Flying Out Of Argentina With Kids If They Have Dnis

[nativexpat]

Sorry ....I've been down this very same road and it really , really amps up the "I hate Argentina" level. But the next night you go back to the airport with all of the proper docs and nobody asks for anything as you skate through a smooth exit. It really sucks. Uniformity does not exist.

"it really amps up the "I hate Argentina" level... ---> So true!!!!

For what it's worth, it happens to Argentines as well. Same language, an entire life sorting obstacles, yet almost every family in this f*ing country has had to rush back home or miss a flight due to unclear rules or some escribano issue, or whatever.

*pardon my English, but somehow I get more angry when it happens to a foreigner. It might sound senseless, but I sort of feel that if you are Argentine you are part of the problem, whereas being a foreigner makes it much more unfair.

 

[gpop]

A heartbreaking experience, to be sure, and my deepest sympathies to the OP. I would, however, quibble with the above quote.

Neither the airline nor even the travel agent can a) be completely proficient in immigration law, nor b ) be thoroughly conversant in the immigration status/documents of the travelers. While the OP's experience was horrible, his is enough of an 'edge case' that a normal agent simply cannot necessarily assume to know the rules without having prior experience even if directly asked, and certainly can't be expected to grill every client of theirs when purchasing a ticket, as to whether they might be foreigners who have local children. It just doesn't make sense.

As a travel agent, I've helped/saved a lot of people with documents, advice and the like, and am very happy to be able to learn of this case and help my clients with this new knowledge, but certainly would not agree to have it held against me had I not warned the OP of his issues, having first ascertained their residency status as well as that of their children.

Note that I said a "heads-up", not obligatory, package information. If you are dealing with a client that is purchasing a ticket for a minor, then that is the first sign that maybe an agent could say something like "I see that you are traveling with a child; please be aware that Argentina has exit requirements for minors and you should check with Migraciones or Aeropuertos Argentinos about the documentation needed".
I never put the onus on the airline or the agent to be liable for providing this information; but more as a courtesy. I mean someone working in this field knows all the in's and out's of the business as they are deal with this stuff all day long; for the rest of us, it is an easy thing to overlook if you are only traveling once-in-a-while.

 

[ben]

Note that I said a "heads-up", not obligatory, package information. If you are dealing with a client that is purchasing a ticket for a minor, then that is the first sign that maybe an agent could say something like "I see that you are traveling with a child; please be aware that Argentina has exit requirements for minors and you should check with Migraciones or Aeropuertos Argentinos about the documentation needed".
I never put the onus on the airline or the agent to be liable for providing this information; but more as a courtesy. I mean someone working in this field knows all the in's and out's of the business as they are deal with this stuff all day long; for the rest of us, it is an easy thing to overlook if you are only traveling once-in-a-while.

You didn't say obligatory or liable, but you did say "What I have issue with is that neither... gives you a heads up... They really should have a flag... AT TIME OF PURCHASE" (capitals in original), and ending with a dig at people caring more about their bottom line (though that could've been only about the airlines?). That sounds a wee bit harsher than your last post.

Probably north of 50% of my business is with families with small children, and a case like this has happened in precisely 0% of those cases. Moreover, in my experience - and without any intent to criticize the OP who was a true edge case - people with children tend to know that traveling with children needs lots of documentation these days.

Of course I will alert people to any issues I know of - including, henceforth, this one. All I'm saying is that to expect the travel agent or the airline to be conversant in the edge cases of a byzantine system, and to bring it up with the 99.9% of parents for whom it's irrelevant, and even to know about this problem in the first place - whether using language like 'liable' or 'really should' - is neither realistic nor fair.

 

[gpop]

Well Ben, then lets just agree to disagree. I am not going to get into a argument about semantics here.
A frequent flier who travels on business often would not need someone to go above-and-beyond to warn them, but parents would really appreciate it.
The rest of the members relating similar stories obviously have had situations where this kind of assistance would have be very useful

 

[mmoon]

As someone who benefitted years ago from a "heads up" post like this one, our family now always travels with an official copy of our marriage certificate and our child's birth certificate. I'm sorry the OP didn't know about the requirement…I've never had a problem anywhere except for Argentina, but it's a brutal lesson to learn first hand.

Best of luck and thanks for the new post, as it might help some others who are new to the forum.