It’s rare that there’s good news when it comes to airports and airplanes these days, but for Argentina, there certainly is. Beginning December 15, 2013, Aerolineas Argentinas, the national airline of Argentina, will restore its flights connecting Buenos Aires’sEzeiza airport (also known as Ministro Pistarini International Airport) and New York’s JFK.

It was an odd thing when Aerolineas Argentina cancelled its Buenos Aires New York connection way back in 2008.

  At the same time that airlines across the world were adding flights to this South American powerhouse as its tourism numbers boomed, the national airline was cutting service.  None of this made sense on the surface, but Aerolineas was plagued by financial issues, mismanagement and labor strife.  Within Argentina itself, while Aerolineas did dominate the market, other airlines began to gain on it.  These included LAN of Chile, which began to offer services within Argentina, many of which were ideal for using LAN as a gateway into Argentina, including via a Mendoza and Santiago connection.  TAM, the Brazilian airline, was also gaining ground, connecting Americans to the Argentine capital via Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro flights.

The flight numbers are AR 1300 from Buenos Aires to New York leaving at 11pm, and AR 1301 for the return leaving at 3:25pm.

Aerolineas has also been expanding and upgrading its fleet, domestically and internationally.

Marcelo William Bottini, Aerolineas’ Regional Director for North and Central America, said the “The continuous process of renewing our fleet, has enabled us to go from 26 aircrafts, which the company had in 2008, to 63 aircrafts by the ending of 2013.

The average age of the fleet has been reduced from 16 years to 4 years.”  He also added that the upgrading has meant that rather than 7 different kinds of aircraft, which created a headache for maintenance and increased parts costs, the airline now uses fewer aircraft types - Embraer E190, Boeing 737-700/800NG and Airbus 340-300-200 and A330-200.

These new aircraft have excited Bottini, who said, “We just received two of four Airbus 330-200 which we are will be using for the long haul routes like New York and Miami. These new planes have 24 lie-flat seats in Club Condor and 242 seats in Economy Class. All seats in Economy class have a modern in-flight entertainment system with Audio and Video on Demand.”

Bottini acknowledged Aerolineas has had issues over the years, but said, “Aerolineas Argentinas has taken many steps to improve our service and reputation which were both damaged in the past. We have come a long way in a short amount of time.”

For you, the customer, this is all good news. Especially, it means more choice for you from the New York region to Buenos Aires. American Airlines already operates up to two flights a day from JFK, providing perhaps the most convenient service.  United Airlines also runs a route to Buenos Aires, using Newark’s Liberty International, coded EWR, the route formerly done by Continental before their merger. Delta can connect you from the region, through their hub in Atlanta. LAN and TAM both route from New York via their current South American hubs as connections.

Still, there’s always a benefit to flying a country’s national airline, especially for your first trip.  For Americans, Bottini also mentioned the special Visit Argentina saver fares available only for foreigners to use domestically to travel among 33 Argentine cities if they have entered the country on an Aerolineas Argentinas flight.

Yet there is more than just savings and convenience.  Bottini added that for those using Aerolineas Argentinas as the gateway airline to Buenos Aires from their home country, “Argentine hospitality starts the minute one boards.  We are Argentina.”