Laura and I got to the Mendoza airport two hours before our return flight to Buenos Aires one night, only to be told it had been postponed from 7 p.m. to midnight.

No biggie, we thought. We'll just take a cab back to town and enjoy a leisurely dinner, then return. When we got back to the airport a little after 10 p.m., they told us the flight was now not leaving until 3 a.m.

So we joined the other folks stretched out on the airport's few hard chairs and tried to snooze. In the wee hours of the morning, they told us to get in line for the gate. But then nobody opened the door, and we were left standing there for more than half an hour. When we were finally allowed into the boarding area, they made an announcement that our plane was delayed, so we'd be waiting at least another hour.

Sometime around 5 a.m. -- I was too sleepy by then to pay attention to the time -- we finally boarded. We got to Buenos Aires probably a full 12 hours later than planned.

At least the flight wasn't totally canceled, though. I've heard horror stories from other Aerolineas Argentina customers who were just left stranded. Because it's virtually the only commercial airline that travels between the country's biggest cities, I guess it figures it can do such things.

But then again, airlines based here in the northern hemisphere are starting to act rather the same of late, don't you think?