Most of the three thousand Galo fans who went to Buenos Aires to see the club’s historic qualification to the Libertadores final will have to wait a few days to return to Minas Gerais. The dream of the outward journey became the nightmare of the return trip.
“My return flight was at 10:55 pm this Wednesday (30). Only at 10 am, the company Latam informed that the flight had been cancelled. I came to the airport, but here no one can explain anything. The next available flight is only on Sunday, within four days.
Carlos Vinícius even thought about returning to Belo Horizonte through Uruguay, but the boats to cross the Rio da Prata were also on strike.
“This was a trip planned 15 days ago. Now, the cost will triple. We were supposed to celebrate the team’s victory, but the feeling I have is one of disgust”, he laments.
The transport strike lasted 24 hours this Wednesday. There was a total shutdown of trucks, planes, boats, subway lines, intercity buses and trains. Unions protest against the government’s fiscal adjustment.
The strike did not take Argentines by surprise. It was announced at the beginning of the month, but the companies sold tickets as if it were a normal day.
“If I had known, I would have bought it for the next day and wouldn’t have gone through this embarrassment. But Latam didn’t warn us”, guarantees Carlos Vinícius.
Only Galo fans
Airlines canceled flights. The airports were empty, except for Atlético Mineiro fans, caught by surprise.
Civil engineer Diego Rodrigues de Resende, 32, came from Uberlândia and is now trying to resolve it with the company Gol, which only warned that the flight would be canceled a day before, although the strike had already been scheduled weeks before.
“If the airline was willing to resolve this in advance, it would be calm. The problem is that I was notified 24 hours in advance and, the day before, the company confirmed my flight. Everyone wants to reschedule, but no flight has space,” he criticizes. Diego in conversation with RFI.
“They want me to pay for the hotel here until Saturday, all on my own. It’s a good thing Atlético qualified because I would have been even more upset if they had lost”, he ponders.
Roger Guimarães, 36 years old, is a businessman in Belo Horizonte. He also felt how the euphoria for qualifying in the middle of the Monumental de Nuñez stadium faded in the face of the strike.
“My feeling is one of frustration. I came to experience a historic moment for the club that we love. But the people at Latam, despite knowing about a strike, sold a ticket. Now I don’t know when I’ll return, having several commitments in Brazil. They are scheduling the return in five, seven and eight days. We are in a very complicated situation here in Argentina”, says Roger to RFI.
“It’s a complete disregard for human beings”, he says.
For Paulo Ferreira, 43, they gave the option of returning to Belo Horizonte on November 2nd. At this point, it is one of the best options, considering the number of fans in the same situation.
“I’m outraged. Latam’s omission is a lack of responsibility towards the customer. They should have warned me, but I only found out that the flight had been canceled because I logged into the app this morning, on the same day as boarding. Upon arriving here at the airport , no one guarantees when the return can actually be rescheduled”, says Paulo.
Brothers from Minas Gerais Felipe and Guilherme Barreto told RFI that they don’t know when they will be able to return to Belo Horizonte. The company Gol guarantees that it has no vacancies for the next few days, but when the two fans enter the company’s own application, flight availability for Monday appears.
“Gol says there are no vacancies, but if we buy a new ticket, there is a vacancy. It doesn’t appear in the attendant’s system, but here in the app, yes. It’s outrageous”, concludes Felipe.
