JoanneH

Several of us are considering a trip to Peru and Easter Island next spring.
We would like to Fly SFO-Lima do a 5 day layover so we could go to MP, then fly on to Santiago where we would pick up the Easter Island tour which has airfare included. Return would be direct Santiago-Lima-SFO.
All I seem to be finding are flights that would take us to Miami, and then back to Lima making it over 20 hours. There are couple out of LAX but I am trying to avoid that nightmare if possible.
Any tips or advice? Also what would be considered a reasonable fare ballpark figures fine.
Thanks

mlgb

LAN is the airline of choice along the west coast of North and South America. Go directly to the LAN.com website so you can book their nonstop SFO to Lima flight. You want the flight that is 9:25 hours. Perhaps it is sold out on your dates and that is why you are coming up with less satisfactory flights. Or if you are trying to do it on the cheap you are going to get multiple stops all over the place, usually Florida.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Lima is farther east than Miami, so it's not some huge detour to be connecting at MIA. (I think you get a good sense of this if you look at a globe.) It is longer than a nonstop flight, no question, though, but not double the time, at least according to LAN's website.

So you connect at LAX. Is that really such a big hassle?

qwovadis

cheapoair.com farecompare.com couple of good sites to play on

despegar.com best SA site

www.lan.com is expensvive but nice flies all over

Do not like them for internal Peru flights rip off surcharges

of $178.50 per flight that locals do not pay.

Almost all go out of MIA but cheapest first class

"Big Front Seats" LAX FLL LIM on Spirit.com have been

great for me.... a couple of years ago $239 RT plus

$50 first class leather seat upgrade.

Also Sky LIM SCL way cheaper than LAN...

So I might try to cobble together Spirit and Sky

have done that lost cheaper.

For internal Peru would do the "Gringo Trail"

but if you fly go for taca.com starperu.com or Peruvian

for cheapest flights... taca.com might work #2 best in SA

Happy Hunting!

qwovadis

www.copaair.com your other possibility better west coast hookups

but your hub will be Panama(PTY) ok if you want to go through

there nice town Copa ok not great #3 for me down there.

airlinequality.com nice reviews on all your airlines.

qwovadis

The only other suggestion I have is Easter Island after

a couple of days is underwhelming and was frankly borring

for me.

For similar money closer and totally awesome a nice Galapagos

Cruise with Sven Linblad Nat'l Geo expeditions or Dennis at

www.guanguiltagua.com for the Eric Flamingo Lety cruises

would be lots better did this last fall

closer and totally awesome compared to the long

EI slog to a flat treeless island little of touristic value

other than the statues...

qwovadis

Sven-Olof Lindblad is ... Eric Lindblad, who led some of the first non-scientific groups of travelers to Galapagos (1967) and Antarctica (1966). For six years, Sven ...
www.expeditions.com/Sven_Bio494.asp

Awesome Journey go for that with an MP hook on

if budget is good.