12, US $ 786.

Cup tickets for September. The airline is based in Panama and its flights are suspended until June. In Argentina it will be able to operate from September (Capture)

Considered one of the best airlines in the world for its service, Emirates also shows no options to fly now from Ezeiza, neither in July nor in August. Yes in September: $ 87,983 from Buenos Aires to Dubai. It is worth remembering that the Emirati company already tested a 10-minute test for passengers before boarding the plane.

We tried an American company and entered the American Airlines website . In accordance with the new regulations, we just found a ticket offer in September. Flights Buenos Aires-Miami with checked luggage, from US $ 776 per person round trip.

This is the result of a search for tickets on American Airlines to fly from Argentina to Miami before September (Capture)

And the low cost ? JetSmart also has flights canceled in Argentina in the months leading up to September. As of that date, fly for example from Buenos Aires to Iguazú for $ 4,780 round trip .

JetSmart in Argentina and a search to fly from Buenos Aires to Iguazú in September (Capture)

Let's see with the Brazilian Gol . Same. Flights departing from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro from September starting at $ 22,906.

In online agencies it is not necessary to prove too much because already with the first search that one carries out for a date before September, explanatory posters appear . In Despegar, for example, the legend says: “Due to the coronavirus, we do not offer flights to or from Argentina until September 1. If you wish, you can carry out a new search from that date ”.

The message that can be read in Take off when looking for passages before September (Capture)

In the case of Almundo, the message is similar: "As a health measure, given the closure of borders and the recommendations of international organizations, we will not have the dates for travel sales enabled until August 31, 2020."