LAN now charging all NON-RESIDENTS a $178.50 fee

[americorps]

I know this belongs in travel or news, but this will affect many of us drastically.

It is new, it applies to all tickets purchased September 1 or later, most fares will not include this new fee and you will need to be prepared to pay it at the airport.

PromPeru is already flooded with calls from tourists who got tickets then were asked for an extra $178.50 at the airport that they were not told about when they purchased the tickets.

I am calling the ministery of transporte and PromPeru to register my objection to this absurdity, as well as writing Lan.

This is not a fuel charge for international flights, this applies to all domestic flights within Peru unless you are a Peruvian citizen or meet certain residency requirements. It is printed on their website in small print AFTER you make your reservation and before you pay..but not clearly.

Many of the people complaining at PromPeru actually got their tickets from Lan offices in Peru and were not told.

I hope the government comes down, and comes down hard on Lan for this fiasco.

La Tarifa Base de Cabina Económica es válida sólo para residentes en el Perú. En caso de que no acredite la residencia en el Perú, LAN le podrá negar el embarque o aplicar -previo al mismo- un cargo adicional de US$ 178.50.

And then when you click on the link where it says to click for a full description of what constitutes residency, you get this:

Not Found
The requested URL /cgi-bin/compra/\"/condiciones/tarifas_solo_residentespe.html\" was not found on this server.

Apache/1.3.33 Server at www.lan.com Port 50081

[american_in_lima]

Americorps - I assume that "residency" is just that. Legal residency.

A person with a tourist visa is not a resident even if they live and work here illegally no matter what way they want to spin it. That is another issue all by itself.

Personally, I think the fee is absurd, as I would rather have the tourist in Peru spend that $178 on other things like tourism and the little guy who owns the restaurant, souvenir shop or at a hotel. That will do much more in terms of the economy instead of giving it to Lan.

I am a Peruvian citizen, so the fee won't apply to me, but I might just fly Star Peru inside of Peru just to quietly voice my objection to their ridiculous policy change.

I would bet that they will change that policy quite soon. Doesn't seem like a popular thing.

Interestingly enough, speaking of Lan. My parents when they came to visit me in January 2009, had purchased tickets from the Lan Website in English in USD for Lima - Cuzco-Lima. My father paid per ticket for himself and my mother, $350. I bought the exact same flights from Lan Peru in Spanish on the Peruvian website and paid S/. 350 soles.

After realizing the discrepancy, my father complained and nothing happened until I stepped in and complained about the abuse to Lan here in Lima. They reimbursed him the difference.

Not sure if that still happens today.

[americorps]

Yes, they have always had different prices on the English website and the Spanish one. That still applies.

I assume you are right about residency, but the link is dead and that does not look good for Lan.

I am really angry as I have family coming to visit next month. I have decided to make an issue of this so I have spoken with IPeru, the ministry of transportation, Endicopi and the Commercio.

IPeru was sympathetic but said there was no power for them to do anything and suggested I call the ministry of transportation who said they have no power to do anything and to call endicopi who in turn suggested I contact IPeru or the ministry of transportation.

I took all their names and numbers as well as the contact info for the Person I spoke with from Lan Peru who told me this was a populist move to assure Peruvians access to seats.

I gave all that contact info to the reporter from the Commercio who told me he is calling them right now for statements. I will let you know if it actually goes to press.

[american_in_lima]

Go get them Americorps!!! If you speak to them, bring up the price difference in English and Spanish. That is as abusive as the $178 fee.

[Ron]

The other side to this coin maybe that the other airlines could start a similar surcharge!!!!

[americorps]

El Commercio called, they will be here in half an hour to interview me

[cajun jamie]

I've contacted several US news sources and Tom Parsons at Best Fares.

Got get 'em Kevin!

jamie

[jude]

This is seriously absurd.

Super expensive tickets or surprise surcharges at the ticket counter aren't exactly going to do great things for tourism. I'm going to Iquitos with friends in October and if they book using the US version of the Lan site the ticket price is $454 round trip, versus $128 for Peruvian residents. I paid less that that for a SFO to LIM round trip on TACA!

This, along with the increased price gouging around Cusco in the last couple of years, means that tourists should seriously think about spending their time in Ecuador or Bolivia instead.

[americorps]

Hmmm, just curious...

the 2 people that say they do not have a problem with this..do they mean because it does not apply to them..or do they mean that it does not bother them?

[american_in_lima]

This is seriously absurd.

Super expensive tickets or surprise surcharges at the ticket counter aren't exactly going to do great things for tourism. I'm going to Iquitos with friends in October and if they book using the US version of the Lan site the ticket price is $454 round trip, versus $128 for Peruvian residents. I paid less that that for a SFO to LIM round trip on TACA!

This, along with the increased price gouging around Cusco in the last couple of years, means that tourists should seriously think about spending their time in Ecuador or Bolivia instead.

Jude - Just use Star Peru.

[cajun jamie]

I made this a temporary sticky....

[americorps]

News is spreading, RPP radio just called me and asked if they can interview me

[cajun jamie]

I hope it gets picked up outside of Peru. I am curious to know if Peruvians will shrug this off because "wealthy foreigners" are subsidizing their travel prices.

I can see the future scare tactics. The airlines can claim if they do not do this, Peruvians will have to pay more in ticket prices. The response, "let the gringos pay more."

[Jimmy111]

I just bought some tickets for some friends to visit cusco and the lan price was $180 less than everyone else..... So you add the surcharge they are the same as everyone else... But if it is just some sales tatic its cant be legal...
Good Luck Americorps.

[cusco]

Thanks for the heads up. This is ridiculous! This could really damage tourism when people show up and have to pay an extra 178.50 to Lan. Do those of us with carnets de extranjeria pass as residents?

[iskndarbey]

Unfortunately, LAN holds a monopoly on many routes. Despegar.com and traficoperu.com are still selling tickets at the base rate with apparently no notification that foreign travelers will be denied boarding; I imagine there are going to be lots of seriously annoyed tourists out there. LAN has at least posted a semi-prominent warning text on their homepage. For now, the base plus fares are available to everybody and still usually about $25 more than the base fares, so round trip flights end up $50 more than they should be rather than $180 over.

[cajun jamie]

I just looked and if you book "in spanish" there is fine print about "for Peru residents only".

If you book in English, they list nothing at all.

Basically, if you book in English, they just include the high fee. Assuming you are a foreigner. If you hire an agent, or book directly with Lan in Peru, they can sell you a ticket at the Peruvian price, you show up at the airport and they slam you with the "foreigner fee."

[cusco]

What does Lan have against us trying to save some money for our family? For the past 4 years I have been booking tickets from the Peruvian site for my family because the English site was a rip off. Wouldn't this be considered some sort of "discrimination" anywhere else?

[americorps]

The director of customer service of Lan, Roberto Delaguila just spoke with me and tried to tell me that this is all a misunderstanding.

They are offering a special promotion, a discount for Peruvians and nothing more.

I told him Malarky as there are people being turned away from the airports who have paid tickets in their hands (or forced to pay the gringo fee) and that Prom Peru would not have dozens of complaints if that were the case.

And no where is there announced any promotion for Peruvians, only the small letters with the notice.

Interesting enough, the letters were small in blue this morning when I took a screenshot, now they are larger and in pinkish red.

Mr. Delaguila tried to tell me they were in big, red all week, but that is simply not true. I told him I had a screenshot but he kept insisting that it was always in bigger red letters.

It is that general Peruvian press release thing..never admit anything wrong no matter what evidence exists.

I sent him a link to this conversation and invited him to respond.

[LauraMH]

I'm thankful that you have the time and ability to make this known. I am just now reading this in shock. I too have purchased many tickets for family and friends. They otherwise would not have been able to come here. It would have tripled the cost of their trip as I live in the south and only a 17 hr bus ride is the option. They wouldn't have come otherwise and I'm sure it's that way for many others. That is a huge price amount. More the double the cost of some flights. It's insane in a time where the US is in a serious recession and tourism is down.

If there is something I can do to support or help. I am happy to make calls or complain or whatever. I don't have my carnet yet (should be here in a month). I have to go to Lima to get it. So with this new plan this means that the flight I was going to book in a couple of weeks I can't, because I refuse to pay that much for the flight. So now I have 2 17 hr bus rides ahead of me.........to pick up my resident visa/carnet. What crap.

I would like a clarification of what a resident is as well. Thanks! Animo!

[cajun jamie]

I had a group of family coming in October to see Machu Picchu.

Not any more!

Thanks LAN.

What other airline can I use for cuzco?

[cajun jamie]

If the guy from LAN would call me, I would say, "I am going to tell everyone I know how once again Chile is attempting to EXPLOIT Peruvian resources. This time, tourism."

BAM!

[jude]

Star Peru and TACA both fly to Cusco. They only have two or three flights a day, so are less convenient than LAN. But given the pricing change it's Star Peru all the way. Maybe they could take advantage of this idiocy by LAN and expand.

[cajun jamie]

Star Peru and TACA both fly to Cusco. They only have two or three flights a day, so are less convenient than LAN. But given the pricing change it's Star Peru all the way. Maybe they could take advantage of this idiocy by LAN and expand.

I'd pay DOUBLE the fare of LAN now, just to spite them on another airline.

[Kelly]

We flew Star Peru to Cuzco from Lima, and they were great.



If you live in Florida, you can get substantial discounts to the theme parks for being a Florida resident. How is this different?

[naturegirl]

News is spreading, RPP radio just called me and asked if they can interview me

I've contacted several US news sources and Tom Parsons at Best Fares.

Got get 'em Kevin!

jamie

Good luck, hope it works, or at laest hope tourists are notifiied of the new fees ahead of time. I'll have to say my biggest problem with LAN is the fee system. If you book in Peru or on the Peru site you get a special fee. Maybe they're trying to promote Peruvians to travel, but there's got to be a fairer way to do it. Like ALL national flights go on sale, or special fares to certain cities,like what AA does.

[cajun jamie]

News is spreading, RPP radio just called me and asked if they can interview me

I've contacted several US news sources and Tom Parsons at Best Fares.

Got get 'em Kevin!

jamie

Good luck, hope it works, or at laest hope tourists are notifiied of the new fees ahead of time. I'll have to say my biggest problem with LAN is the fee system. If you book in Peru or on the Peru site you get a special fee. Maybe they're trying to promote Peruvians to travel, but there's got to be a fairer way to do it. Like ALL national flights go on sale, or special fares to certain cities,like what AA does.

LAN just has a double standard. They know foreigners spend thousands of $$ to visit Peru and Machu Picchu so they want to charge them one price, and at the same time, charge Peruvians another price.

Now they are busted.

[cajun jamie]

I am seeing Twitter and Facebook light up with people saying, "Do NOT book LAN airlines in Peru!"

yes!

Roberto Delaguila -- his name is now on the Internet.

[cajun jamie]

I am receiving e-mails and receiving reports that expats are telling others and they are telling them to NOT book with LAN.

I am very happy.

[americorps]

Kelly,

I would not have a problem with this if they clearly marked a special for Peruvians, but that is NOT what happens.

We pay more for Machu Pichu, I think that is fine, it is Peruvian Patrimony.

We can not ride the certain trains to Machu Pichu, that is fine, it is subsidized by Peruvian tax dollars to make Machu PIchu more accessable.

That MAY have been the thought behind this, but there are too many differences that makes this a fiasco.

1. It is not subsidized by the government
2. A $184.50 gringo fee it outragously high, and only makes pure profit for Lan
3. Lan is not only allowing sales of tickets on other websites who do not carry this notification, but they are even selling it in their own offices without notification and only have minimal notification on the website in small letters only after you make your reservation


They are blatent ugly liars to pretend this is a promotion to support Peru, it is clearly a gringo fleecing and should be illegal.