We returned from our 500K mile run yesterday and had a great time. Our goal had been to complete the 6 segments in 28 hours from departing MIA to returning to MIA. Met student and his sister in GUA for a great meal. Also met UpgradeMe on 2 of our flights. Our only problem that others may want to be aware of occurred in MGA.
We arrived in MGA at 8:10 on a Copa flight from GUA. Our connection on TACA was due to leave at 9:55. Immigration told us to wait in the "transit" area for a TACA rep. When no TACA rep appeared we asked a person at the security booth what we should do. She went to the TACA counter (outside of security) and was told that we should continue to wait and an agent will be there shortly. At 9:20 a TACA agent appears and informs me that he did not know we had been waiting. He also told me the flight was overbooked by 30 and we would not have seats on this flight. With only 40 people in the boarding area my travel agent (who was with me on the trip) thought he just did not understand us and demanded from another agent who had arrived to see a supervisor.
I also could not figure out how this flight could be full, until a few minutes later a group of at least 80 children all with "Unescorted Minor" badges appeared.
After boarding was completed the supervisor appeared and told us we would be going on an AA flight in 2 hours. You can imagine his confusion when the 3 gringos in front of him in chorus yelled "NO, we MUST fly a Grupo Taca plane". In the end he agreed to put me and 1 of my companions up for the night with meals and Business Class the next day. The other member of our party chose to go on the Lacsa flight later that day. All 3 of us ended up paying $11 in fees since we were in transit.
the moral of the story being, if connecting from Copa to Taca in MGA, you should collect your boarding pass from the TACA agents in GUA. Do not take no for an answer from them or you will be sorry and have to pay fees to reach the check in desks or risk our situation.
Other things to note:
The Lacsa flight from MGA-MIA, although it keeps the same flight number, required a change of planes in SJO. Thus 2 boarding passes were issued.
We were downgraded on our TACA segment from SJO-SAL when they substitied an Avianca plane with no Business Class. The flight number remained TACA.
Our gate to gate connection time in BOG was exactly 45 minutes. However, it helped that we were the first off an 80 percent FULL 767 from MIA to reach the ONE immigration agent.
Hope everything goes well for the rest of you.
rich