I have almost never written about Uruguayan air services,
largely because it’s rarely necessary to fly there – in Moon
Handbooks Buenos Aires, I cover only the coastal strip from Carmelo to
Colonia del Sacramento (both along the Río de la Plata) and from the capital
city of Montevideo to the resort of Punta del Este (both fronting on the South
Atlantic Ocean). Uruguay is only about the size of the state of Washington and,
given the frequent ferries and catamarans that connect Buenos Aires with
Montevideo, and with Colonia del Sacramento and Carmelo, flying there is almost
pointless for a trip that takes barely an hour over water. The only notable airport is Montevideo's renovated Aeropuerto Carrasco (pictured below).
That’s good, in a sense, because Uruguay’s
own flagship carrier Pluna recently pulled an Aerolíneas, suspending all
flights indefinitely and laying off 80 percent of its personnel. Pluna is
operated by LeadGate, an
Argentine financial company with links to Canadian interests, but the Uruguayan
government is now considering whether to cut its losses, selling both the
airline and its assets.
Aerolíneas, for its part, is honoring Pluna tickets, but given
its own shortcomings, that will probably only augment the company’s already
devastating financial situation. Meanwhile, the company has tried to compensate
for its disastrous economic performance with a 1950s-style newsreel PR offensive under
the name of “Alta
en el Cielo” (“High in the Sky”). Appropriately enough for a country that’s
living in the past, the campaign focuses on Aerolíneas’ accomplishments in the
first half of the 20th century, ignoring the debacles of the
present.
Health & Heart
This is to thank all the well-wishers who have sent comments
or direct emails after
my recent surgery. I’m still feeling weak, but comfortable at home and expect to be back on the
road later this year. In the meantime, I have plenty of deskwork in between
naps.
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