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Delta SkyMiles have access to the best award space to all of Argentina–not just Buenos Aires–year round in economy and Business Class.
The backbone of the award space is AeroMexico availability on its daily flights from Mexico City to Buenos Aires. This award space is available for 2+ people in economy and 2+ people in Business Class on the vast majority of flights for the next year. Four flights weekly on the route are even on AeroMexico’s newest plane, the 787 Dreamliner with flat bed seats.
Unlike the Dreamliner Business Class award space to Argentina on United, you don’t have to end your Delta award in Buenos Aires because Delta also partners with Aerolineas Argentinas, which you can fly to a eight other major destinations for zero extra miles on the same award.
- What is the award space with Delta SkyMiles to Buenos Aires?
- How is the AeroMexico Dreamliner?
- Where else can you go in Argentina?
Delta has terrible award space on its own flights from Atlanta to Buenos Aires, but partner AeroMexico releases a ton of award space from the United States to Mexico City and from there to Buenos Aires in economy and Business Class. All Delta partner awards from the United States mainland to Argentina cost:
- 30,000 SkyMiles one way in economy
- 62,500 SkyMiles one way in Business Class
Just how good is AeroMexico award space?
AeroMexico Award Space
Every day below that says “65,000” has award space for two people in Business Class from Mexico City to Buenos Aires. (Oddly Delta charges more from Mexico to Argentina than from the United States. When we start our award in the United States, we’ll pay just 62,500 miles.)
Other than some missing days around Christmas–and even then there’s space if you’re flexible–you can see there is award space for two people in Business Class from Mexico City to Buenos Aires almost every day.
The pattern is the same from Buenos Aires back to Mexico City. What about getting between the United States and Mexico City?
Award Space Between the United States and Mexico
Researching this article, I was very surprised how many AeroMexico flights there are between the United States and Mexico. Here’s a combined route map for Delta and AeroMexico flights between the United States and Mexico City.
Notes: BOS-MEX begins June 1, 2015. Fresno only has a direct AeroMexico flight to Guadalajara where you can connect to Mexico City.
If you live in any of the cities on the map, you can get to Buenos Aires with only one connection in Mexico City. While the Delta flights (Atlanta, Detroit, Salt Lake City) don’t have very good award space to Mexico City, the AeroMexico flights have amazing award space for two people in either cabin.
For instance, here is the award space for two people this Argentine Spring–October and November are a fantastic time to visit–from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires.
There is award space every day. All of it features an AeroMexico flight from Mexico City to Buenos Aires, though some of it features an Alaska Airlines flight to Mexico City.
Award space is similarly excellent from Argentina back to the United States. For instance, award space for two people in economy and Business Class from Buenos Aires to Washington DC also shows award space almost every day.
Again, the backbone of this space is AeroMexico availability via Mexico City, but there are also options that fly Aerolineas Argentinas via New York. (AR1300 below)
Connections in Argentina
All of these awards land at Buenos Aires Ezeiza airport (EZE). Most domestic flights in Argentina leave Aeroparque (AEP), which is much closer to the city, but Aerolineas Argentinas does operate some flights from EZE to the rest of the country including great tourist spots like Iguazu, Mendoza, Bariloche, Calafate, and Ushuaia.
You can add Aerolineas award space to your award for zero extra miles, but you can’t do it online.
You can search the award space on delta.com, like this search from EZE to Ushuaia that shows plenty of Business Class award space.
But when you try to add the intra-Argentina segment to an international award, you get an error like this despite there being legal award space.
The solution? Call Delta 800-323-2323 if you want to book your Argentina award with intra-Argentina award space.
AeroMexico Dreamliner
Four days a week, AeroMexico flies its new 787 Dreamliner between Mexico City and Buenos Aires. The rest of the flights are operated by 767s. AeroMexico also flies its Dreamliner on some New York <-> Mexico City and Los Angeles <-> Mexico City flights.
The Dreamliner has fully flat beds in Business Class in a 2-2-2 configuration, so, as usual, pick a middle seat if you’re flying alone to avoid having to climb over or be climbed over by anyone else.
God Save the Points has a review of Business Class on the AeroMexico Dreamliner. The review is complimentary of the seat, bed, and entertainment though it refers to the crew as “ghosts, you know those things you can’t see, talk to or receive a drink from.” [Scott: hahaha, I believe it]
Try your hardest to fly a day served by the 787, because the 767 doesn’t feature fully flat beds.
Bottom Line
Argentina can be a tough award ticket. There’s almost no space on American Airlines flights to Argentina for most of the next year. United has amazing award space some days, but none for months at a time.
The solution is to use Delta miles on AeroMexico flights. Fly from over a dozen airports to Mexico City and connect to the AeroMexico Dreamliner to Buenos Aires. You’ll pay only 30,000 SkyMiles in economy or 62,500 SkyMiles in Business Class each way for a fully flat bed.
Your award doesn’t have to end in Buenos Aires. You can connect from there to eight cities in Argentina on Aerolineas Argentina for no extra miles, but you’ll have to call to book an award like that.
Further Reading
- Where to Go Out in Buenos Aires Every Night of the Week
- The Five Best Restaurants in Buenos Aires
- Six Thoughts on Six Months in Buenos Aires
- One Perfect Week in Argentina
- Bariloche Trip Report
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Can also use Alaska miles to get these flights on Aeromexico (although no intra-Argentina flights). 45K one-way in J or 90K round-trip.
Great tip if you don’t need to use Delta or Aerolineas Argentinas flights!
Can also use Alaska miles to get these flights on Aeromexico (although no intra-Argentina flights). 45K one-way in J or 90K round-trip.
Great tip if you don’t need to use Delta or Aerolineas Argentinas flights!
On AEROMEXICO which has a bigger seat (width, length,and padding) the 767 or 787? I can’t sleep on plane so don’t care about lie flat, and actually miss the old big fluffy seats.
According to Seat Guru, the 787 seat is 20″ wide and 767 seat is 18″ wide.
On AEROMEXICO which has a bigger seat (width, length,and padding) the 767 or 787? I can’t sleep on plane so don’t care about lie flat, and actually miss the old big fluffy seats.
According to Seat Guru, the 787 seat is 20″ wide and 767 seat is 18″ wide.
I’ve used Alitalia miles to get to South America (Chile, though) flying Aeromexico, and I thought it was a steal at 75,000 miles (1:1 with AmEx points) roundtrip in business class. The only annoyances were dealing with Alitalia customer service people and having to go through security in Mexico City (although now I know how others feels if they’re transiting in the U.S.).
I didn’t know that we have to clear immigration/customs there. That’s annoying.
I’ve used Alitalia miles to get to South America (Chile, though) flying Aeromexico, and I thought it was a steal at 75,000 miles (1:1 with AmEx points) roundtrip in business class. The only annoyances were dealing with Alitalia customer service people and having to go through security in Mexico City (although now I know how others feels if they’re transiting in the U.S.).
I didn’t know that we have to clear immigration/customs there. That’s annoying.
Great article as always. Sadly unlike Casper, they weren’t even friendly ghosts. Thanks Scott!
Great article as always. Sadly unlike Casper, they weren’t even friendly ghosts. Thanks Scott!
BEWARE!!! What shows as available on Delta’s website is not actually available. I just converted in 50,000 MR to Delta Skymiles to use for a 62,500 award one-way between EZE and LAX on Aeromexico that was showing available for up to four people on Delta’s website, only to go through the whole process and receive a message that ‘We’re sorry. The fare for the flights you selected just sold out. Please try again.” However, when you try again, the same flight is still showing as available on Delta’s website. In fact, 24 hours later it was still showing as available. Delta claims that their website is not automatically updated for availability by their partner airlines, and they could not even book the flights for me over the phone. So now I not only don’t have the flight I wanted to book, but I’m out 50,000 valuable MR points that are stuck in a useless Delta Skypesos account, because neither Delta nor Amex would agree to return the points to my MR account! It’s outright fraud to post a flight as available when it is not.
I agree with the last sentence. All the airlines have glitches with phantom space sometimes unfortunately.
BEWARE!!! What shows as available on Delta’s website is not actually available. I just converted in 50,000 MR to Delta Skymiles to use for a 62,500 award one-way between EZE and LAX on Aeromexico that was showing available for up to four people on Delta’s website, only to go through the whole process and receive a message that ‘We’re sorry. The fare for the flights you selected just sold out. Please try again.” However, when you try again, the same flight is still showing as available on Delta’s website. In fact, 24 hours later it was still showing as available. Delta claims that their website is not automatically updated for availability by their partner airlines, and they could not even book the flights for me over the phone. So now I not only don’t have the flight I wanted to book, but I’m out 50,000 valuable MR points that are stuck in a useless Delta Skypesos account, because neither Delta nor Amex would agree to return the points to my MR account! It’s outright fraud to post a flight as available when it is not.
I agree with the last sentence. All the airlines have glitches with phantom space sometimes unfortunately.
I think “glitches” is too charitable a characterization for what they are doing. It is now five days since I tried to book that Aeromexico flight and brought the issue to Delta supervisors’ attention, yet it is still showing on their website as available for 62,500 miles. That’s either some serious inattention, incompetence, or — in my view — outright fraud and false advertising. It leads good folks like you to write articles like this, drawing people to Delta, encouraging them to sign up for Delta’s credit cards, etc., all under false pretenses, because the only award flights that are actually available cost 147,500 miles.
I think “glitches” is too charitable a characterization for what they are doing. It is now five days since I tried to book that Aeromexico flight and brought the issue to Delta supervisors’ attention, yet it is still showing on their website as available for 62,500 miles. That’s either some serious inattention, incompetence, or — in my view — outright fraud and false advertising. It leads good folks like you to write articles like this, drawing people to Delta, encouraging them to sign up for Delta’s credit cards, etc., all under false pretenses, because the only award flights that are actually available cost 147,500 miles.
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