Travel Tips II

Air passes The Mercosur Airpass is valid within Argentina, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Paraguay and Uruguay. Participating airlines include TAM Mercosur (PZ), Pluna (PU), TAM Linhas Aéreas (JJ) and VARIG (RG). The pass can only be purchased by passengers who live outside South America, who have a return ticket. Only eight flight coupons are allowed with a maximum of four coupons for each country and it is valid for seven to a maximum of 30 days. At least two countries must be visited and the flight route cannot be changed. A maximum of two stopovers is allowed per country. The South American Pass is valid on Aerolíneas Argentinas and Austral (its domestic subsidiary) flights only.The pass can only be purchased by passengers who live outside South America and whose international flights are booked with Aerolíneas Argentinas. Tickets can only be issued through Aerolíneas Argentinas and all sectors must be reserved at once. Up to 10 flight coupons are allowed and it is valid for seven to a maximum of 45 days. At least two countries must be visited (to a maximum of five) and the flight route cannot be changed. A maximum of two stopovers are allowed in Argentina and one in the other countries. The Visit South America Pass is valid within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines include Aer Lingus (EI), American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Finnair (AY), Iberia (IB), LAN (LA) and Qantas (QF). The pass must be bought outside South America in the country of residence. It allows unlimited travel to 34 cities. A minimum of three flights must be booked, with no maximum; the maximum stay is 60 days, with no minimum, and prices depend on the amount of flight zones. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.
Departure tax Approximately US$18. For flights to Montevideo (Uruguay) and regional flights, the departure tax is US$8. Passengers in transit and children under two years of age are exempt. Visitors are advised to check with their airline or travel agent as the departure tax is subject to frequent changes. There is also an immigration tax of US$10 on all international flights.