Avianca/Taca LifeMiles - TACA "sold in peru only" fare

I found some TA Peruvian domestic fares at steeply discounted rate at TACA.com. Fare rules don't mention any nationality/residency restriction, however it says

Sales restrictions
TICKETS MAY ONLY BE SOLD IN PERU.
SALE IS RESTRICTED TO SPECIFIC AGENTS.
OR - SALE IS RESTRICTED TO SPECIFIC AGENTS.
OR - SALE IS RESTRICTED TO SPECIFIC AGENTS.

If I try to buy those tickets with CC address outside of Peru, will they void this? Any experience? Should I buy those thru Peruvian travel agency? Or, is TACA.com a 'specific agent' (other us-based OTAs cannot find these tickets)?

TIA
edta450

Well, answering to myself...

1) TACA charges so-called 'gringo tax' between Lima, Cuzco and Puerto Maldonado flights only, so I guess other routes are safe.

2) Those 'in-peru restriction' is not only for PROMO but also mentioned in all other higher fares.

So I took the bait.. Will see.

I tried to purchase on Taca between LIM-CUZ. I did see the promo fares but ended up attempting to buy the discounted tourist fare.

Made it through to the end and was unable to complete the purchase. I ended up on LAN Peru instead.

Love to hear how it turns out!!

If it's cheaper use a TA in Peru.

Generally, there is no such thing as a "gringo tax", though there are discounted fares for lawful residents of different locations - such as Kama'aina rates in Hawai'i - so locals can travel. Often these are established by government regulation for residents who do not earn Euros, Dollars, etc.

Be aware when one attempts to purchase these that, depending on where one does this, they may not be allowed o be sold to nonresidents and local travel agents selling them to nonresidents may be subject to fines. I have heard tales of travellers who had to pungle up differences at airline counters as well.

Generally, there is no such thing as a "gringo tax", though there are discounted fares for lawful residents of different locations - such as Kama'aina rates in Hawai'i - so locals can travel. Often these are established by government regulation for residents who do not earn Euros, Dollars, etc.

Be aware when one attempts to purchase these that, depending on where one does this, they may not be allowed o be sold to nonresidents and local travel agents selling them to nonresidents may be subject to fines. I have heard tales of travellers who had to pungle up differences at airline counters as well.

My bolding... Absolutely true, you may be asked to pay up, but (I am not advocating it and may or may not have done it) be nice and act shocked, if that doesn't work paying the difference just saves aggravation.

I bought a deeply discounted ticket from LIM to CUZ in May of this year (2012). There was NEVER a 'gringo tax' assessed. For comparison, my round trip tickets were $115 r/t, which I considered deeply discounted.

For comparison, my round trip tickets were $115 r/t, which I considered deeply discounted.

From what I understand that is an EXCELLENT fare for a non resident.

EmailKid

Has anyone had recent experiences using tickets booked at discounted rates at TACA.com? The website clearly says that promo fares only apply to the residents of Peru on the routes between Lima, Cuzco and Puerto Maldonado. My understanding is that other promo fares can be booked by anyone (I am looking at AQP-CUZ now). This is reflected in the fare regulation. The one from LIM to CUZ says "PROMOTION--APPLIES FOR PERUVIAN RESIDENTS--RESIDENCE IN PERU SHALL BE ACCREDITED WITH PERUVIAN ID OR ALIEN CARD OTHERWISE AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF USD 178.5 WILL BE APPLIED OR BOARDING WILL BE DENIED." There is no mention of this in the regulations for the AQP-CUZ promo fare (only the sales restriction Edta450 mentioned above). I was about to make a reservation yesterday and started chatting with a Taca representative, who said that "all promo fares are only for Peruvians". I quoted the fares restrictions to her but she kept repeating the same story. I guess/hope she wasn't very well-informed. Does anyone have any recent first-hand airport experiences travelling on these fares outside the Lima, Cuzco and Puerto Maldonado routes? Thanks.

Has anyone had recent experiences using tickets booked at discounted rates at TACA.com? The website clearly says that promo fares only apply to the residents of Peru on the routes between Lima, Cuzco and Puerto Maldonado. My understanding is that other promo fares can be booked by anyone (I am looking at AQP-CUZ now). This is reflected in the fare regulation. The one from LIM to CUZ says "PROMOTION--APPLIES FOR PERUVIAN RESIDENTS--RESIDENCE IN PERU SHALL BE ACCREDITED WITH PERUVIAN ID OR ALIEN CARD OTHERWISE AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF USD 178.5 WILL BE APPLIED OR BOARDING WILL BE DENIED." There is no mention of this in the regulations for the AQP-CUZ promo fare (only the sales restriction Edta450 mentioned above). I was about to make a reservation yesterday and started chatting with a Taca representative, who said that "all promo fares are only for Peruvians". I quoted the fares restrictions to her but she kept repeating the same story. I guess/hope she wasn't very well-informed. Does anyone have any recent first-hand airport experiences travelling on these fares outside the Lima, Cuzco and Puerto Maldonado routes? Thanks.

If your flight doesn't have anything to do with Cuzco, you should be fine. Taca.com will show an alert when booking routes with the restriction promo fares are only for residents. If don't see the message, the restriction doesn't apply to that route.

She might have been confused because TACA had at beginning of their domestic expansion process the rule for all domestic Promo fares but after a couple of months they changed the rule...

Has anyone had recent experiences using tickets booked at discounted rates at TACA.com? The website clearly says that promo fares only apply to the residents of Peru on the routes between Lima, Cuzco and Puerto Maldonado. My understanding is that other promo fares can be booked by anyone (I am looking at AQP-CUZ now). This is reflected in the fare regulation. The one from LIM to CUZ says "PROMOTION--APPLIES FOR PERUVIAN RESIDENTS--RESIDENCE IN PERU SHALL BE ACCREDITED WITH PERUVIAN ID OR ALIEN CARD OTHERWISE AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF USD 178.5 WILL BE APPLIED OR BOARDING WILL BE DENIED." There is no mention of this in the regulations for the AQP-CUZ promo fare (only the sales restriction Edta450 mentioned above). I was about to make a reservation yesterday and started chatting with a Taca representative, who said that "all promo fares are only for Peruvians". I quoted the fares restrictions to her but she kept repeating the same story. I guess/hope she wasn't very well-informed. Does anyone have any recent first-hand airport experiences travelling on these fares outside the Lima, Cuzco and Puerto Maldonado routes? Thanks.

My experience is as recent as end of 2011, no problem using a promo fare on TA from Lima to Northern Peru. As long as the website does not indicate a warning "for residents only", you should be fine. You can use OLCI to reduce interaction with airline staff, but you have to show an ID when boarding.

If getting a good fare is more important than accumulation of miles with Taca, I'd recommend Star Peru or Peruvian Airlines.

I flew Star LIM-CUZ, and Peruvian AQP-LIM, and had very good experiences. They also had the best deals at the time (neither LAN nor Taca could compare on price), and neither one discriminated based on one's residency - same fares for all customers.

I bought my Star Peru at their office in Miraflores in Lima, while I was able to buy my Peruvian Airlines ticket through their website without any difficulty.

If getting a good fare is more important than accumulation of miles with Taca, I'd recommend Star Peru or Peruvian Airlines.

I flew Star LIM-CUZ, and Peruvian AQP-LIM, and had very good experiences. They also had the best deals at the time (neither LAN nor Taca could compare on price), and neither one discriminated based on one's residency - same fares for all customers.

I bought my Star Peru at their office in Miraflores in Lima, while I was able to buy my Peruvian Airlines ticket through their website without any difficulty.

Star&Peruvian are good options. However, cheapest Peruvian (airlines) tickets can only bought online only if you have Peruvian IP. As a result, TACA is surprisingly often cheapest alternative for foreigners who are able to buy tickets in advance and they have personal inflight entertaiment in Embraer-operated domestic flights. On the other hand, changing Peruvian Airlines tickets is easy&cheap (no change fee).

Thanks for your advice. I just received a response from TACA and made my reservation:

It is a pleasure to greet you.

We kindly inform you there is no restriction in the route from Arequipa to Cuzco, that means, you can select the fare type of your preference.

Be advised that our airline offers the PROMO fare in the route Lima-Cuzco, Cuzco-Puerto Maldonado, and Lima-Puerto Maldonado which is the lowest price available exclusively for Peruvian citizens; therefore, it will be necessary for you selecting the Access, Benefit, Flexible or Business class seats in order to avoid paying the fee of USD 178.50 per passenger.

Please note that the restriction does not apply for the rest of routes.

Thank you for using our service.

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,

Neither Star Peru nor Peruvian currently serve the AQP-CUZ route, so I couldn't make a reservation with them. Besides, the TACA fare was less than $38 (one way), and I think it's hard to beat this. It is also much cheaper than the LAN fare for Peruvian residents, which is $69. TACA flies this route only three times per week; I hope there won't be any weather issues in the middle of February.

I just made a booking for 2 on TACA from CUZ - PEM (Cuzco/Cusco - Puerto Maldonado) on a PROMO fare.

Total Charges: USD $ 68.50
- Fare USD $60.00
- Taxes USD $19.30
- Exempt USD $10.80

No mention about PROMO fares exclusive to Peruvian Residents anywhere.
Here's what I see in the e ticket I received by email.

Notes: PRICING ENTRY FXP/R,UP,FC-USD,CUZ.CUZ/A3-UPPROMOP
FARE79.30 USD
FTYPUBLIC

When I spoke with the agent on chat, she said that I would have to pay $178 per person at the airport.

Should I be worried? What's the experience of other flyers on TACA booking PROMO fares & flying via Cuzco?

Should I be worried? What's the experience of other flyers on TACA booking PROMO fares & flying via Cuzco?

No experience for a flight involving Cuzco, but I flew AQP-LIM with a promo fare booked on the internet, and there were no problems at all.

Even if there are problems the cheapest sold in USA ticket is $149.

TACA charges so-called 'gringo tax' between Lima, Cuzco and Puerto Maldonado flights only, so I guess other routes are safe.


Would it be possible to get separate LIM-AQP and AQP-CUZ tickets at the lower price?

Would it be possible to get separate LIM-AQP and AQP-CUZ tickets at the lower price?

See fare rules.
YOu could also try buying a through ticket and getting off during the stop but I haven't been to Peru so I can't speak from experience.