I need to book two flights within Peru and was considering LAN. Why do some folks think they are not good? I know there are other airlines, but are they as good, one time, reliable? Good and bad experiences, bring em on.

The complaint about LAN here and elsewhere is that their prices are higher ... a lot higher. They levy a surcharge for non-Peruvian passengers. If you're not a citizen or legal resident of Peru, you're not eligible to purchase their lower fares.

Yet whenever possible, I'll always fly with them. It's easier to book their flights online. They fly to more places in Peru than anybody else and they offer a lot of flights between destinations. There's nothing wrong with the other domestic airlines per se, but LAN seems more polished to me. Plus I always fly American to and from Peru, and LAN is a member of the same One World alliance, so it's just easier to book an entire itinerary, international + domestic.

We have flown Lan a few of times - NZ to Santiago to Lima as part of a One World RTW ticket, and Lima to Cusco booked locally in Lima. The service and punctuality were excellent. In fact at Lima airport staff were wandering around the lounge asking passengers if they wanted to get on an earlier flight (which we did (how often does that happen?). As Jeff mentions above the bad press seems to come from the fact that they operate a dual pricing system for foreigners. I Lima we tried to book online using the UK and US Lan sites and it seemed expensive so we tried the Peruvian site (in Spanish only) which turned out approx 40% cheaper so we booked on that , got an online code which we had to take to a supermarket!! and they printed off out tickets. All worked very well.

We thought about doing te same thing in Argentina where foreiner tickets are an extortion 2-3 times the price for locals but were advised that without an Argentine ID we would be refused boarding ( we chose to go by bus!).
We used Sky Airways from Arequipa to Arica in Chile which was considerably cheaper than Lan but i am not sure how extensive there network is

http://www.livinginperu.com/...891-a...ith-178-50-fee

Particulars above for Peru

LAN Peru is mostly owned by the president of Chile

keeps it cheap for locals for tourists he keeps the gold mine

and gives the tourists the shaft.

I only use taca.com starperu.com Peruvianairlines.pe

No discriminitory tourist surcharges.

To say something positive about Lan they have some

good specials out to the Galapagos from MIA though sometimes

from $300 all in each way so they are not all bad.

Fly new airbuses mostly nice except for the giant dent

they put in my wallet.

Have fun,

Piñera owns 100% of ... nationwide; 27% of LAN Airlines (LAN ...

www.planetrulers.com/chile-president

oops should have been former president

wikipedia.org has the safety record of LAN not too great

They have reported being chased by a UFO over the pacific

So even the aliens do not like them(pretty funny really)

LAN pricing for domestic stand alone flights is inflated for foreigners. If you see a good international airfare with LAN then you may also add on domestic flights or a South American airpass to get a discount on those flights. This works against someone like Qwo who likes to fly Spirit to SA.

LAN in-flight service is excellent and the quality of their equipment is generally good compare to the discount airlines. Their customer service if you miss a flight or lose luggage can be hit or miss. Although they have never mangled a suitcase the way TACA did to me.

One of the campaign promises of current, not former, President Piñera was to sell off all shares in LAN, which he did months ago. He never owned 100% of it at the best of times anyway.

LAN has different pricing policies in different countries. In Perú they have a lower price for residents, or higher for tourists depending on how you look at it, but in Chile all fares are open to anyone, though some fares have to be bought in country and not online. With Argentina it is not an airline decision but a government one.

SKY is much cheaper than LAN but has limited routes both domestically and internationally. They also have far fewer planes, so a big delay means a cancellation somewhere down the line, but they are a good company. PAL flies domestically, but only to the north of Chile.

Have always had good flights on LAN -- on time and good service. Sky was substantially cheaper for our trip in Chile. They were also on time and service was just as good.

Take notice that Lan, operating within Peru, has a two tier price policy. Foreign or "extranjero" pay 2/3 more than Peruvian or "nacional". For example, a two way flight from Lima to Cusco, it will cost a Peruvian $117 while a tourist will pay $419. This is like Peter robbing Paul to give Juan a price break. Lan is the only international airline that I know that practiced this discriminatory and biased tariff. Avoid Lan while traveling within Peru....Look for Star Peru or Taca airlines that have a one price for all policy.

You will get lower prices on their local fares if you fly to Peru on a LAN flight.
By far they have more flights per destination than any other airline in Peru.

vicen3 "Lan is the only international airline that I know that practiced this discriminatory and biased tariff" tale a look at Aerolineas Argentina's pricing structure, it is just as bad!

TACA also prices differently for foreigner than for locals.

I always fly STAR when in Peru and find them a good and reliable company

I thought LAN was great and found the prices of international booked with domestic to be highly competitive--and incredibly easy to book. They also have <i>many</i> more flights to and from Cusco to Lima, so with weather being what it is, you have a much better chance of getting on another flight. It's all in what is more important to you and how much flexibility you have if something goes awry.