Avianca to equalize Peruvian fares to Cusco and other domestic routes

Updated on August 26, 2024 by Rick Vecchio in News with 5 Comments

[Originally published February 2, 2018] AVIANCA Airline says that starting Monday it will make its Super Promo and Econo rates for domestic routes available again to foreign tourists after nearly a decade of making them pay more than Peruvians.

The decision comes a little more than a month after LATAM Airline announced it was dropping a similar discriminatory fare policy.

Avianca said in an email to travel agencies that its fare restriction will still apply to foreign/non-resident passengers with tickets issued before February 5, 2018.

UPDATE: AVIANCA and LATAM have since clarified their policies. The higher rates for foreign travelers have NOT disappeared for tickets purchased on-line. Economy coach fares are available to foreign tourists when booked through an IATA Peruvian travel agency — not directly on-line.

It was in 2008 that LATAM, then known as LAN, implemented its Peruvian Residents ONLY policy, barring foreign tourists from purchasing coach tickets at the normal base fares. AVIANCA followed suit soon after.

Both airlines faced ever-increasing competition from other airlines that did not make foreign tourists pay more to fly from Lima to Cusco and other destinations.

Authored by: Rick Vecchio

Website: Peruvian Travel Trends Blog

Rick Vecchio, Fertur’s director of development and marketing, was educated at the New School for Social Research and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. He worked for Pacifica Radio WBAI and as a daily reporter for newspapers in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. Then in 1996, he decided it was time to realize a life-long dream of traveling to Peru. He never went back. While serving as Peru country manager for the South American Explorers from 1997-1999, he fell in love with Fertur's founder, Siduith Ferrer, and they married. Over the next six years, he worked as a correspondent for The Associated Press. Meanwhile, Siduith built the business, which he joined in January 2007. Now he designs custom educational and adventure tour packages for corporate and institutional clients, oversees Fertur’s Internet platform and occasionally leads special trips, always with an eye open for a good story to write about.

There are 5 comments for this article

Dar Adal March 31, 2018 at 3:28 pm

Hello

Can you please confirm that this is true? I contacted Avianca Peru, and they said that there are still different types of tickets for residents of Peru and tourists.
I would really appreciate some help on this question.

Thanks in advance!
Rick Vecchio Author April 3, 2018 at 4:07 pm

Hi Dar,

I can’t speak to specific promotions the airline might direct to the local Peruvian market, but in answer to your question, I asked one of our agents, and she checked with our Avianca rep… With respect to the economy Super Promo and Econo fares, those rate classes are no longer for Peruvians only. Foreign tourists can avail themselves of those fares too.
Lam April 17, 2018 at 3:46 am

Hello Rick,

Thank you for the information.
I actually used Avianca’s online support to ask this question (for a flight from Lima to Cusco), and I always have different answers: Some say that I can purchase Econo Fare (from the european site as I’m from France) and others told me I can’t and that it is only for Peruvian 🙁 Do you know where I can find this information on their website or in an official communication? Thanks a lot!
Rick Vecchio Author May 25, 2018 at 1:37 pm

Hello Lam,

My apologies for the delay in replying.

We had a meeting with our Avianca Rep yesterday and discussed this very issue, which much to our chagrin remains an issue.

To repeat what I wrote to another traveler on a related post, if you book the tickets through an IATA travel agency in Peru, the Super Promo and Econo fares are available to foreign tourists.

Very few of our clients are purchasing those tickets, however, because of the extreme limitations. For most part, the tickets are nonrefundable and you can’t make date changes. Avianca, at least, allows one piece of checked luggage (up to 23 kilograms) included in the economy rate. LATAM makes you pay $17 extra at the time of booking or $25 when checking in at the airport.
Nicholas Santoso February 19, 2019 at 9:39 pm

They have equalized it according to their website

https://www.latamtrade.com/es_pe/comunicados/Tarifas_residentes_domestico_Peru

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Avianca to equalize Peruvian fares to Cusco and other domestic routes

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