Terror at 10,000 Meters: What a Bumpy Flight in Argentina Taught Me About Deregulation

The December 2026 issue of Reason explores Argentine President Javier Milei's accomplishments and what is yet to be done.

Even before we aborted our first attempted landing in the southern mountain town, I knew our flight was in trouble. High winds had been tossing our plane around like a fluttering leaf. Up and down the cabin, passengers were vomiting into the aisles.

To my left, one of my travel companions was whispering prayers to himself at an increasingly frantic pace. In the middle seat, I was thumbing through rosary beads as fast as my trembling fingers would allow. To my right, my other travel companion had a more stoic reaction. "The one time my domestic flight in Argentina leaves on time," he said, shaking his head.

The point of the trip was to take in the beauty of Bariloche, a popular lakeside tourist destination nestled in the Patagonian Andes along the Chilean border. Recent deregulation of Argentina's domestic airline market ensured it was practical and affordable to fly there from Buenos Aires, where we'd been staying since we'd arrived in the country. Weather permitting, we'd even go skiing. … [Subscribe to continue reading]