Airlines

[QUOTE=David_33]Since LAN has raised its requirements for top freq. Flier status, I now have to fly 90,000 km. A year including three RT business class flights. Last year it was 50,000 km. And two business class flights. Since the cheapest qualifying business class flights from Lima are to Bs As, I usually fly there. The prices have never changed in the past. Always around $1200 plus taxes. This price stayed steady whether purchasing far in advance, or at the last minute.

I'm going next week for a few days and checked out the LAN site this morning. I was pleasantly surprised to see a price of $624 RT in business (without taxes) half the usual fare. TACA has come out with real cheap business class flights, and maybe this is why LAN has dropped the fares. Needless to say, I got out the credit card and locked in the price.[/QUOTE]Okay, even though I'm in TOTAL danger of sounding like I'm putting my spoon in where I don't belong (ie. I have no idea about frequent flier miles and the like)

I just got a very cheap fare in aerolineas argentinas through the travel agency tije. Com. Ar.

USD 365 tax included with return flight in may next year.

I don't know ehether you were all discussing frequent flyer programs or cheapest fares.

Either way.

Hope this helps.

Xyc

You missed the "business class" part.

Mexicana has R/T ticket from JFK to EZE in October timeframe for [b]$337[/b] all in. Check out [url]www.Kayak.com[/url] for the bookable sites. The shortest itinerary will take about 18 hours with a lay over in Mexico City. Some itineraries will take up to 30 hours with a loooong lay over in Mexico City from 5:00 am to 10 pm. On the return trip the lay over can be even longer from 7:00 pm to 5:00 pm the next day. Not too bad if you want to venture out to the city.

Mexicana is a partner of AA, so you mileage whores should earn over 13K miles on your AAdavantage account, don't know if elite double bonus miles apply.

That's an excellent rate for JFK-EZE. Long delays can take some of the pleasure out, though. What you want to look for is other airlines matching that rate, who have a more direct service. Many of these deals are also gone quickly, so if you really want it, lock it in.

As for paying extra for exit aisle seats, and extra luggage fees, this is another area where elite airline membership also comes in. Some of them even let you buy a membership for a year to get the roomier section of the cabin, like UA's E+ section. If you know an upper level elite, some airlines let you gift a first level elite status to someone else.

I flew back from Hong Kong earlier this week, and had two checked luggage of 70 pounds each. If I had been pre-upgraded on my domestic segment, I would have gotten to check in one more 70 pound bag.

[QUOTE=Sportsman]Mexicana has R / T ticket from JFK to EZE in October timeframe for [b]$337[/b] all in. Check out [url]www.Kayak.com[/url] for the bookable sites. The shortest itinerary will take about 18 hours with a lay over in Mexico City. Some itineraries will take up to 30 hours with a loooong lay over in Mexico City from 5:00 am to 10 pm. On the return trip the lay over can be even longer from 7:00 pm to 5:00 pm the next day. Not too bad if you want to venture out to the city.

Mexicana is a partner of AA, so you mile whores should earn over 13K miles on your AAdavantage account, don't know if elite double bonus miles apply.[/QUOTE]I just checked flyertalk.com and they have a thread on this fare. Good from LAX too. I'm not 100% sure if Mexicana is formally a Oneworld member yet, so don't count those miles before they're hatched.

Seems like people are finding Sept. Oct. Nov. And even some Dec. Dates.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]As for paying extra for exit aisle seats, and extra luggage fees, this is another area where elite airline membership also comes in. Some of them even let you buy a membership for a year to get the roomier section of the cabin, like UA's E+ section. If you know an upper level elite, some airlines let you gift a first level elite status to someone else. [/QUOTE]I have sat in economy plus 5 times, and 4 of them have been very near a woman with a baby on her lap. Economy Plus is Babyland! The logic is pretty simple: "oh, I'll have a baby on my lap for 12 hours, I should have a little extra room." I'm not sure that it's worth it.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]I'm not 100% sure if Mexicana is formally a Oneworld member yet, so don't count those miles before they're hatched.[/QUOTE]Mexicana might not be a One World member yet. But it is a partner of American Airline now and does earn AA miles. Check this out:

[url]http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/AAdvantage/partners/airlines/mexicana.jsp[/url]

I saw the wildest thing on my return flight to sex prison. Some older woman got into it with the flight crew and they wound up putting her in plastic handcuffs and *almost hog tying her in the kitchenette.

She totally flipped out.

It happend way too early in the flight to have a a buzz going. Too bad.

I've never seen that before. Once the plane landed at jfk the cops came on and escorted her off.

[QUOTE=Artisttyp]I saw the wildest thing on my return flight to sex prison. Some older woman got into it with the flight crew and they wound up putting her in plastic handcuffs and *almost hog tying her in the kitchenette.

She totally flipped out.

It happend way too early in the flight to have a a buzz going. To bad.

I've never seen that before. Once the plane landed at jfk the cops came on and escorted her out.[/QUOTE]Luckily I've never seen it. I have seen prisoners being transported (domestically) but that's it. Some people get pretty stupid on planes. You don't want to piss off the crew.

[QUOTE=Artisttyp]I saw the wildest thing on my return flight to sex prison. Some older woman got into it with the flight crew and they wound up putting her in plastic handcuffs and *almost hog tying her in the kitchenette.

She totally flipped out.

It happend way too early in the flight to have a a buzz going. Too bad.

I've never seen that before. Once the plane landed at jfk the cops came on and escorted her off.[/QUOTE]They had to do that to Exon once after they told him that they didn't have any Beefeaters on board.

[QUOTE=Jackson]They had to do that to Exon once after they told him that they didn't have any Beefeaters on board.[/QUOTE]CockSucker.

Exon

The price for a round trip from LAX or MIA to EXE is now $287 with all taxes and fees included.

[QUOTE=JustGotBack]The price for a round trip from LAX or MIA to EXE is now $287 with all taxes and fees included.[/QUOTE]So is from JFK. Bookable on [url]www.cheaptickets.com[/url]

This is amazing. Too bad I can't fit it to my schedule now.

In the last few years and never saw anything that entertaining. I did try to get one of the stewardesses to put one of those plastic handcuffs around my Johnson and boys (like a c-ring) but she declined.

[QUOTE=Artisttyp]I saw the wildest thing on my return flight to sex prison. Some older woman got into it with the flight crew and they wound up putting her in plastic handcuffs and *almost hog tying her in the kitchenette.

She totally flipped out.

It happend way too early in the flight to have a a buzz going. Too bad.

I've never seen that before. Once the plane landed at jfk the cops came on and escorted her off.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Sportsman]So is from JFK. Bookable on [url]www.cheaptickets.com[/url]

This is amazing. Too bad I can't fit it to my schedule now.[/QUOTE]I would book on MX directly. CT is too unreliable. The swine flu is taking it's toll.

I just got off the phone with AA. I asked if I could buy an open ticket good for one year. The answer was yes but from NYC to LIMA the price would be over US$3000. I believe you would have to also pay a change fee everytime you changed it.

Once again there is the issue of getting somewhere and shaking the return ticket off you. Airlines will not sell you a one way ticket at least not from america on an american passport. Am I wrong?

If I entered a country by bus I would avoid this but I would need to get there first. If I bought a RT ticket on an airlines then didn't show up for my flight that is a security risk.

The other thing I could do is buy a return ticket to the states for xmas or thanksgiving and keep changing them? I am getting confused sorry. I just don't see how you finally shake the airlines off you while living on a tourist visa.

I would like to go to Miami or San Diego every 6 months to shop or do other errands. I could buy tickets to those places for 6 month segments.

Thank you for the help.

In most countries, buying tickets with longer expirations is costly. Doing a quick search for cheapest RT, I find $489 from NYC-LIM for 3 months, $569 for $6 months and $609 for 11 months.

This is actually pretty cheap compared to other fares. You'd be better off booking an award ticket if you need some sort of legal "out".

You can go to aa. Com and pick out an award itinerary (if you have an AA account) You could just print out the summary of the flights, and that would probably be fine for most customs people. AA has many 30k coach awards, so they're one of the best values out there. You can earn 30k AA miles by getting a credit card, and spending $750, I think. I've earned almost 200k AA miles this year, and have yet to get on a AA flight.

AA also have some nice options for awards by mileage. You could do some stopovers for not much extra mileage. I'm not an expert on the AA award system, so you might want to peruse flyertalk. Com a bit to make sure it's working for what award you'd want to do.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]In most countries, buying tickets with longer expirations is costly. Doing a quick search for cheapest RT, I find $489 from NYC-LIM for 3 months, $569 for $6 months and $609 for 11 months.

This is actually pretty cheap compared to other fares. You'd be better off booking an award ticket if you need some sort of legal "out".

You can go to aa. Com and pick out an award itinerary (if you have an AA account) You could just print out the summary of the flights, and that would probably be fine for most customs people. AA has many 30k coach awards, so they're one of the best values out there. You can earn 30k AA miles by getting a credit card, and spending $750, I think. I've earned almost 200k AA miles this year, and have yet to get on a AA flight.

AA also have some nice options for awards by mileage. You could do some stopovers for not much extra mileage. I'm not an expert on the AA award system, so you might want to peruse flyertalk. Com a bit to make sure it's working for what award you'd want to do.[/QUOTE]I appreciate the response and you have some good thoughts but there is still a grey area:

Lets say I want to start my new life in lima from Jan. 2010 until the end of march 2010. I buy a rountrip ticket on AA returning in three months (they won't sell me one way). My three month period ends and I want to move onto colombia. As far as AA goes I am scheduled to return back with them and if I don't show up for my flight that is a security risk.

*** Has anyone not shown up for a return flight and A walled? What happens? Peru won't give a shit as long as I take care of the immigration officer but what about AA? They would have one passenger A walled.

Obviously there are regulations in place to deter people from doing this. This is called immigration control. However on the other end there are people who live like this.

********* I meet people who say they have lived in buenos aires for x number of years on a tourist visa but how did they get the airline monkey off their back?

The lady I talked to at AA also told me that it would be difficult to buy a return ticket to america (for xmas) in a foreign country without being legit. This all makes sense but I know there is a way around it. What is it?

I see the airlines as one issue and the local government as a completely seperate issue.

You're putting way too much thought into this. In most cases, you just need an onward ticket. If asked, say you're taking a bus somewhere. You *can* buy one way tickets, they're just expensive. AA has one way award tickets which may fit your plans better.

Unless you look like a real dirtbag, they're probably not going to give a shit.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]You're putting way too much thought into this. In most cases, you just need an onward ticket. [/QUOTE]Not to drag it on but "yes" the onward ticket is my issue. I would have an onward ticket that I wouldn't plan on using. Do I buy it and just not show up for that flight? Does anybody try to locate you?

There is still a grey area.

Thank you for your effort.

[QUOTE=Artisttyp]Not to drag it on but "yes" the onward ticket is my issue. I would have an onward ticket that I wouldn't plan on using. Do I buy it and just not show up for that flight? Does anybody try to locate you?

There is still a grey area.

Thank you for your effort.[/QUOTE]Unless you've committed some crime, it's doubtful they're going to look for you. If you buy a RT, and only use half, technically they could come back and try to bill you the one way rate. This really doesn't happen, though, unless you do it repeatedly and the RPU of the airline comes after you. I've thrown away 10 segments in the last 3 years, and never had a problem.

What I would do is buy the ticket out far enough in advance that you might use it. Book a 6 month ticket, and see how it works out. If you had garnered some AA frequent flyer miles, you'd be in much better shape. Much easier to use, and some even allow you to change the return for free (for all members) I think AA is fairly liberal in some changes, but haven't ticketed any recently.

If you think that half the countries you visit even know anything about you, you're wrong. That's how the guys stay perpetual tourists. They take a run on Buquebus every few months, or sometimes even overstay and just pay the fine.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]Unless you've committed some crime, it's doubtful they're going to look for you. If you buy a RT, and only use half, technically they could come back and try to bill you the one way rate. This really doesn't happen, though, unless you do it repeatedly and the RPU of the airline comes after you. I've thrown away 10 segments in the last 3 years, and never had a problem.

What I would do is buy the ticket out far enough in advance that you might use it. Book a 6 month ticket, and see how it works out. If you had garnered some AA frequent flyer miles, you'd be in much better shape. Much easier to use, and some even allow you to change the return for free (for all members) I think AA is fairly liberal in some changes, but haven't ticketed any recently.

If you think that half the countries you visit even know anything about you, you're wrong. That's how the guys stay perpetual tourists. They take a run on Buquebus every few months, or sometimes even overstay and just pay the fine.[/QUOTE]This is more of what I was looking for. Just curious why would *you throw away a segment? I assume it made your flight cheaper.

Oddly enough the same 1 year $3000 open ticket on AA was equal in price to the 6 month open ticket. They must charge those prices exactly for this reason.

I like the " no show " routine but I wouldn't want to be on any airlines blacklist. I would try it once though.

[QUOTE=Artisttyp]This is more of what I was looking for. Just curious why would *you throw away a segment? I assume it made your flight cheaper.

Oddly enough the same 1 year $3000 open ticket on AA was equal in price to the 6 month open ticket. They must charge those prices exactly for this reason.

I like the " no show " routine but I wouldn't want to be on any airlines blacklist. I would try it once though.[/QUOTE]Sometimes a flight is much cheaper, say LAX-JFK-XXX, than LAX-JFK. You want to go to JFK, but don't want to pay $500. The connecting flight is only $150. You just get off in JFK. This only works on one way travel, though.

You would be much better off finding someone who has AA miles and would be willing to book a one way ticket for you. AA miles are worth 2-2 1/2 cents per mile, so a one way would be $300-$375 plus taxes and whatever booking fees you need.

You still might be better booking a flight far in advance for the return that you might use.

You can get a crappy Spirit Air one way ticket for $319 with a stop in FL. Or a CO direct flight for $447 from EWR. (Checking September dates) CO has a RT for about $505, for a 6 month stay.

$100 for close in ticketing is still better than others, say NW, who charged up to $150 for many members. Hopefully other airlines will match, and get rid of some of their stupid fees.

"Our members have told us that they want ease, flexibility and availability when using their miles, and we are listening," said Robert Sahadevan, vice president - Mileage Plus.

Translation: "We have to do something to fill all these empty seats, let's look like a good egg at the same time. We can ream 'em again when the economy turns around."

There are sale from Mexicana to EZE from DFW, for only $243 all in. Trip bookable through next summer, even. First segment to Mexico City on AA, other flights on Mexicana.

Brazil, Venezuela, and other countries available. You'll probably need to use Expedia or other online booking engines. I'm sure this will evaporate quickly.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]There are sale from Mexicana to EZE from DFW, for only $243 all in. Trip bookable through next summer, even. First segment to Mexico City on AA, other flights on Mexicana.

Brazil, Venezuela, and other countries available. You'll probably need to use Expedia or other online booking engines. I'm sure this will evaporate quickly.[/QUOTE]Hi, thanks for posting, thisin Mexico City, see if bookable from there, probably want 5 times as much just to drop miles.

Yes, leaving out of MEX will probably not help you. I just rechecked for some dates in Oct. Nov, and I came up with a sub $200 price.

I usually use [url]http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch[/url] to find the best pricing, and then go to Expedia or such, to book.

Here's the itin:

[quote]$193.20 in US Dollars
1 adult @ $193.20
Hide booking details

This ticket is non-refundable.

Changes to this ticket will incur a penalty fee.


Airport legend:

DFW: Dallas/Fort Worth Int'l
MEX: Mexico City Juarez Int'l
EZE: Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX to Buenos Aires, Argentina: 5532 miles 17 hrs 45 min
Mexicana Airlines Mexicana Airlines Flight MX843 on an Airbus A318 (jet) in coach class
(meal)
Departs Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) Mon, Nov 9 1:35p 2 hrs 35 min
Arrives Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) 4:10p
1 adult in booking code O, covered by fare (A1) below
Layover in Mexico City 5 hrs 50 min
Mexicana Airlines Mexicana Airlines Flight MX1691 on a Boeing 767 (jet) in coach class
(meal)
Departs Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) Mon, Nov 9 10:00p 9 hrs 20 min
Arrives Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE) Tue, Nov 10 11:20a
1 adult in booking code O, covered by fare (A1) below
Note: The flight from Mexico City (MEX) to Buenos Aires (EZE) is overnight.

Buenos Aires, Argentina to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX: 5532 miles 17 hrs 0 min
Mexicana Airlines Mexicana Airlines Flight MX1694 on a Boeing 767 (jet) in coach class
(meal)
Departs Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE) Mon, Nov 16 11:25p 9 hrs 55 min
Arrives Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) Tue, Nov 17 5:20a
1 adult in booking code O, covered by fare (A2) below
Layover in Mexico City 4 hrs 30 min
Mexicana Airlines Mexicana Airlines Flight MX842 on an Airbus A318 (jet) in coach class
(meal)
Departs Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) Tue, Nov 17 9:50a 2 hrs 35 min
Arrives Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) 12:25p
1 adult in booking code O, covered by fare (A2) below
Note: The flight from Buenos Aires (EZE) to Mexico City (MEX) is overnight.


Booking details
If you want to buy this ticket, contact the airline (Mexicana Airlines: 1-800-531-7921, [url]http://www.mexicana.com/[/url]) or a travel agent. If you use a travel agent to buy this ticket:

* If your travel agent is online and has an e-mail address, e-mail this itinerary to them.

* If your travel agent is not online, print out this page and fax / give it to them.

It is very important to use exactly the same booking codes and fare codes that we've used on this page in order to match the price we've found.

Fare (A1): MX DFWBUE O0AA3MQ fare (rules) psgr type ADT $47.50

Fare (A2): MX BUEDFW O0AA3MQ fare (rules) psgr type ADT $47.50

Tax: US September 11th Security Fee $2.50

Tax: US Passenger Facility Charge $4.50

Tax: US International Departure Tax $16.10

Tax: Argentina Security Tax $2.50

Tax: Argentina Immigration Tax $10.00

Tax: Argentina Airport Tax $29.00

Tax: US International Arrival Tax $16.10

Tax: US Customs Fee $5.50

Tax: US Immigration Fee $7.00

Tax: USDA APHIS Fee $5.00

Total for 1 adult passenger: $193.20

(as of Friday, July 31, 2009 4:43pm; fares loaded Friday, July 31, 2009 3:04pm)

Fare construction (sometimes useful to travel agents):

DFW MX X / MEX MX BUE 47.50O0AA3MQ MX X / MEX MX DFW 47.50O0AA3MQ NUC 95.00 END ROE 1.00 FARE USD 95.00 XT 5.50YC 7.00XY 5.00XA 32.20US 2.50AY 10.00QO 2.50TQ 29.00XR 4.50XF DFW4.50[/quote]

It looks like the deal is about dead. You can still try Priceline and Cheaptickets. Com, they might work. Under $200 RT to BA is by far the cheapest I've ever seen it.

[QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]It looks like the deal is about dead. You can still try Priceline and Cheaptickets. Com, they might work. Under $200 RT to BA is by far the cheapest I've ever seen it.[/QUOTE]I got mine through Orbitz, 119+tax from Chicago O'Hare to Buenos Aires through Mexico City on Mexicana Airlines. I was lucky enough to see a $119 fare sandwiched in between several $900 fares.

[QUOTE=Mexidan]I got mine through Orbitz, 119+tax from Chicago O'Hare to Buenos Aires through Mexico City on Mexicana Airlines. I was lucky enough to see a $119 fare sandwiched in between several $900 fares.[/QUOTE]Good job. The connections weren't great for the flights I saw out of DFW, but the price certainly can't be beat!

Unbelievable: [url]http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=68496535.blog[/url]

[QUOTE=Damman]Unbelievable:[url]http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=68496535.blog[/url][/QUOTE]Ha ha, I was just on my way over to post.

I can't imagine that. I would have gone ape shit.

About time:

[url]http://www.comparecarrentals.com/news/department-of-transportation-warns-airlines-on-lost-bag-payments-53819671.html[/url]
[url]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20091009/ap_tr_ge/us_travel_brief_airlines_baggage;_ylt=AkLLdtCpPJf66e970SV47Qg8sM0F;_ylu=X3oDMTM4aW9qcjQwBGFzc2V0A2FwX3RyYXZlbC8yMDA5MTAwOS91c190cmF2ZWxfYnJpZWZfYWlybGluZXNfYmFnZ2FnZQRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzIEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDZnVsbG5ic3BzdG9y[/url]

[QUOTE=Sidney]I was required to pay $131 to enter AR with no explanation![/QUOTE]Hey Sid,

I think you've hit the tipping point in your fight against neuron depletion.

There is a sign prominately displaed in the immigration waiting area advising passengers about the new fee, and...

We've been discussing this subject on the forum for months:

[url]http://www.argentinaprivate.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5981[/url]

Thanks,

Jackson