Delayed Flights...

For three weeks now I've been traveling back and forth from Buenos Aires to Punta del Este. And everytime I travel, flights are delayed. Sometimes it's 40 minutes... others is 3 or 4 hours!

My friends who have visited me here in Punta haven't been any luckier.

But what's going on?

Until today I have never come across a single article on the press explaining the reasons for such annoying delays, specially on a high holiday season here, where every minute counts and one does not feel like spending a lovely sunny day waiting in the airport, with no one giving an explanation above "inconveniences at the control tower in Montevideo..."

On an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight on January 5th, the Captain of the flight very kindly explained to us passangers, while we were seated on the plane under the killer sun, that employees at Montevideo's control tower were working to rule and allowing planes every 10 minutes. And, if for any reason (such a Customs problem or a passenger delayed on the Duty Free shops) we lost our turn, we had to go back in line, after all the other planes waiting... just as if we were playing Monopoly!!

I ask myself: is it now, in the middle of Summer, the time for employees at Montevideo to be working to rule, specially in a country which receives mayor income from Tourism? What about the foreign visitors who came convinced by myself speaking wonders of the beaches of Punta del Este, took flights from Rome, Paris, London or New York, did 14-hour travels to Buenos Aires and from there tried to fly here and worst, return back to Buenos Aires in time for there connecting flights??? What explanation can we give them?

Finally today one of Uruguay's most important newspapers, El País, published an article with a distressing title: Punta's Airport: no solution for delays.

According to the article, in a high season like this 16 employees would be needed at the control tower, but there's only 8 and all the inconveniences begun when one called-in sick and there was no one to replace him. On December 31st, Laguna del Sauce's Airport registered 170 flights... so you can imagine the delays. Airlines do not take responsibility for the loss of connections, the changes in the schedules of the crew or any other complaint passengers make. Many Ministers of Tabare's Administration expressed their concern, but it seems there won't be a solution for the lack of personnel till 2012!!!

It takes time to prepare and train new employees...

A rather disturbing panorama for us travelers between Punta del Este and Uruguay...

Maybe we should prepare ourselves to travel as Caronte, not with a load of souls, but with our luggages and take Buquebus?

You can read the full article on El País by clicking here.