RevMen

I've been reading this forum heavily for a few months and only just now have a question that I haven't been able to answer through searching.

This June we're going to Peru for our honeymoon. We used AA miles to get round trip Business/First tickets between AUS and LIM (through DFW and MIA). For the return we couldn't get on an AA flight so the AA agent put us on a LAN flight between LIM and MIA.

This leaves me with a 2-part question.

1 - Since we'll be flying business class on LAN, will that give us access to the LAN VIP lounge in LIM, even though we got our passes through AA? I assume yes but I'm not sure.

2 - Does the LAN VIP Lounge offer baggage storage? We'll be flying in from Cuzco the morning before our late-night departure to MIA, so leaving our bags at the airport in a secure location would be ideal.

We're really looking forward to this trip, and information from these forums definitely contributed to our being able to fly in Business/First. So thanks, friends, for all your help.

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MODERATOR'S NOTES

• The LIM Admirals Club was closed in 2003: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...lima-peru.html
• Access to the LIM VIP Lounge was eliminated for AA passengers in 2005: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...unge-lima.html
• Access to the LIM VIP Lounge was reinstated for AA premium passengers in 2007: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...ml#post8234883
• Per this current thread, access to both the LIM VIP Lounge and SUMAQ Lounge is available for AA premium passengers and PLT/EXP elites as of 2009! ^

According to LAN Peru's web pages, the Sumaq Lounge / sala vip Sumaq is located airside / after security in the International Terminal between Gates 17 and 18 (according to LAN) on the first floor adjacent to the Duty Free shop (oneworld) and is open 24 / 7. It is available for qualifying (status or class of service) departing AA, IB and LA marketed and operated flight passengers (link to oneworld lounge access qualification). Passengers departing on national flights do not have access to the international terminal and lounges; the Sumaq lounge is not available to arriving passengers..

"Sumaq" is a Runa simi (AKA "Quechua", "Kechua" or "Qhichwa simi") word meaning "beautiful" or "the best". Services include:

• Free open buffet and bar (and Zűmex orange juice machine - link to YouTube video))
• Business Center with computers and Internet access, free fax, scanner and laser printer
• Free local telephone calls
• Private meeting room with telephone, Internet connection and printer
• Smoker's terrace
• Cable television viewing area
• Resting room with chaise lounge, blankets and pillows
• Wi-Fi thorughout the Sumaq lounge
• Full lavatory facilities for men, women and people with disabilities; showers
• Public telephones for international and national cellular / mobile calls
• National and international newspapers and magazines
• Flight information display
• Lockers with key security

YouTube look at Sumaq lounge - link. (Motion sickness alert...)

YouTube video of Sumaq Lounge (in Spanish / Castilian) link

jammanxc's review of the Sumaq lounge - link (off-site)

Jorge Chavez International Airport website - link

dstan and JDiver, AA Forum Co-Moderators

pb9997

At LIM Lan/AA Premium passengers are welcome at independent lounges within the airside area of the airport, either by presenting a one world eligible card or premium ticket.

Lounges have lockers for hand luggage secured with a key, next to the reception desk; Believe you could leave your belongings there.

RevMen

Great, thank you!

It just occurred to me that it wouldn't make sense to want to store our luggage in a VIP lounge, since they're on the wrong side of security for that.

I guess we should try to figure out if there's a limit to how early we can check our baggage.

StrandedinSC

If you're booked on the same ticket, why even see your luggage in Lima? It'd be easier to have Cuzco check them all the way through to MIA (Where you have to see them and clear customs with them.) or AUS.

Assuming you're flying Cuzco-LIM-MIA all on LAN, without a 24-hour stopover, I can't see any reason this shouldn't work.

(Of all the places in the world that I'd want to lug bags through town on a day trip, LIM ranks pretty low. I love the city, but being there for the day, you want to travel very light. I could spend an entire day in and around the Plaza del Armas...)

RevMen

It's not the same ticket. We secured our tickets between AUS and LIM a while ago, before we were able to work out our itinerary for our time inside of Peru. We actually haven't yet bought our LIM-CUZ airfare yet, though that should change by the end of the day. LIM-CUZ will likely be on LAN, though not for sure. AUS-LIM is on AA (with a single leg on Lan).

StrandedinSC

If you book on Lan Peru, you should still be able to check them all the way through and not deal with them in Jorge Chavez Int'l.

Any other airline... I doubt this will work. They may have an interline agreement with LAN, and that'd give you a chance.

brp

If you do want to leave it there for some reason, they have a left luggage facility at the airport. Due to screw-ups by LAN recently, we got to know about that with our carry ons. I don't recall the pricing, but it was pretty reasonable.

Cheers.

RevMen

I think we will want to leave it there. That way we can get our checked vs carried items all sorted before we get on the plane to go home. Thanks for the tip.

Now we have to figure out a way to get around the exorbitantly high markup Lan puts on airfare for Americans. $430 for a 40-minute trip is painful, especially when you can buy the same tickets in Peru for $100-$150.

JDiver

Have you tried a Peruvian travel agent?

brp

If you go to the LAN site and set home country as Peru it will yield lower fare buckets (and lower prices). NOTE: We were going to do this, and I did some checking, but we have not actually done this. It indicated that no one had had a problem when they were actually there with not being Peruvian. For Argentina, it seems that there is some government subsidy for locals (so this might be checked). From what I understand, this is not the case for Peru.

Cheers.

SJOGuy

I know non-Peruvians who have run into trouble when they've bought tickets this way. They've checked in and have been made to pay the fare difference on the spot. I know others who have gotten away with it too.

travelinterpreters

I am not sure if this will help you, but we are on the same award this August, but leaving from MCI. I was also taken aback by the really high price for the LIM-CUZ flight. I tried some of the Peru travel agents and they got it down to $200++. Then i sent PM to BRP who kind of told me what to do...so I called AA today. I asked the very nice Dorothy what I could do? She then said how about I put you on the LAN flight to CUZ as part of the award you already have booked?? I asked how many more miles that was, and she said ZERO. I just had to pay the $20 booking fee.

It wouldn't hurt to try, unless there is some other rule that would prevent you from doing that.

Jeffrey

RevMen

I just got off the phone with AAdvantage. It is actually possible to add the Cuzco trip onto the award tickets we've already secured, even with a stopover in Lima. I wish I had thought of this earlier, though, because there are no award seats left on the Cuzco flights in June.

Drat!

Thanks for the idea, though. That is exactly what we should have done.

cmhua777

I have purchased two cheap LIM-CUZ tickets through LAN Peru's website and had no problems flying on either of them.

rabble

First off, you have to get a pass to get in to the lounge, there's a little desk just before them, you show your ticket there, they give you a piece of paper, which you take and give to the lounge poeple.

The awesome part about the LIM lounge is they've got a sleeping room! With relaxed chairs, low lights, and this is the best part, they note down when your flight leaves and come in to wake you up when you need to board. There's food too, it's not a big lounge but it's nicely done.

Now with Cuzco be very CAREFUL. LAN oversells their flights and weather also reduces the numbers allowed on the plane. People who have only domestic tickets, say like they've bought one round trip to LIM then a second to CUZ, don't have protections. They'll bump the last 30 to 40 people who show up to check in. They put you on a flight the next day, but by then you've missed your connection and it has to be rescheduled. It's not that bad if the second ticket is on LAN, they won't charge you. But if you're long haul ticket is not on LAN, then you've got to arrange your change and page for it yourself. They don't give compensation for involuntary domestic bumpings either

Never show up for a cuzco flight less than 2 hours before hand, even if it's only domestic. I recommend 3 hours. Believe me, i got bumped... apparently it's a regular occurance.