lima immigration
 

Our flight from Miami arrives at 4:25am and we are going directly on to Cusco. I am unsure how long the process might take in Lima to get through immigration and on to the connecting flight. Do you think I can make a 5:50am flight or should I go for the 6:10 or 6:40am? Thanks.

Taitai

We arrived in Lima around 11 pm on a Friday night and whizzed through. We had carry on luggage so no waiting for luggage. The airport was fairly empty. We were in a cab within a half hour of landing. Are the flights with the same airline which would help if you miss the 5:50 am flight. The airline would likely put you on their next flight. If the flights are on different airlines, I think I'd go with the 6:10...that 20 minutes could give you a cushion if your flight arrives late or long lines. Also we were there in April which isn't high season, so there may be heavier traffic during July - August if that's when you're going.

I've done your itinerary twice and made it each time. That's not to say that it always works, but I've had good luck. In my case, the international flight was on American and the domestic flight was on Lan Peru, and all on one ticket. Had the American flight not arrived on time, I would have been rolled over to the next LAN flight to Cusco. There would be your guarantee in case things go awry.

When you exit customs in Lima you are right there at the domestic ticket counters. Go to your airline's counter. If it's American-to-Lan or Lan-to-Lan, you should have received your boarding pass when you checked in in Miami the previous night. Drop off your luggage. You have to pay a small domestic airport tax at another window. That's quick. Go to security in the domestic section of the airport, then to your gate.

Even though it has worked for me twice, it still seems like too short a time. I'd probably opt for 6:10 or 6:40, just to give myself the cushion. Like yestravel says, the big question is which airlines are we talking about? That will make all the difference in the world here.

I took that same flight from Miami and the 6:10 to Cusco last summer. You have to collect your luggage and recheck it (and it's not like Miami where you throw it on a conveyor immediately after you get through customs...you have to go the counter and wait in line again). We made it to the gate 25-30 minutes before our flight, just enough time to grab some coffee and toast for breakfast but probably not enough time to catch the 5:50.

Thanks for the replies. I think we should go for the 6:40 flight just to make sure and if we get there early, try for standby on one of the earlier ones. We are VERY seasoned travellers and it simply never occurred to me to book our tickets straight through to Cusco...not sure why...guess all the hoopla of preschool graduation had me distracted!!!! After being on a plane all night, it will be nice to stretch our legs a bit and walk around.

Thanks for the replies.

Taitai