What airlines besides Delta are gun friendly....heading to Argentina in 2025

[TERMINATOR]

I have been Diamond/Platinum on Delta forever so it was natural for me to fly them to RSA on the well traveled Flight 200/201 out of Atlanta.
They are about as gun friendly as a airline gets, especially since my jumping off point is conservative, small airport Grand Rapids MI. People here have no issues with guns, in fact they oh and ah over them when I open the case to put the little card in that says they are unloaded...so I never have to worry about anything until after I get to RSA anyway. And I can buy main cabin and immediately upgrade to Comfort+ for free and get reasonable cost upgrades to Prem Select.

Going to Argentina March of 2025 and of course Delta gets me to B.A. EZE airport easy enough...but certainly not cheap. Looks to be the same ball park as their flights to Jburg. So I am wondering if there are any other airlines beside Delta I should be looking to save some money to shoot more animals with, at that are gun friendly.

I used to fly United to the Western US with rifles...but haven't in a long time. Have never flown American with a rifle, but American looks to have some better rates.

Anybody here have experience with airlines other than Delta that fly to Argentina to share?

TIA

 

[JimP]

I have flown both United and American domestically with a rifle with no problem

 

[Doubleplay]

Check Aeorelinas Argentina and Latam.
Buy a separate ticket with Delta either to JFK or Miami and resume your journey from there.
That way you can save a lot.
Also you might be better off renting a rifle or shotgun in Argentina.

 

[Tanks]

I took American last Spring. BTW, it is a shit show at the BA airport. Took me about 2 hours to clear customs due to onerous paperwork, and I had an expediter with me. BTW, the fees will equal or exceed the rental fees. Next time, if I am going for birds only I will rent and take a rifle only if going after big game.

 

[Vintageguy]

I had one of the well known travel agents here advise me to rent a gun there. Even they saw it as too much hassle.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

I have visited, worked and lived in Argentina. I almost always flew AA out of Miami or DFW. At one time I had hunting and firearms licenses and an Argentine passport and it was still a shit show coming in and out with a firearm.

I absolutely love Argentina but they exceeded my tolerance level for bringing in firearms and exporting trophies. Now I borrow firearms and the lodge keeps my trophies.

Safe hunting

 

[TERMINATOR]

Thanks for the feedback

I may have to reconsider bringing my own rifle as much as it diminishes the experience for me if I can’t use one of my own rifles

 

[Markopolo50]

I would personally want to take my own rifle too. I went dove hunting there and did not take my own shotgun for a couple reasons. Fellow travelers who had been there before said it wasn't worth the hassle or the fees they charge. As others have said, as cheap or cheaper to rent the shotgun. Also, shooting as much as we did, why wear out my shotgun. The barrels get too hot to handle . But a rifle will not get shot that much, and confidence in your rifle and ammo is worth a lot and a lot more satisfying in the end. We flew Delta

 

[MontanaPat]

I hunted to red stag in Argentina/Patagonia last March and initially planned to take my own rifle. When looking into the process I found out that to transport a rifle into Argentina you are required to travel in person with your rifle to an Argentine consulate in order to be issued an import permit. Shotguns can be brought in without this step I was told. For me that flying to Los Angeles as my closest consulate from Montana to get the permit. Adding on the costs and hassle of taking two to three days to do this trip much less the hassles to come with customs in BA where it takes a couple of hours on a normal day just to clear customs without a firearm, it became a real easy decision to pay the outfitters $400 fee to rent their rifle with ammo

 

[Tgood1]

The outfit I hunt with in Argentina recommends staying an extra day entering and leaving if bringing a rifle. I rent one while hunting. So far have been mauser action rifles with very high end glass.

 

[HankBuck]

I have been Diamond/Platinum on Delta forever so it was natural for me to fly them to RSA on the well traveled Flight 200/201 out of Atlanta.
They are about as gun friendly as a airline gets, especially since my jumping off point is conservative, small airport Grand Rapids MI. People here have no issues with guns, in fact they oh and ah over them when I open the case to put the little card in that says they are unloaded...so I never have to worry about anything until after I get to RSA anyway. And I can buy main cabin and immediately upgrade to Comfort+ for free and get reasonable cost upgrades to Prem Select.

Going to Argentina March of 2025 and of course Delta gets me to B.A. EZE airport easy enough...but certainly not cheap. Looks to be the same ball park as their flights to Jburg. So I am wondering if there are any other airlines beside Delta I should be looking to save some money to shoot more animals with, at that are gun friendly.

I used to fly United to the Western US with rifles...but haven't in a long time. Have never flown American with a rifle, but American looks to have some better rates.

Anybody here have experience with airlines other than Delta that fly to Argentina to share?

TIA

Terminator, I’ve never used the phrase “Gun FRIENDLY” to describe ANY Airline but some are a little nicer then others and some Airports easier to fly thru then others. I’ve used Delta and they seemed a little better than average and used United and they were consistently worse. But, I’ve never had a serious incident with any of them it’s just the “anxiety” they cause combined with an ever changing TSA process or their “interpretation”of what the process is. My strong recommendation: Have printed copies of Both the FFA FIrearms policy AND the particular AIRLINES Firearm Policy with YOU at all times. I always carry two copies and it has helped clear up confusion several times….plue it gives me some confidence.

 

[HankBuck]

I hunted to red stag in Argentina/Patagonia last March and initially planned to take my own rifle. When looking into the process I found out that to transport a rifle into Argentina you are required to travel in person with your rifle to an Argentine consulate in order to be issued an import permit. Shotguns can be brought in without this step I was told. For me that flying to Los Angeles as my closest consulate from Montana to get the permit. Adding on the costs and hassle of taking two to three days to do this trip much less the hassles to come with customs in BA where it takes a couple of hours on a normal day just to clear customs without a firearm, it became a real easy decision to pay the outfitters $400 fee to rent their rifle with ammo

MONTANAPAT, thanks for that info - I was UNaware of this as my friends that hunted there only went for Doves/Ducks and took their shotguns… it just convinced me Not to go on a Red Stag hunt in Argentina. I strongly prefer to take game with my own firearms - it’s part of the enjoyment of the hunt for Me. But I would Not go thru the hassle required to get a rifle into Argentina and don’t care to borrow a rifle. Some Hunters will feel differently and maybe if I was “really set” on taking a Red Stag I would compromise — but they are of only passing interest to me.

 

[TERMINATOR]

Terminator, I’ve never used the phrase “Gun FRIENDLY” to describe ANY Airline but some are a little nicer then others and some Airports easier to fly thru then others. I’ve used Delta and they seemed a little better than average and used United and they were consistently worse. But, I’ve never had a serious incident with any of them it’s just the “anxiety” they cause combined with an ever changing TSA process or their “interpretation”of what the process is. My strong recommendation: Have printed copies of Both the FFA FIrearms policy AND the particular AIRLINES Firearm Policy with YOU at all times. I always carry two copies and it has helped clear up confusion several times….plue it gives me some confidence.

"Gun Friendly" is a relative term of course.

Let's put it this way, 4 trips to Africa and multiple trips out west on Delta and I have never had a hassle about my rifle, never ever got a whiff of disapproval of guns. Not in Grand Rapids on my departures, not in Jburg when departing RSA, not in Jackson WY coming or going, not in Atlanta when clearing customs. Never a hint of "anti-gun" vibe sentiment and nothing but efficient, friendly service. Zero hassle and zero condescending attitude is about as "Gun Friendly" as I can hope for in today's world.

Being a 2 Million Miler Diamond/Platinum probably helps now, but that was my experience even before I hit the Million Mile mark.

But yes, I always carry all the rules and regs for any airline I fly and any destination, especially for connections within Africa. I have had more hassle in OR Tambo for connections than anywhere else. And even that has been minimal other than a baggage supervisor for SAA shaking me down for a bribe to make sure my rifle got to the correct airport.

 

[TERMINATOR]

MONTANAPAT, thanks for that info - I was UNaware of this as my friends that hunted there only went for Doves/Ducks and took their shotguns… it just convinced me Not to go on a Red Stag hunt in Argentina. I strongly prefer to take game with my own firearms - it’s part of the enjoyment of the hunt for Me. But I would Not go thru the hassle required to get a rifle into Argentina and don’t care to borrow a rifle. Some Hunters will feel differently and maybe if I was “really set” on taking a Red Stag I would compromise — but they are of only passing interest to me.

I am still going either way as I want the experience and we are combining it with a wine tour in Mendoza...world famous wine region. But it definitely diminishes my hunt if I can't use my own guns.

I am going to talk to Jennifer at Travel Express and get her opinion and probably also Gracy's Travel before I decide. I got a lot of months to make the call as to if I take my rifle or not.

As noted above, if it was shotgun hunting I would absolutely just use their guns

 

[HankBuck]

"Gun Friendly" is a relative term of course.

Let's put it this way, 4 trips to Africa and multiple trips out west on Delta and I have never had a hassle about my rifle, never ever got a whiff of disapproval of guns. Not in Grand Rapids on my departures, not in Jburg when departing RSA, not in Jackson WY coming or going, not in Atlanta when clearing customs. Never a hint of "anti-gun" vibe sentiment and nothing but efficient, friendly service. Zero hassle and zero condescending attitude is about as "Gun Friendly" as I can hope for in today's world.

Being a 2 Million Miler Diamond/Platinum probably helps now, but that was my experience even before I hit the Million Mile mark.

But yes, I always carry all the rules and regs for any airline I fly and any destination, especially for connections within Africa. I have had more hassle in OR Tambo for connections than anywhere else. And even that has been minimal other than a baggage supervisor for SAA shaking me down for a bribe to make sure my rifle got to the correct airport.

TERMINATOR: For your NEXT “Adventure” fly out of Newark - that’s where the party starts

 

[Philip Glass]

I have been Diamond/Platinum on Delta forever so it was natural for me to fly them to RSA on the well traveled Flight 200/201 out of Atlanta.
They are about as gun friendly as a airline gets, especially since my jumping off point is conservative, small airport Grand Rapids MI. People here have no issues with guns, in fact they oh and ah over them when I open the case to put the little card in that says they are unloaded...so I never have to worry about anything until after I get to RSA anyway. And I can buy main cabin and immediately upgrade to Comfort+ for free and get reasonable cost upgrades to Prem Select.

Going to Argentina March of 2025 and of course Delta gets me to B.A. EZE airport easy enough...but certainly not cheap. Looks to be the same ball park as their flights to Jburg. So I am wondering if there are any other airlines beside Delta I should be looking to save some money to shoot more animals with, at that are gun friendly.

I used to fly United to the Western US with rifles...but haven't in a long time. Have never flown American with a rifle, but American looks to have some better rates.

Anybody here have experience with airlines other than Delta that fly to Argentina to share?

TIA

AA should be no problem. You would just have to let us know what airlines fly your proposed route.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

I am still going either way as I want the experience and we are combining it with a wine tour in Mendoza...world famous wine region. But it definitely diminishes my hunt if I can't use my own guns.

I am going to talk to Jennifer at Travel Express and get her opinion and probably also Gracy's Travel before I decide. I got a lot of months to make the call as to if I take my rifle or not.

As noted above, if it was shotgun hunting I would absolutely just use their guns

Another issue to consider is having firearms with you and doing tours and site seeing. Argentina is very safe with proper due diligence but dragging a firearm while not hunting is always a bit of a headache. All the Argentinians I have hunted with had nice firearms and optics.

I am like you when it comes to hunting with my own firearms. However, if you plan some nice sightseeing and tours while in Argentina, you will add far more to the experience than you will lose by not using your own rifle.

Argentina is by far one of my favorite countries.

Safe travels

 

[MontanaPat]

I am still going either way as I want the experience and we are combining it with a wine tour in Mendoza...world famous wine region. But it definitely diminishes my hunt if I can't use my own guns.

I am going to talk to Jennifer at Travel Express and get her opinion and probably also Gracy's Travel before I decide. I got a lot of months to make the call as to if I take my rifle or not.

As noted above, if it was shotgun hunting I would absolutely just use their guns

I own several Model 70 rifles that I love to shoot, my outfitter had a Model 70 featherweight in 7mm REM Mag for me to use (that was lights out accurate) so it was almost like using my own rifle, but I really did want to take my own as well.

My wife and I spent a week in Mendoza following the hunt as well, never drank so much wine in one week in my life! We stayed at the Vines Resort and a few days at Cavas Wine Lodge, both great places. If you get a chance to go to Finca Decero winery for lunch and tasting it was wonderful, wishing we had shipped a couple of cases of their wine home! Hope you have a great trip.

 

[MontanaPat]

By the way, we have flown Delta to Argentina as well on each of our four trips down, although three were fishing trips. I’ve flown Delta with rifles several times with no problems either. Although sometimes I do think status helps, after flying them for 30 years for business I’ve got over 3M miles so they do try to take very good care of you when you’ve flown them that much. My home airport, Bozeman, is easy with firearms since we get so many hunters flying through here.

 

[TERMINATOR]

I own several Model 70 rifles that I love to shoot, my outfitter had a Model 70 featherweight in 7mm REM Mag for me to use (that was lights out accurate) so it was almost like using my own rifle, but I really did want to take my own as well.

My wife and I spent a week in Mendoza following the hunt as well, never drank so much wine in one week in my life! We stayed at the Vines Resort and a few days at Cavas Wine Lodge, both great places. If you get a chance to go to Finca Decero winery for lunch and tasting it was wonderful, wishing we had shipped a couple of cases of their wine home! Hope you have a great trip.

Thanks for the tips on places in Mendoza. One of the things I love about this website is no matter where I want to go hunt, there is always people here that’s been there done that that can give advice based on experience.

I did find out that a visit to the consulate is only required if you’ve been Argentina prior. They have really strange rules where you don’t need to go to the consulate for your first visit at Argentina, but if you’ve been to Argentina prior either for hunting or not, you must go to the consulate after that in order to get a gun permit. It makes no sense to me, and I can’t figure out the reason behind this, but it is what it is

I still don’t know which way I’m going to. I’m figuring out what the options are.

https://safariclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Argentina.pdf

Bringing Guns | Argentina Hunting | Red Stag Patagonia

Red Stag Patagonia offers several trips through Argentina where bringing your own guns is an option. We've created this page as a helpful resource with FAQs.

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