https://www.infobae.com/opinion/202...atalla-a-latam-y-perdio-el-turismo-argentino/
- LATAM has endured political sabotage attempts since its beginning in Argentina
- In 2012 ANAC (lead by Alejando Granados of La Cámpora, son of Ezeiza mayor) denied permission to incorporate a new aircraft
- In 2013 ORSNA (lead by people affiliated with La Cámpora) ordered them to vacate their hangar at AEP as the company was expanding into international routes from Argentina, making further new competition to AR
- In 2013 the state run ramp services monopoly, Intercargo (lead by María Cecilia García of La Cámpora) also boycotted LATAM because it refused to pay "surcharges" that were not being demanded of other airlines
- When the government changed to Macri a slew of emails surfaced to show that numerous K officials received earlier bribes in the form of false "consulting contracts" paid by the then LAN to K officials in order for it to have the signature of the then minister of transport Jaime (who is now in prison for numerous acts of corruption and bribery) to be given permission to start operations in Argentina
- Fast forward - LATAM asks for union and government consensus to pay employees a reduced salary during this time and is denied despite the terms it was seeking being afforded to other airlines including Aerolineas, creating a major and fatal disadvantage
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To me, what this points to is a company that since its start in Argentina has cleaned up its act as it has undergone massive changes/ international mergers and been listed on the stock exchange and is no longer able to get away paying the bribes demanded of the officials in place today who are accustomed to "doing business the old way." where, for example, everyone knows that a "fast tracked" ATP costs $10k. One can only imagine the price for getting the famous "consensus" to agree to a 25% salary reduction for an international company that is "
an enemy of the movement". Hence it was dealt its death blow.