I think it might work out. Argentines are nice people (they respond really well to a smile!) and if you explain the situation and show your ticket you will probably get lucky! I certainly hope so. If it is not too much bother, could you check back after your trip and say how it went?

I plan on posting a pretty detailed trip report and I will also post the results of my Argentinan-Chilean Odyssey here as well .

I have many times include for the same or almost the same money Mendoza y my AA or Lan Miami Buenos Aires ticket as simple as that. I believe there has been no extra charge it is like an extra stop

I continue, I might be mistaken but I think for almost the same money we have done

Miami-Mendoza ( via santiago) Buenos Aires- Miami good luck try Lan or AA

Graziella - the issue is I have already bought my tickets and cant change. And I bought the Chile to US on American and the Argentina to Chile on LAN so it is not a "connecting flight". Well see what happens in a couple of months I will post my results here!

Sorry abount that, next time you know.

Not Enuf, can you pack light enough that you would have only carry-ons? That way there would be no luggage to retrieve.

Then the only other concern would be who is going to issue your boarding pass for the Chile-U.S. flight. If AA can do that at the gate in Santiago, or if LAN could do that in Mendoza, then you wouldn't have to go through the passport line in Chile at all. Hence no $131 to pay.

Not a chance Jeff Plan on doing some serious shopping in Buenos Aires!!!

A girl after my own heart!

Thanks everyone for the great info! I'm kind of leaning toward taking my chances with the 45 min connection and if I miss it, I'll hope for the best for getting on the next flight... gulp.

Okay - update if anyone cares

Called LAN again and got a very helpful lady. She said that yes, LAN and AA are partners so NORMALLY, it would be no problem to check our bags all the way through even if the ticktes are purchased seperately. However, since our final destination is the US which has very strict security requirements and we are departing from Mendoza which is a small airport, the secuity requirements are not met - hence the need to go through customs in Santiago and re-check our bags. If we were flying EZE to Santiago to the US, not a problem as it is considered a TRUE international airport.
A $232 lesson in international travel.

Interesting explanation. It never would have occurred to me that it mattered whether you boarded in Mendoza or Buenos Aires. It is true that flights to Chile are the only international flights out of Mendoza. At least it will be a heads up to warn other travellers in the future.
Roxanne, your thread grew and grew! I doubt the airline will sell you a ticket with a 45 minute connection. You could probably make the connection but I am not so sure about your luggage.

yeah - sorry I hijacked your thread Roxanne

Im now thinking about hiring a driver to take us from Mendoza to Santiago. We dont have to be at the airport until around 9:00 pm - we would save the customs fee and the LAN ticket and we could see the mountains. Anyone know what time it gets dark in January?

It won't get dark until nearly 9pm in Jan.
Just note that January is the busiest month for traffic from Mendoza to Santiago and delays at customs can be very long. Certain dates or days of the month are worse than others. If you give me your flight date, I can tell you if I think it will be crowded and why. To be safe, you should do the trip the day before.
Why not the bus? They are comfortable and you go through customs quicker than in a private car. Turbus does the trip and ends at their own bus station here, with their own vans or taxis to the airport.
On the other hand, between the cost of a private car and/or the cost of a bus and a night in a hotel here, you might save very little compared to paying the fee (plus cancellation fees on the tickets).

My flight leaves Santiago at 11:05pm, Thursday, January 14th.
I had a three day tour planned in Mendoza and I was sort of sad to cut out the last day completely (looking forward to one last winery lunch ). Plus I already paid for part of it. Although, Im sure the Andes would be pretty spectacular too and I have been to wineries before. Seems like even if we left at like 2 we should have time for the trip?
On a different note - you sound like a fellow shopper - any recommendations in Buenos Aires???

The 14th isn't such a good day. People tend to take fortnight holidays and Argentines like to vacation in January. So the folk heading off for the second fortnight of January in Chile will be heading for Santiago on the 14th after work, or before if they can get away with it. Those who have to be back to work on the 15th in Argentina will be moving in the opposite direction. I would not try to cross the same day as your flight. There were delays of 3 or more hours at the border last year.
I would bite the bullet and just pay the fee so you can enjoy your last lunch in Mendoza. Trying to cross by land is only going to complicate things for you.
No tips for BA, I am afraid. Just a fan of the general concept.

Bummer - okay, thank you!

No worries about hijacking my thread! I'm learning a lot by reading all of this! Any idea what time it gets dark there in March? BTW - not_enuf_vaca... please update us on your Mendoza trip when you get back because I will be there in March and would love your feedback! Where are you staying?

The plan is to post a pretty detailed report on my whole trip - we'll see if I do it
Hotel Bohemia.

I'm sorry it turned out this way, Not Enuf. I suppose the saving grace here is that you know about the fee and won't be caught by surprise. A few years ago, I was on a flight to Santiago. There was a family of five seated near me. All of a sudden I heard the father say, "We have to pay $500 when we land???" (The fee was $100 at the time.)

He was shocked.