The solid growth in frequencies and passengers in the air connection between Buenos Aires and Madrid has encountered a problem: the airline Plus Ultra, which keeps a significant number of people stranded in Spain and Argentina.
Without reasonable explanations, the airline reduced its flights between both capitals from five to just two weekly frequencies from October 19 to December 13.
The reason given is the difficulty of operating with the Ezeiza airport, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, between October 25 and November 11, when reconditioning work on the main runway will prevent the landing of large aircraft. What was not explained is why Plus Ultra extended the exceptional period from 17 days to 55.
Other airlines such as the Spanish Iberia and Level will operate on those days with Montevideo as a base and will transport their passengers to Buenos Aires on smaller planes. Aerolíneas Argentinas will make a technical stop in Rio de Janeiro to operate with less fuel during takeoffs and landings.
The Italian ITA canceled its flights during the period of works at the Buenos Aires airport, but is returning the purchased tickets and informing its passengers clearly and promptly. This is not the case of Plus Ultra, as highlighted by "Clarín" with testimonies from Argentines stranded in Madrid.
The main Argentine newspaper recounts the odyssey of a passenger, Guido, who was supposed to leave on December 4 from Madrid to Buenos Aires, and whose flight was cancelled. He paid 859 euros and can't find a way to be relocated to another flight or get the money back.
"At the Plus Ultra office in Terminal 4 they told me that they couldn't do anything. I should keep calling the call center," he explained. "When I finally got through, they told me that they could only make flight changes, but that there was nothing available for my date. And that they probably weren't going to have any."
The passenger also recounted the bureaucratic odyssey to which he is subjected by State entities that in theory should protect and enforce his rights.
"I want to report them to the AESA (State Air Safety Agency of the Spanish Ministry of Transport) but apparently you have to wait more than a month for them to respond. They are supposed to be required by law to refund the ticket within a maximum period of seven days."
"It is true that (the price of the ticket) was suspiciously cheap. There is the possible premeditated scam. I had been informed that this airline was new in Argentina and that it had been operating in Colombia for a long time and well. I was wrong," Guido lamented.
Another passenger contacted by "Clarín" is Magalí, who lives in Turin, Italy, and had planned to fly to Buenos Aires taking the flight in Madrid.
"This is a disaster. I also missed the connecting flight between Turin and Madrid, the hotels in Madrid. It's incredible. Almost two thousand euros wasted. And the worst thing is that they continue paying 'influencers' to make videos promoting the airline and they continue selling new tickets. It's not understood," he laments.
The last aspect mentioned by Magalí, the fact that Plus Ultra continues to sell tickets to Buenos Aires, is reminiscent of the case of the Argentine airline Fly Bondi, which constantly cancels flights and today practically does not operate, but continues to sell tickets due to the passivity of the Argentine authorities.
The route between Madrid and Buenos Aires today has between three and four daily frequencies from Iberia, between two and three from Aerolíneas Argentinas and one from Air Europa. In addition, there are flights between Spain and Argentine cities such as Córdoba, Rosario and Mendoza, in addition to Level's connection with Barcelona. The common denominator is that all flights are full: if new frequencies were added they would also have high occupancy.
This explains the interest that the Plus Ultra proposal generated among Argentine users, with tickets below the standard values, which are around 1,500 euros on average.
That cheaper Plus Ultra fare today became a paradoxical disadvantage for those users whom the company keeps in limbo: when they finally get their money back, it won't even be enough to buy a ticket from another company, usually more expensive and much more so when it is already close to high demand dates such as the Christmas holidays.
