Soccer Still More Important Than Everything Else in Argentina

Aerolineas Argentinas made headlines this week after a controversial decision to bump 90 passengers from a flight.

Flight 1302, providing service from Buenos Aires to Miami, had been scheduled to depart Ezeiza International Airport at 11:25pm on Tuesday night.

The flight was pushed back to 10:48am Wednesday morning after the Argentinian government decided to use the Airbus 340 as a charter flight to transport the national soccer team to Quito, Ecuador, for a World Cup Qualifying match.

Unfortunately the Argentinian National Team didn't enjoy themselves any more than the stranded passengers. The Argentines lost the game 2-0, ironically citing altitude as their downfall. Quito's stadium is perched at a staggering 2800m (9,186 ft) above sea level and visitors often struggle in the thin air.