LivingInPatagonia.com

Flight Report from Bariloche to Santiago via Puerto Montt

Written by Jamie

Getting to and from Bariloche requires some logistics. 

A majority of travellers go through Buenos Aires. The problem with this is that there are two different airports in BA, EZE (Ezezia) for international flights and AEP (Aeroparque) for domestic flights. So, if one wishes to connect to an international flight they must allow at least 4 hours to clear customs and transfer across town to the other airport.

There is an alternative for the international traveler.

LAN Airlines flies two days a week, Thursday and Sunday, to and from Bariloche and Santiago, Chile, with a stop in Puerto Montt.  This is often a quicker and easier solution with no need to transfer airports. 

Since I currently have some time to kill here at the Santiago airport I thought I would share a few observations.

The flight from Bariloche to Puerto Montt actually left the gate 20 minutes early. Living in Argentina for over two years, I think this was definately a first; something actually happening earlier than scheduled.

The flight to Puerto Montt is a beautiful and very quick 20 minutes right over the Andes. I would suggest sitting on the right side of the plane as the view looking directly at Cerro Tronador is quite spectacular. 

I was also able to look down on our house when flying over Lago Nahuel Huapi, which was really cool. I waved to my wife and kids but I’m not sure if they saw me.

Arriving in Puerto Montt, everyone disembarks and clears customs.

This creates the flight to Santiago to be considered a domestic flight, allowing you to leave the Santiago airport without paying the international exit tax.

Normally, American citizens are forced to pay US$100 to leave the airport. That is a one time fee for the lifetime of your passport. Although I decided against it, I could have left the airport without paying the ridiculous fee.

Here at SCL (Santiago International Airport), there is a VIP lounge near gate 18. If you have a Citibank or Diner’s card you can use the lounge for about US$8. They have private bathrooms, showers, wifi access, and, best of all, free drinks.

I suspect by the time my flight leaves I will have gotten more than my $8 worth.