I'll cover today a busy route in this great and big country of mine, but one I don't think has been featured before, between Neuquén - Presidente Perón Airport and Córdoba - Ingeniero Ambrosio Taravella International Airport. Also, an airline that hasn't been featured before, if my searching doesn't fail me. Enjoy.
Background:
I grew up in Rio Negro, a province on the south of the country, the entryway to Patagonia, known for their fruit production (chances are, you might have eaten one of our apples or peaches). Neuquén Airport, in the city of Neuquén, serves the whole region of the Alto Valle, Valle Medio and Valle Inferior of Rio Negro as well as great part of the province of Neuquén (known for their petroleum production), a catchment area of more than 600.000 people, though spread for more than 300kms around. I now live in Córdoba, the 2nd biggest city in the country, home to more than 2M people. COR Airport is the 3rd busiest of the country.
After flying for my mom's birthday in late April, I thought it would be nice to do a trip report of the voyage home (flying in was pretty much the same deal). So, without further ado, the report:
Route and Airline:
There was a time (an awful, awful time) where flying in Argentina from point A to point B meant an inescapable stopover in Buenos Aires. No matter the airline, there was little to none direct air service between the big cities in the interior of the country. Thankfully, around the turn of the century, the situation improved greatly and many new routes were and are being added that don't necessitate flying from Point A to Buenos Aires to point B.
One of the busiest such corridors is the COR-NQN pairing, which in some iterations became a truly milk run being routed COR-MDZ-NQN-CRD. As of 2023, the route is served by Aerolíneas Argentinas, a daily E190 ex-Austral, and by FlyBondi, a 4 weekly 738.
FlyBondi (FO) is a new airline, having started operations in 2018 using the ULCC model. They have an all-Boeing fleet of 11 737-800, all leased from random parts of the world (that's why the hard product varies from aircraft to aircraft). Their motto is La libertad de volar, which means "The Freedom to Fly". Today's flght is FO5471.
Aircraft:
My charriot today was LV-KCD, MSN35071 LN2138, a 737-800 that first flew in december of 2006. It started its life with Kenya Airways, where it stayed until 2015 where it went to Jeju Air. After a year stored, it began to fly argentinian skies in january of 2022. The aircraft is configured with 189, all-economy seats.
Security and Boarding:
Going through security was a breeze. Recently NQN was greatly redeveloped, with an all-new boarding area, departures hall, and the adding of a jetway. The old area was cramped and outdated but the new one is perfectly adequate for an airport of its size. The redevelop also meant that the security area is bigger and more staffed, so there was no queue. I just showed my boarding pass and ID to the security guard on the door, took off all my metals (belts, glasses, etc) and put them plus my carry-on through the X-Ray machine. All in all it took less than 5 minutes to get airside.
The new boarding area is a complete departure (ha) from the old one which was more like a glorified shed than anything else. This new one features very comfy areas to wait your plane, a chocolate store, a coffee store, and a working space. WiFi is free (as in all argentinian airports) and plugs for charging your phone or laptop are numerous.
Boarding was... a bit chaotic. FlyBondi separates you into 4 groups, and given that I was in the very last row of the plane, I was in group 4. For some reason, 1 wasn't the first group to go but 2 and 3 (plus those who had bought preferential boarding before the flight). 4 wasn't actually the last group to board, as we went right after 3. I'm not sure what's the logic of this whole arrangement. Despite the existence of jetways, boarding to the plane itself was made via airstairs. As is costume in NQN, both a front stair and a rear stair was provided, which made the whole thing go pretty quick. I believe that from boarding call to actually entering the plane and finding my seat, about 25 mins passed.
Seat/Pitch:
Seat itself was just correct. Manufactured by Recaro and lacking any kind of IFE or charging port. Since I was in the last row, 32A, I didn't get much reclining. Actually, I got no reclining (though seats before me are capable). But hey, I was given a window seat at least so I can't really complain (I didn't pay beforehand to select seats on either leg, and in my first flight I got the dreaded middle seat). Safety info was on the backseat alla Ryanair, something I haven't seen in other FlyBondi planes. There were also ads in the overhead bins, another novelty of this particular aircraft.
Pitch was good. I'm 1.81mts tall and I sometimes struggle on LCCs but I was comfy enough all trip.
Amenities/Goodies:
None. It's an ULCC, what do you expect, a Ferragamo comfort kit?
Meal Service
Again, none. It's all BoB, though I guess you can get a glass of water if you asked. Prices were reasonable enough, but I don't see the need in spending to eat something in such a relatively short flight. I had eaten before boarding so I didn't bothered. For comparison, in the same route Aerolíneas offers a free drink service (coffee, water, juice, soda) and sometimes a little snack. Not a difference maker, but it helps.
Flight:
Good. Boring. No IFE, but also no turbulence or anything, so all was pretty mundane. I passed the time listening to podcasts I had on my phone, but on that front I have to give the hand to Aerolineas that has IFE on their E190s that fly the route (but not on their 737, I believe). It seemed to me that all 189 seats were taken so LF was 100%.
Punctuality and Arrival:
Good and bad. Both my flights were delayed, but I was notified well beforehand. My flight in was delayed 2hrs and I got a notice about 2 days earlier. My flight out was also delayed about 1 and a half hrs and I also got a notification days before. I'm not sure the reason for these delays (rescheduling, more like), I assume operational issues. Ignoring that, both my flights left punctual on their new schedule, and we actually landed earlier than announced, both times.
Arrival at COR is always a delight because it's an airport I love dearly. I think it's just the right size, well designed, always clean and with some great staff. The corridor from baggage claim to the arrivals hall can be a tad long but you can pass the time admiring the honest-to-god art gallery installed there. COR is an international airport serving MAD (via ASU), PTY, GRU, LIM, SCL, and various national destinations.
Since I didn't have a checked bag (that you, obviously, have to pay for) I was out of the plane and into the waiting area for busses to the city within 5 mins. COR is located a bit far away from city center so to get there you have the option to take a regular bus (which I did, since I only had my backpack as carry-on), what's called an Aerobus (with racks for bigger luggage, but also with a higher fare than regular busses), or taxis/rental cars.
Conclusion:
As the title says, you get what you pay for. You pay little, you get little. In my particular case FlyBondi was perfect for me since it offered me a direct flight with a reasonable fare, as long as I didn't add any extra such as priority boarding, a checked bag, or food on board. That makes your trip balloon, but I was savy enough to fly within my budget and stick to it. I suppose that's the secret on flying any kind of LCC/ULCC.
Would I fly FlyBondi again? I'm sure I will. The service is fine for what it is, a less than 2h hop between cities, so you really can't ask for much else than an airline that safely delivers you where you need to be. If you want comforts or amenities, Aerolineas flies its E190 daily and those are equipped with business seats (labelled as economy).
All in all, a 6/10 flight. Nothing memorable, but they get you there.
Pictures:
My boarding pass. I had it on my phone, as having one printed out in the airport is only available if you pay a fee.
The airside waiting area just as they announced boarding.
As boarding was called, things got a bit messy.
Boarding was separated into 4 different groups
Working and waiting area just before the gates. A really nice place to be, specially compared with what was there before.
Another view of the boarding area in NQN and the queue(s) forming.
Flight info on the gate.
Boarding via the aft airstairs.
Aircraft was never with Jet Airways or Sunwing but the galley had their logos anyway. Weird.
My row. Despite being at the very back, I didn't have it all for myself. All seats were taken.
Boarding continues.
Pitch is fine for a leg of this length and even apt for a longer flight I think.
Recaro seats and safety info stickered-on.
Ads on the overhead bins. I've never seen it in other FlyBondi aircrafts.
Leaving NQN.
Lights off for take-off. FlyBondi always seems to take more runway that other airlines, in my experience, and I'm not sure why. Take-off run seemed to take a bit more this time too.
BoB meal service. I didn't bothered.
Plane showing its age. 16 years don't come free.
Arriving in Cordoba with the illuminated city before me. This is why I love night flights.
Parking in COR next to an Aerolineas (Austral) E190 bound for Aeroparque.
Almost empty plane. Since I was in the very last row, de-boarding took forever until the people before me left, given that it was via the jetway. That was annoying.
Corridor from baggage claim to the arrivals hall at COR.
Little art gallery in the corridor. Nice way to pass the time.
Some explanation about the paintings shown.
Arrivals hall proper.
Arrivals coffee shop, closed. It was 11PM after all.
Entrance to the VIP Lounge, also closed.
Outside COR, in the arrivals area (there are two levels, departures go above us and have a dedicated space). Here you wait for your busses and taxis to get you to the city center.
Bus heading home. I'm lucky the regular bus, on the only line that serves the airport, leaves me 1 block from my house.
That's all. Thank you for reading!
