Is $342 decent airfare for LIM -> CUZ
 

trying to decide when to buy airfare form Lima to Cuzco for the end of July 2014. I know it's high season.

That's pretty much the going rate on LAN and Avianca. Make sure to check Star and Peruvian as well.

You can of course go the Avianca LifeMiles route for this trip

There is availability for 3500 lifemiles each way in July

Total 7000

Buy 3000 per person for $60

Buy 4000 during the checkout process for $61.36

Taxes $14.27

Total $135.63 each

Or to answer the question, that seems like a regular gringo price for LIM CUZ RT

Hi,
Indeed, that seems like a normal fare for non-residents from Lan and Avianca. The two other domestic airlines, Peruvian and Star, do not make a distinction between residents and non-residents, so you might find better fares with them.
A very quick search on Star Peru website gives me $227.26 for july 28 - august 2nd. I guess it's possible to find a bit better changing the dates, but that should give you an idea.

Is it $342 for a one-way? Sounds steep to me. I even refused to pay $182 and spend 4500 avios instead. @:-)

I also used avios for our bookings within Peru. Maybe if you have points on any OneWorld carrier you can use those instead.

Yikes - that sounds high. I can't recall exactly but I think I either used AAdvantage miles or, alternatively, you should look into the OneWorld South American pass through LAN.

IIRC, you'll need at least 3 legs - you can add on a throwaway segment that's really cheap and you might end up with a lower fare overall.

The nice thing is that the fares earn miles and they a fairly high fare class so they can be changed pretty easily.

What did you end up paying for it?

I'm wondering if its better to book round trip from lima to cuzco then back to the US or one way lima to cusco and then back to the US from cuzco...

Edit: What about peruvian airlines, they seem to have flights for $270. I'm looking mid august though...

Hi,

Peruvian airlines, like Star Peru, do not restrict fares for non-peruvian residents - you can indeed fly them. They didn't seem to be great a few years ago, but I did hear they improved significantly.

Thats what I did, I paid ~$70 per person for two of us to go one way CUZ-LIM. Lifemiles are your friend on this route since they have gringo only fare classes.
Avianca also has occasional deals on intra-Peru flights through life miles.