Originally Posted by
creampuff
We have plans in Miami, where we are flying in from so must arrive in Santiago either the day of our flight to Easter Island or the day before. Everybody has been to Santiago/Valpariso a couple of times before and we aren't bothered about seeing it again.
Arriving the day before the Easter Island flight just seems like a wasted trip from the airport, a wasted trip to the airport and a wasted hotel night with not that much free time to actually do anything.
If I could get quite confident that a 2hr 57min scheduled connection would work or that if it didn't work we would just end up on another day flight (rather than lose the cost of the ticket) I'd like to arrive the same day.
OK - fair enough. I was thinking about the wasted trip thing as well as I suggested it, hence the slightly longer stay - but I've you been already there no point in going back.
The suggestion of getting your BP beforehand saved us. We were too late for check in, but we already had a BP, so we left our luggage in the airport, and just took hand luggage. It seems we had been off loaded when we got to the gate, but we had a valid BP, so were let back on again. However, on separate tickets you won't get your BP beforehand.
Is there any flexibility in your SCL-IPC ticket, so that in case your AA flight is seriously delayed you can call LA from MIA to change it?
The only experience I have was when my wife missed her LA flight LIM-SCL (on a non-flex economy ticket), and simply got rebooked to the next one.
Ultimately it comes down to whether you want to take the risk. The AA flight may be late, and LA may not want to re-accommodate you. If everything goes smoothly it should be fine.