nov11

Thank you OP! Booked one for Memorial Day weekend. Into AQP and out of CUZ

vincewy

I believe the fare is gone as of 2 am EST at least for GUA. LIM (and other parts of Peru) is still there for as low as $409.

It was also available to GUA and I tried to book another on Expedia and it showed $294, when I go to the payment and all the sudden it switched back to $2229. (this is shortly after 2 am)

Price Change

Your ticket price changed from $293.76 to $2,228.76. The airline could not confirm the original price due to pricing or availability changes that occurred after we posted the latest prices on our site. Continue booking or look for a different flight.

Congrat to those who got them and could make them work.

nk15

The good news is that CDC says that the Zika mosquitos don't survive above 6500 feet, the bad news is that Cusco has high altitude sickness problems, which could be problematic for very quick 2-3 day trips. Read up on it, there is a good thread on tripadvisor.

nov11

Still there as of 01:00 PDT 26MAY. Just canceled and rebooked

chitink

Is this worth it to grab some miles anyway? How many does this earn and can I use them on other *A airlines?

nk15

Seems to earn 150% on A3. ~13,000 rdms/eqms for $400, about 3.3cpm.

Now gone though. Even the laziest blogs picked this up, lol...

DoctorORD

ORD-SAL-LIM-CUZ RT is 8538 miles, as per my receipt - nowhere close to 22650?

FYI Viator has some great 1 day Machu Picchu packages that are expensive, but include the cost of the train (~$100 each way)

nk15

Yes, you are right, I put CUS instead of CUZ, lol. Close to 13k miles though if you credit at 150% programs, 3.3cpm.

Check the departure time for the one day packages from CUZ, if you fly direct from LIM, they may not work depending on your arrival time. The continuous routing USA-SAL-LIM-CUZ seems very tiring/inconvenient, and going straight to CUZ at 11k feet after this could be a problem. There are some long debates online and even studies how to approach altitude sickness, including the itineraries. I am already getting a headache in planning this and it is not from lack of oxygen, lol.

cwwmbm

There's a chance he was looking at a different route, but I agree there's no way there would have been 22K miles at 150%. My calculation from LAX showed around 15K.

cwwmbm

As far as altitude - yeah seriously. If you guys ever went to Denver from the sea level you know how bad it is. Denver is at ~40% elevation of that of Cuzco. This is serious stuff, read up on this, and do what people recommend there. Going from sea level to Cuzco elevation could result in hospitalization if you don't take measures.

zitozac

Hate to keep going OT from the actual fare, but going straight from CUZ to MP will help fight altitude sickness. Machu Picchu is significantly lower altitude than CUZ. Read up on other precautions like staying away from alchohol, drinking lots of water, etc. It affects different people in different ways but for me personally, I experienced zero symptoms on my trip and I was in Peru for 3 days total. I immediately got off the plane in CUZ and took a collectivo to Ollantaytambo, and then a train to Aguas Calientes. When I came back to CUZ the next evening and stayed overnight I was perfectly fine. As others have mentioned though, YMMV.

nk15

Yes, leaving CUZ immediately for lower altitudes seems a prominent advice which I also plan to follow if I keep this. But it is very hard to figure out risk predictors and effective remedies, as the debates online are fierce and the evidence also debated very hard. Indeed YMMV.

cwwmbm

I've researched this quite a bit when preparing for my trip to Nepal (unfortunately canceled). Here's what i found out:
1. There's currently no way to predict who will and won't be affected. People with active lifestyle seem to be on average less prone to the effects, but this is far from guarantee
2. There are pills, don't remember the name, that help quite a bit with this. They can be had in drug stores without prescription.
3. Drink a lot of water. When you think you drank enough - drink more. Don't drink alcohol for the first week.
4. Get sunscreen. At 13K elevation you'll roast if the sun is out. I got sunburns on my face once at 2-3K elevation (skiing) and it was the worst sunburn I ever had in my life. This could be worse
5. Take it easy. Don't try to run or visit the gym on your first few days. Walking at a leisurely pace helps.
6. Try to avoid caffeinated drinks, or if you drink them - only drink early in the morning.
7. Your sleeping point should not be the highest point at that day. People trekking in Nepal usually set up camps few hours before sunset, and then hike up to spend some time at higher elevation than their camp. All that is to say that if you can - leave Cuzco on the same day when you arrive so that sleep someplace lower.

mlqsko

This thread went to Machu Picchu

satori

I find my reaction to altitude unpredictable. I have hiked at 12,000 feet in the Rockies some days with little problem and other times I can barely move.

Cuzco was rough on me coming down from Quito to Lima and then up to Cuzco from Lima over a 12 hour period. Walking around the city, over 11,000 feet, is extreme touring elevation if you are not acclimated and try to be active.