Debbieh

I am planning the last leg of our November trip that we would like to stay around Atacama desert for 4 days and fly back to SCL. There is a flight from Sky Airline leaving Calama at 5pm and arriving SCL at 7pm. We need to catch a 11pm flight back home the same day. I never take Sky Airline before and not sure how their on time record is. Think 4 hours should be enough to catch our flight back home if there is no delay. Anyone has experience with Sky Airline and how reliable of the flight schedule? What is the chance of missing our flight home?

Jeff_Costa_Rica

An airline could have the best on-time record in the world, but if something happens on the day you travel, that record won't do you much good.

My concern would be the very long check-in lines at SCL for international flights in the evening. If your flight from Calama is delayed at all, for any reason, you'll cut into time you need at SCL. Sky cannot give you boarding passes for your international flight, nor can it check your bags through. Personally, I wouldn't chance this.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I'll add that for international flights to the U.S., you have to be fully checked in by the one-hour mark. That means boarding passes in hand and checked bags deposited. Standing in line at 60 minutes isn't good enough. So you don't actually have four hours; you have three.

Huentetu

I would never try to connect from a domestic to an international flight in South America on two different airlines in the same day. SKY is a decent airline but a smaller fleet than LAN. A delay on a flight previous to yours could have a knock on effect.

Debbieh

Sky Airline also has a flight from Calama to SCL arriving 2 hours earlier at 5pm but need to stop at La Serena. This will give us 6 hours in between. Will it work? I think they might even have another earlier flight arriving SCL at 1:30pm but cost a bit more. My original plan is: I will arrive at SCL on Nov 27 8pm at night and stay at Santiago for 2 nights so that I can have a full day of Nov 28 visiting Santiago before flying to Calama on Nov 29 for 4 nights there. If I change the Calama one day earlier, then I won't have a full day visiting Santiago and need to go back and forth between the airport and downtown Santiago 2 separate time before and after the Calama flights.

mlgb

I really think you need to go back to SCL the day before the international flight, especially if flying on unconnected tickets. Have you priced the change fees or the need to buy a new one-way ticket back to your home country if you miss your flight?

Why not change your plan to have your full day in Santiago right before you go back home?

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Here's what you risk: If you don't get back to SCL in time to meet the check-in deadline for your international flight, the airline (I assume LAN, American, Delta, or United) will see you as a no-show and will cancel your reservation. They won't simply endorse you over to the next flight on the next day. You'll have to buy a last-minute, one-way ticket home and I'm sure that fare will be four figures.

I like mlgb's suggestion. Can you juggle things around and do your one day of sightseeing in Santiago at the end of the trip?

Debbieh

Thanks for the opinion from all. Guess I am going to come back one day earlier. Not able to change my flight back home since I need to get back to work. I may just cut short the trip to the desert from 4 nights to 3 nights. If my plane back home is leaving at 11pm, what time should I be at the airport?

Huentetu

Evening flights out of SCL to the US are usually full and get extra security checks, so give it the full three hours. There are places to eat both before and after passport control. Most of the ones airside offer wifi.