Subscribe

To the Polls: Who to Fly to Lima?

28 comments on To the Polls: Who to Fly to Lima?

Brett

I just found out that my fiancée and I will be heading down to Peru in the Spring. Of course, I’m excited about the chance to see Machu Picchu, but I’m also excited about getting to try a new airline.

Looking at my options, I see all kinds of exciting possibilities. Though I’ll wait to see what airfares do over the next couple of months, I’m eager to find out which option you all would recommend.

So, forget about mileage opportunities, because that’s not important. In terms of onboard experience, which airline would you choose?

Update 10/26 @ 1124a: An excellent point was raised in the comments that I didn’t mention what class I’d be flying. I’ll be in coach.


View Results

Loading ... Loading …

Get Cranky in Your Inbox!

The airline industry moves fast. Sign up and get every Cranky post in your inbox for free.

Brett Avatar
Brett

28 responses to “To the Polls: Who to Fly to Lima?”

  1. Will Avatar
    Will

    My colleague flew non-stop on LAN from JFK to Lima about a year and a half ago and had a great trip. Red eyes are never fun but I would choose this flight over changing somewhere in Latin America in the middle of the night

    Reply
  2. Zach Avatar
    Zach

    This should be an easy decision. I would always choose the widebody, and nonstop is a plus.

    Sounds like a fun trip!

    Reply
  3. Smail Avatar
    Smail

    First class or coach?

    Reply
  4. CF Avatar
    CF

    Ah yes, that would make a huge difference. I’ll be flying in coach. I’ve updated the post to include that info.

    Reply
  5. L1011 Avatar
    L1011

    I would agree with Zach 100%. Widebody, even though a 767, and nonstop, sounds like the perfect combo.

    CF, really enjoy the blog!

    Reply
  6. Rick Avatar
    Rick

    I admire your spirit, but this one’s a no-brainer. Gotta go with the nonstop.

    great blog, btw!

    Reply
  7. DT Avatar
    DT

    Well, its a toss up. I do Latin America all the time and LAN will probably give you the best service. However, living in Colombia as I do, I’d have to say try Avianca, they are constantly renewing and it will give you a chance to see the third busiest airport in South America (BOG, 3rd after only GRU and GIG!!) and number 1 cargo airport as well.

    Reply
  8. Brian Lusk Avatar
    Brian Lusk

    Wow, this poses a dilemma. Do you connect through some exotic airport like Bogota, knowing that the ramp is probably filled with unusual aircraft, or do you go on a nonstop to avoid the potential hassle and delay in connections? Those considerations don’t even take in the onboard service. In all honesty, I would pick the routing with either a new aircraft type, and if there weren’t any new types, I’d go with the best service.
    Brian

    Reply
  9. Alex Avatar
    Alex

    is cost a consideration? if that’s the case, then I would not necessarily fly a non-stop flight….LAN CHILE has a nice monopoly on the LAX/LIM or JFK/LIM route (zero competitors, they are the only airline offering non-stop flights) and therefore they charge premium fares. Try a connection and save money!

    Reply
  10. Alex Avatar
    Alex

    OH ONE MORE THING……LEG ROOM IN COACH ON THOSE LAN 767’S IS THE ABSOLUTE PITS, IF YOU ARE 5’8″ OR TALLER YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!

    Reply
  11. CF Avatar
    CF

    Thanks for all this great feedback. Cost is somewhat of a consideration, but I have flexibility. Right now, fares were running about $835 on the cheapest connection and $899 on the nonstop, so in that case it wouldn’t matter.

    AV and BOG are definitely the most interesting option of all of these, but there are long layovers each way so I’m not sure I want to do it.

    Reply
  12. Steve Dorman Avatar
    Steve Dorman

    Any flight that gets you there safely NONSTOP is my preference. Also the 767 has the most comfortable coach seats in the sky, thanks to 2x3x2 seating. If you luck out with an exit row, its even better. I would never ever consider a 3x4x3 airplane for a long flight.

    Reply
  13. Smail Avatar
    Smail

    I voted for the non-stop LAN, but Avianca might not be too bad, either. As many others have said, widebody ftw. The 319/320 and Embraer options sound like absolute torture.

    Reply
  14. Tom S Avatar
    Tom S

    You are kidding right? Who in their right mind would want to go to South America? I am writing this from my hotel room overlooking Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Even I don’t want to be here.

    I voted for you to take the non-stop, but my second choice would be a boring American carrier. You can always ship your AA miles to me. :-)

    Reply
  15. Nicholas Barnard Avatar
    Nicholas Barnard

    Not knowing service on the airlines I voted for COPA because the E190 is a sweet plane. I’m odd and I’ll chose to fly on a smaller plane, trying to remember the days of airliners with less than 15 seats. Plus connecting in another country sounds like an experience. But if the layover is long I’d go for the nonstop… (I voted before reading comments.)

    Reply
  16. SeaFlyer Avatar
    SeaFlyer

    Fly COPA and try to figure out how they are the most profitable carrier in the Americas (by margin).

    Reply
  17. BAP Avatar
    BAP

    I would go for Avianca! For me it is all about logging new airports as well as new airlines.

    Reply
  18. BJW Avatar
    BJW

    I would not fly an American carrier and I would avoid small jets. You get both plenty of times when flying in the US.

    That basically leaves LAN and Avianca as the only 2 choices.

    Unless I had a very long (>4 hour) layover in Bogota I would take Avianca. LAN is a very good airline and the nonstop is enticing but flying via Bogota would allow you to take a break in the flights and also do some spotting in an exotic location you may never visit again.

    Reply
  19. Linguist-in-Waiting Avatar
    Linguist-in-Waiting

    I’d say Avianca. The chance to spot in El Dorado International Airport is probably worth it.

    Coincidentally, I am planning a trip myself to the Sacred Valley, from May 10-20, 2008. Since I will be coming from Buffalo, my choices are limited, but if my friend who resides in New York City chooses to join me, then I might hop over to New York City and take Avianca instead of going on a US carrier straight from Buffalo. AV’s schedules from JFK to LIM via BOG provides a 9-hour lay-over (there is a shorter one, but is way too short for comfort, which is 30 minutes), so I might as well get out of the airport and do some sight-seeing in La Candelaria and visit the Museo del Oro in Bogota. Besides, I would have to stay overnight in Lima anyways since all flights to Cusco leave only in the mornings, so there’s no point in rushing to Lima.

    Reply
  20. Lima_Visitor Avatar
    Lima_Visitor

    How about TACA? I flew them last december, via El Salvador. The aircraft was pretty new, but it is no-frills carrier, and I got a good price. I actually bought a ticket to Sao Paulo, and got a free layover for 3 days in Lima, for around $800 with taxes.

    Reply
  21. Holly Avatar
    Holly

    I flew Taca a few years ago…I would definitely recommend them…flights were on time, staff was friendly, smooth/no hassel/no wait connections, clean planes, etc.

    Reply
  22. Glenn Avatar
    Glenn

    My wife and I flew TACA to Managua last month. We were both impressed with the comfort and the service after suffering through Continental. I’m going to Lima in July, and plan to use them again if their price is competitive.

    Reply
  23. The Cranky Flier » Hitting the Road

    […] of you who have been reading Cranky for awhile will remember back in October I asked which airline I should fly to Peru for a trip in the seemingly distant future. Well guess what? It’s time for that trip. A […]

    Reply
  24. The Cranky Flier » Trip Report: Inca-redible Peru

    […] of this post. That piece of cheesiness was the Disney theme for one of the days of the trip.) I asked you guys to recommend how you would go about getting there, and the LAN nonstop won out. I’m certainly […]

    Reply
  25. Pedro Avatar
    Pedro

    I fly to Peru two or three times a year, I flight from SLC each time. I have to make at least one stop because there is no NON STOP flights to Lima from SLC. So where are you flying from?
    -If you flight from ATL then your best option is a non stop flight with Delta.
    -If you flight from Texas then probably your best option is a non stop flight with Continental
    – If you flight from LAX then LAN is problably your best option with a non stop flight to Lima… but this flight could be a little too long… it’s about 9 hours long..(that’s TOO much for me)
    If you flight from MIA then you may want to flight with AA or there is a new airline that files from FLL to LIMA for cheap, it is called SPIRIT AIRLINES, (not the most comfortable one but definitely the best price) or LAN (which gives one of the best services to Latin America) has a non stop flight to Lima too
    If you flight from JFK I would definitely NOT take a non stop flight to lima…. i did it once… and i will never do it again… 11and a half hours in a plane is just TOO MUCH for me… i was going NUTS!
    Non stop flights from MIA, ATL AND TEXAS take about 6 hours and i strongly recommend them.
    LAN gives the best service to South America, Spirit Airlines is the cheapest one to lima from FLL. Delta has good deals from ATL, so it’s up to you!

    Reply
  26. CF Avatar
    CF

    Thanks, Pedro. This post is actually about a year old, so I already took the trip. We ended up flying LAN from LAX to Lima and had a great experience the whole time. Thanks for all the recommendations!

    Reply
  27. jon Avatar
    jon

    by far the best advice!

    Reply
  28. jon Avatar
    jon

    from pedro that is!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to CF Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Cranky Flier