MCIFlyer
Oct 25, 02, 1:00 am
Well, I decided to take a stab at my first trip report on these boards. My flight was a Peruvian domestic flight from Lima to Cuzco on Tans-Peru Airlines. I came across my trip diary from my Andes trip not long ago and I kept pretty detailed notes including my airline flights. I thought it would be interesting to post the details of a domestic trip within another country, especially in Latin America. So here it goes….
Flight #231
Boeing 737-200, Reg. # OB-1724
Dept. LIM 7:05am
Arr. CUZ 8:20am
The interesting thing about flying to Cuzco is that all flight activity usually takes place in the morning because of the unpredictable Andes weather that can change on a dime by the afternoon. Our flight was the first out of Lima that morning, which meant we had to catch our cab to the airport by 5:30am from the Miraflores district in Lima. Once at the airport, we walked into the domestic portion of terminal and met up with the rest of our group at the Tans-Peru counter. We were part of a package that handled our internal flights within Peru, so there was little choice in air travel. Check-in was almost too simple. An airline official met our group and quickly loaded up our backpacks on a cart (inside the terminal) and proceeded to call out our names and handed out our tickets. There was no request for ID, and no up-front questions such as “Have your bags been out of your possession?” We paid our S4.00 departure tax at this little kiosk and headed right through security. My hiking boots strolled right through the metal detector and we at our gate with about a half-hour to spare.
Meanwhile, a gate agent for Tans-Peru approaches us with a clipboard (looked like a passenger manifest) and asks for our tickets. I display my ticket and she then hands me my boarding card. Being a resourceful frequent flyer, I asked in my best broken Spanish if Tans-Peru code-shared or if I can obtain any kind of mileage for my trip. She had very confused look on her face and said “No Senior”! :-( My friends know how I am about travel and just shook their head with a chuckle!
I looked at my ticket and I’m in seat 9F. That is great because was hoping to catch the sunrise over the Andes after take-off. The boarding announcement was made and everybody funneled toward the single doorway that led out onto the tarmac. Boarding was a simple concept- there were two sets of stairs docked to the aircraft. All pax in rows 1-15 are to board up the front stairs through door 1A and all pax in rows 16-28 board up through the stairs at the rear door. It was still dark outside and boarding was pretty swift. I took my seat as Peruvian melodies abound the cabin. The 737 was in a single-class configuration and everybody was settled in less than 10 minutes. It was a pretty old jet and it must take quite a beating flying several cycles on a daily basis. Not much pitch at the seats either. After the pre-recorded flight briefings, we were first off the tarmac just ahead of a TACA A319.
We were soon air-born after a short take-off roll and headed southeast for our 75-minute flight to Cuzco. The 3 flight attendants mobilized quickly and promptly distributed “snack boxes” which consisted of a little cup of juice and of all things…fruitcake! Of all the things I tried to prepare for on this trip, fruitcake was not one of them. I ate about half and took the beverage offering of coffee and a cup of Inca Cola (another Peruvian staple). By this time the sun was starting to rise and I was able to view the striking silhouettes of the Andes Mountains directly upon us. Just as quickly as the sun rose, we started to make our final decent into Cuzco. The flight attendants passed through a final time and distributed mint candy just before landing. Our approach was unbelievable, as it seemed to rank up there with the difficulty of Hong Kong’s old Kai-Tek, but with mountains instead of buildings. We made a pretty hard landing and taxied our way to the gate where we disembarked and claimed our bags.
I didn’t know what to expect from a domestic Latin American flight. It was nothing extravagant but overall I was impressed with the efficiency. The biggest surprise was the more laid-back approach to security, especially for a country with some degree of political unrest. Maybe I already conditioned myself to the post 911 travel in the States. One thing to note: If the city of Cuzco has their way, plans are in the works to build a new international airport about 20 miles outside of town to handle larger jets and international traffic. I enjoyed area and it’s people. I’m sure this endeavor will dramatically alter the region as it is today and never be quite the same.
Flight #231
Boeing 737-200, Reg. # OB-1724
Dept. LIM 7:05am
Arr. CUZ 8:20am
The interesting thing about flying to Cuzco is that all flight activity usually takes place in the morning because of the unpredictable Andes weather that can change on a dime by the afternoon. Our flight was the first out of Lima that morning, which meant we had to catch our cab to the airport by 5:30am from the Miraflores district in Lima. Once at the airport, we walked into the domestic portion of terminal and met up with the rest of our group at the Tans-Peru counter. We were part of a package that handled our internal flights within Peru, so there was little choice in air travel. Check-in was almost too simple. An airline official met our group and quickly loaded up our backpacks on a cart (inside the terminal) and proceeded to call out our names and handed out our tickets. There was no request for ID, and no up-front questions such as “Have your bags been out of your possession?” We paid our S4.00 departure tax at this little kiosk and headed right through security. My hiking boots strolled right through the metal detector and we at our gate with about a half-hour to spare.
Meanwhile, a gate agent for Tans-Peru approaches us with a clipboard (looked like a passenger manifest) and asks for our tickets. I display my ticket and she then hands me my boarding card. Being a resourceful frequent flyer, I asked in my best broken Spanish if Tans-Peru code-shared or if I can obtain any kind of mileage for my trip. She had very confused look on her face and said “No Senior”! :-( My friends know how I am about travel and just shook their head with a chuckle!
I looked at my ticket and I’m in seat 9F. That is great because was hoping to catch the sunrise over the Andes after take-off. The boarding announcement was made and everybody funneled toward the single doorway that led out onto the tarmac. Boarding was a simple concept- there were two sets of stairs docked to the aircraft. All pax in rows 1-15 are to board up the front stairs through door 1A and all pax in rows 16-28 board up through the stairs at the rear door. It was still dark outside and boarding was pretty swift. I took my seat as Peruvian melodies abound the cabin. The 737 was in a single-class configuration and everybody was settled in less than 10 minutes. It was a pretty old jet and it must take quite a beating flying several cycles on a daily basis. Not much pitch at the seats either. After the pre-recorded flight briefings, we were first off the tarmac just ahead of a TACA A319.
We were soon air-born after a short take-off roll and headed southeast for our 75-minute flight to Cuzco. The 3 flight attendants mobilized quickly and promptly distributed “snack boxes” which consisted of a little cup of juice and of all things…fruitcake! Of all the things I tried to prepare for on this trip, fruitcake was not one of them. I ate about half and took the beverage offering of coffee and a cup of Inca Cola (another Peruvian staple). By this time the sun was starting to rise and I was able to view the striking silhouettes of the Andes Mountains directly upon us. Just as quickly as the sun rose, we started to make our final decent into Cuzco. The flight attendants passed through a final time and distributed mint candy just before landing. Our approach was unbelievable, as it seemed to rank up there with the difficulty of Hong Kong’s old Kai-Tek, but with mountains instead of buildings. We made a pretty hard landing and taxied our way to the gate where we disembarked and claimed our bags.
I didn’t know what to expect from a domestic Latin American flight. It was nothing extravagant but overall I was impressed with the efficiency. The biggest surprise was the more laid-back approach to security, especially for a country with some degree of political unrest. Maybe I already conditioned myself to the post 911 travel in the States. One thing to note: If the city of Cuzco has their way, plans are in the works to build a new international airport about 20 miles outside of town to handle larger jets and international traffic. I enjoyed area and it’s people. I’m sure this endeavor will dramatically alter the region as it is today and never be quite the same.