Unfortunately there were casualties:

from CNN
"SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) -- A plane carrying 20 people crashed into a house in Costa Rica's capital Saturday, killing four people and injuring 15, including one person in the house, emergency officials said.

The twin-engine plane had just taken off from Tobia Bolanos Airport in San Jose when it crashed at 1:10 p.m., Red Cross spokesman Guillermo Arroyo said.

The plane, a Czech-built LED 410 leased by Taxi Aero Centro Americano, was bound for the Tortuguero national park on the Atlantic Coast of northern Costa Rica. The plane carried 17 passengers and three crew members."


[This message has been edited by BlondeBomber (edited 01-16-2000).]

This was a twin engine aircraft,Not a jet.

Sadly, I have a feeling that TaxiAeroCentroAmericano = TACA

With a million or half-million miles at stake, I am very very tempted to go on my first-ever mileage run. But, I must add that as a (former) veteran of biz travel in South America, there was always one reason why I avoided the Latin Pass program: the airlines in the group were all second rate (especially once LanChile left - and I think Mexicana was in the program once as well).

I don't want to sound alarmist, but, unfortunately, the safety record of the carriers in the program has a lot to be desired relative to North American carriers. I think only Cubana Airlines has a poorer safety record in the Western Hemisphere.

Yet, like many of you, I am already thinking about all the ways I could use those miles on KLM and TWA ;o)

Oh yeah, ONE MUST SEE in the region, if not the world, is Macchu Piccu in Peru. With Taca Peru flying the Lima to Cuzco route, it is an easy way to see one of the natural wonders of the world (if only for one or two days as opposed to the week or so it would take to hike the Inca Trail). Also, with flight delays not uncommon, it would be much better to spend a day looking down from the clouds than inside a cramped airport. Alternatively, Taca Peru flies to Iquitos, where you can see the Amazon.

In Central America, I would highly recommend seeing the Mayan ruins in Guatemala (such as Tikal, as featured in Star Wars) and the beaches along the eastern shore. Closer to the Panama Canal, I can recommend the coastal cities in Colombia, such as Barranquilla with the influences of 16th Century Spanish empire building.

(this is my first post on FT but hopefully not my last)

Thank you very much Fallinasleep!! Firat of all, welcome to FlyerTalk!! As someone who has seen Mach Pachu (as spectacular as it is ...), I appreciate the advice about Iquitos as well as that of the Mayan ruins in Guatemala. Thanks a lot and please post any more thoughts that you may have here!!

------------------
Cheers.

Leo.

ABC News is reporting that former CIA Director Stansfield Turner was injured in the TACA crash. His wife and three others were killed.

See http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world...ner000117.html

[This message has been edited by RichG (edited 01-17-2000).]

Has anyone here stayed at either the Inter-Continental in Managua or the Marriott in San Salvador? Any comments about the facilities or service levels?

Be careful. The RT fare Miami-Managua on Expedia and other sites at $350 appeared 1-17-00 for Taca flights. The fare is in Class W which is ineligible for mileage accrual according to Flying Dutchman's booking code chart. You need to book a higher fare in a different fare code if you plan to do the MIA-MGA route for the NICA flight credit.

Satori brings up a good point. The time to check if your tickets are eligible for mileage accrual is *before* you buy them, not at the check-in gate. If a fare seems too good to be true, it just might be.

True on the very cheapest fare being W-class and thus ineligible for mileage accrual, however, the next highest fare category, B-class is only $349. It pays to do some searching at Expedia or Travelocity for fare codes. I did this prior to my Oneworld bonus trip and it was invaluable. I was able to secure $199 RT MAD-MUC on Iberia.

Do the math on this folks:

1,000,000 miles / 25,000 miles per coach trip = 40 RT coach tickets.

For those of you paying for your own airfare, multiply your average ticket fare times 40. If you figure that by the time you've eaten and stayed in the hotels and rented the cars that you are in for just under 4 thousand, you still need the average fare to come out to only a hundred bucks to be making money here.

I can see it now. The newest email spam --> fly to exotic locations, rent cars, stay in hotels, and get paid for it. Send $$ to [email protected]

Tom

Or 10 Plus business class roundtrips Lax-Ams-Lax Cost Per KLM 10 X 4800= 48,000 You decide!!!

This would be a unforgetable trip. I am interested BUT:

1) Is there is a group going together? I would NOT take this trip without some EXPERIENCE people with me. What is the status of a GROUP trip??

2) Are the miles earned transferable (or useable) on a US carrier. (i.e. TWA or US).

3) Is the required time to make the trip "reasonable"? (1 to 2 weeks).

Has anyone come up with "The Plan" yet??

[This message has been edited by CanadianFlyer (edited 01-19-2000).]

I sent my "plan" to Flying Dutchman yesterday.

The flights can be done with no problem in four days (three fairly full days of flying, and one day with a single flight), starting in Lima and ending with the inevitable TACA flight from MGA to MIA. Flying business class wherever possible (no b/c on Saeta, Aeropostal or Aces) and staying at decent hotels, I priced the entire trip, LIM-MIA (including 6 nights at respectable hotels) at around $3800 (single occupancy). Obviously, it can be done for far less in coach, and can be done for even less if one is willing to sacrifice some hotel amenities, share rooms, or fly for four days without stopping to see the sights.

I am seriously considering mid-March for the trip, but my travel schedule is on hold until my work schedule solidifies, and until the next batch of Springsteen tour dates is announced. Should know more about both within the week.

At that point, I plan to call my personal Amex travel counselor and make her work off a portion of that ridiculous annual fee I pay.

NOTE: The bonus miles earned under this program (100,000,500,000, or the grand daddy
1,000,000)CANNOT be transferred to Hilton Honors!!! ONLY the ACTUAL FLOWN MILES EARNED
can be forwarded to Hilton...

This was confirmed to me by Juan at Latin Pass yesterday.

Just more food for thought for those members
previously considering this option!!!

A sugestion : Look for a travel agent that has the Amaedus computer system as it will price out a series of the one ways in coach on a through fare much cheaper then other computer systems.