Aerolíneas Argentinas announced that it will delay the return of its flights to Porto Alegre (POA), originally scheduled for January 1, 2025. The company informed our associated media outlet in Brazil, Aeroin, that it will relocate passengers on flights operated by Azul and LATAM. The new date is set for March 2.

The airline has established specific procedures to redirect affected passengers. Canceled flights will be reassigned to alternative routes through the cities of São Paulo (GRU) or Curitiba (CWB) in partnership with LATAM Airlines and AZUL Linhas Aéreas. This arrangement ensures connections to Buenos Aires, minimizing disruptions for travelers.

Passengers can adjust their itineraries up to 15 days before or after the original date, subject to availability in the same cabin class.

• Economy Class: Relocation in the same original class or class ‘G’.
• Premium Economy: Relocation in the original class or the lowest available class.

Aerolíneas Argentinas emphasized the importance of promptly reissuing tickets under the code “INVOLUNTARY SCHEDULE CHANGE.” The canceled flight number must be included in the booking’s endorsement field.

For flights operated by LATAM, classes GOQNSXV will be used for Economy and W for Premium Economy. In the case of AZUL, the applicable classes are UTSQPO. If these classes are unavailable, an alternative date must be sought.

For alternative routes:

• For LATAM, “PROTEXAR-LA” must be included in the reservation’s OSI field.
• For AZUL, “PROTEX AR-AD” must be used in the same field.

The airline stresses that relocations must be carried out as soon as possible to avoid complications due to the limited seat availability on alternative flights. This process applies exclusively to tickets issued with the prefix 044 and managed by travel agencies.

Aerolíneas Argentinas in Porto Alegre

The Salgado Filho International Airport (POA) in Porto Alegre, the largest terminal in terms of passenger movement in southern Brazil, was closed on May 3 after 75% of its facilities were affected by flooding that wreaked havoc in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

This forced all airlines to suspend their flights until late October, when restoration works were completed. Initially, only domestic operations resumed, and it wasn’t until January that international flights by Copa Airlines and LATAM will return.

In 2023, Porto Alegre was Aerolíneas Argentinas’ third most important destination in Brazil, with 73,179 passengers transported and an 81% occupancy rate.