Argentina's most important domestic airport by far is Buenos Aires's Aeroparque Jorge Newbery . There are connections from the Aeroparque to all provincial capitals and major tourist centres of the country, including Puerto Iguazú, Puerto Madryn/Trelew, and El Calafate. Most people who are keen to get an overview of Argentina's tremendous variety in a limited time will rely heavily on domestic flights to combat the vast distances involved (what takes an hour by plane might take twenty by bus) - and even if you're not pushed for time, it's always worth checking out prices, as some cut-price deals booked in advance can work out to be little more expensive than the bus. One of the best deals is the "Visit Argentina" air pass sold by Aerolíneas Argentinas and valid for domestic flights on Aerolíneas and its subsidiary, Austral. This pass must be bought in conjunction with your international flight, and it is not for sale within Argentina. Flights are awarded on a voucher scheme: if your carrier to Argentina is Aerolíneas the basic option (one to three coupons) costs $299; with any other airline it costs $339. Both variants can be supplemented by up to a maximum of eight coupons, each of which costs $105 extra. They're not so brilliant if you value flexibility ahead of a fixed itinerary: you have to nominate your flights in advance; you can stop only once per city; and you can make only one free change of route (additional changes cost $50 each). The pass is valid for up to two months.

If you're planning to stay longer in Argentina or want greater flexibility with your routes, you may be better off buying individual tickets . To keep prices down, ask for the banda negativa deals, where a percentage of seats are sold off at a cut-price ate. These sell out fast for the popular routes, so book as far in advance as is possible. The same is true for any ticket to holiday destinations at peak times. Service on the different domestic carriers varies considerably. Aerolíneas Argentinas is currently fairly run-down and is not renowned for its in-flight service, offering little more than a snack, even on longer flights to destinations such as Ushuaia (3hr 30min). Its partner airline, Austral, is suffering from an even more acute lack of investment and its fleet is outdated; and LAPA, which tends to be less expensive than Aerolíneas/Austral, is renovating its fleet but has had a dubious safety record in the past. Southern Winds, a new company based in Córdoba, has a good reputation and a modern fleet of aircraft, but charges high prices by comparison with its competitors (often twenty percent more). One of its strengths is that it has a good network of connections between provincial cities, which means you don't always have to go via Buenos Aires. Dinar is another dynamic airline that is rapidly garnering a significant share of the market, with its regional focus being around Salta and the Northwest.

The military also provides civilian services - the airforce's LADE is one of the cheapest methods of travel in the country, but there's limited availability on most flights and they're often heavily booked. Its flight routings are often convoluted, bearing some resemblance to a delivery round, although improvements have been made with the recent suspension of many services to smaller provincial destinations as part of an economy drive. In a similar vein to LADE, the navy operates a ridiculously cheap $10 Aeronave service from Río Grande to Ushuaia, but you can buy tickets only at the airport and won't know if you have a seat until the last minute.

Domestic departure taxes tend to hover at around $5 to $13 (check to see whether or not this has been included in the price before buying your ticket). Many smaller airports are not served by public transport, though some airline companies run shuttle services to connect with flights; otherwise, you're stuck with taxis, which can hit single travellers' budgets hard (most airports are 10-20km from town).