Argentina, and indeed a few other SA countries operate a dual pricing structure for air fares. Fares for foreigners ( aka tourists, visitors etc) are usually 50 -70% more expensive. We initially booked tickets using the Lan foreign site as residents but decided to change our tickets to as we were advised that we would not be allowed to board without as residents card or passport and would at best had to have paid the extra, or worse, buy another ticket. We spoke to other travellers who tried it and this was indeed the case.

Effectively it is just another tax on tourists who seem to be effectively subsidising travel for Argentine nationals. Unfortunate, yes and shortsighted definitely but that's the way it is. A cheaper alternative would be the bus. Even an Ejecutivo (first class) ticket would be only one third of the cost and you get a very luxurious lie flat seat, food etc. it obviously takes a lot longer but as the journey is scheduled overnight it is not eating into your vacation time AND you save on one nights accommodation.

I was also looking at this. Will it help if we buy the tickets once we are in BA since there seems to be plenty availability when we are going - Feb 15-22 and want to do a 1 overnight trip to Iguazu.

Thanks

The way to get good prices on air tickets in SA in general is to buy early. The closer you get to a date, the more expensive a ticket is likely to be. But sometimes a local travel agent helps get you a better price and there have been people who have used this way for Argentina and posted on here. If you need flights and a hotel, it might be worth your while contacting an agent in Argentina.

The cheaper ticket prices for residents, a government mandate, are definitely not for non-residents and are limited in number per flight even for locals. Not every local's ticket is cheaper. Again, buying early is the way to get the best price.

Thanks Huentetu.

thanks for everyone's responses!

If yu fly to ARG on LAN you might get a lower priced ticket thru the LanPass

The dual pricing structure for residents vs. visitors is not an Argentina only thing. This scheme is used in various countries in SE Asia, just to name one example.