Kristina

We'll be flying LAX-Lima-Cusco all in one day with about a 2 hour layover in Lima.

I'm wondering if we check our bags, will we have to pick them up to clear customs in Lima? Or will they be checked through to Cusco? Will we have to change terminals?

Also, are there ATMs which are accessible if we are only "in transit" in Lima?

Thanks!

sf7307

Lima's airport is just one really big terminal. That said, you may have to clear immigration and customs, go out of the international arrivals area, and through security again to go to the national departures area. Someone else will have to answer those questions (even our flight crew didn't know that we'd have to go through security, but we were going in the opposite direction - Cusco-Lima-San Francisco). At least our bags went straight through from Cusco to San Francisco.

mlgb

Your tickets are all on LAN?

I wouldn't advise calling them from the US. Their phone reps are miserable (and for the most part you will get Chile, maybe Peru if you are lucky).

It will just happen the way it happens and if you miss your connection you should get on the next flight with open seats in your class.

sf7307

And flights from Lima to Cusco are numerous.

Kristina

Not so much worried about missing the connection as trying to figure out if we should try to carry on only or check our bags. Flights are all on LAN.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

In Lima, you'll go through passport control, retrieve your bags, go through customs, go to the domestic check-in area, drop off your bags, go through security in the domestic section of the terminal, and go to your gate. Your bags may be tagged all the way to Cusco, but you have to pick them up in Lima.

Kristina

Thanks Jeff! That's exactly what I wanted to know. Do you happen to know if there are any ATMs along the way?

mlgb

I would wait until getting to the Cusco airport if possible, there is a Scotiabank ATM there. The ones in Lima airport are all ripoffs.

But if you must, there are a few inside the international arrivals hall, just before you pass through the bag screening at the very end.

Also I believe one before you enter the departures terminal (upstairs).

BTW 2 hrs is a pretty tight connection since immigration and LAN bag drop lines can be long. So if possible, I would do carry on. They may gate check you for Cusco but it improves your chances immensely if you can bypass the LAN desk (have your boarding pass for Cusco and don't need to use the bag drop at the LAN desk).

Kristina

We'll each have one 22" roll-aboard and one small backpack.

I'd love to do carry on only but it's going to depend on how strict they are with the weight allowance, which is only 8 kilos (17.6 lbs) for the carry on. Typically my bag is about 22 lbs.

mlgb- why are the ATMs in the Lima airport ripoffs?

mlgb

Global Net has a per withdrawal fee and a low limit plus a poor exchange rate.

BCP I believe is the other one, with a higher limit plus an ATM fee.

Scotiabank has no per withdrawal fee and a high limit.

There are also exchange desks with longish lines, I have not used them recently.

There is another option...buy something up in the food court in USD and ask for your change in Nuevo Soles.

mlgb

We could have a whole 'nother conversation about what you are packing!

One thing that is readily available is reasonable laundry service. You also don't need fancy clothing, even for Lima. I bring a pair of black microfiber pants and a merino wool top for evening, and wear the heavy shoes and the jacket.

Kristina

Just wanted to follow up...

I was able to print our boarding passes all the way to Lima in advance so we bypassed the check in desk and went straight to the gate in LA. We were able to carry on luggage LAX-Lima.

Unfortunately, our flight out of LA was delayed almost 2 hours so we missed the connection to Cusco by 5 minutes! They put us on the next flight 2 hours later and while we were waiting we were asked to gate check our bags for that flight (along with a bunch of other people).

On the way home, we checked our bags because they'd gotten heavy with purchases. ;-)

We used the ATM in the Cusco Airport and both options had a 14 sole fee. In fact every single ATM, no matter the "brand" we found had an extra fee of about that much tacked on.

Oh, and a word of warning about LAN...
When I went to check in online for our flight back from Cusco, my reservation didn't exist, but my husband's did. It took our hotel's concierge calling LAN to discover that my record locator number (which had been the same as my husband's) had somehow been changed. I'd lost my seat too. Annoying, and according to the concierge, not all that uncommon.

mlgb

It's always appreciated when we get a report back.

What a shame about missing the flight, but lucky you were on LAN and got on the next one.

I always ask about the Scotiabank ATMs, and have never been charged an added fee. I guess YMMV. The ones I stay away from are Global Net and BCP.

Kristina

Unfortunately, I never saw a Scotiabank ATM when we needed one. Globanet and BCP are everywhere and they do change an extra fee.
Best thing I could do is withdraw more because it's a flat fee. Not willing to wander about for too long to save $5.

mlgb

SB has a website where you can look up locations. There is supposedly one in the Cusco airport (not Lima, unfortunately)!

Kathie

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip. Kristina!

Question for mlgb or others, do Globanet and BCP have poor exchange rates? I don't care about the fee to withdraw money, as my bank will reimburse those fees.

Kristina

Kathie-

it's really hard to tell about the exchange rates. I used my credit union account because it charges a 1.1% conversion fee, vs. my Citibank which charges 3%.

For my first withdrawl at the airport, I took out 500 soles. My statement says I got $184.75 for that which would be a rate of $2.70 per sole. The 1.1% is tacked on later. But the 13.5 sole "commission" for using the ATM, listed on the receipt, is not on my statement so I don't know how that's calculated in, if at all.

Looks like my other withdrawals ranged from 2.68 to as low as 2.63 but I can't find the receipts right now.

Our United Mileage Plus card, which has no foreign transaction fees got us 2.78 for the whole trip. I should have used it for more.

mlgb

Not sure how BCP runs as far as the exchange rate. Global Net is bad everything. And a low withdrawal limit to force you to do multiple withdrawals. The current bank rate is 2.8 PEN per USD.

Of course it is a small amount on any one transaction. It still irks me when I know most banks don't add on an ATM fee in Peru.

Kristina makes a good point re paying with credit cards, especially in hotels. Mine also doesn't charge a forex fee. Just be aware that there are some hotels or agencies add 6%, so I will ask first if there is a cash discount.

In Cusco there is alleged to be a Scotiabank at the airport (I've not looked for it) and there is one on Ave El Sol near the Plaza de Armas. Sometimes ATM machines are inside supermarkets or gas stations. Your hotel or taxi driver will know, hopefully.

Kathie

Thanks to both of you. We have credit cards that charge no foreign exchange fee and will be using them where we can. Of course, some things require cash, and we have cards that charge only 1% on foreign exchange and reimburse ATM fees. It sounds like the one thing we need to be aware of is to avoid Global net.