LAN Peru - Most Inefficient and Inconsiderate Airline in the World
Because they have a monopoly on certain routes, for example the Lima-Arequipa route. Go ahead, I dare you to find another airline that flies there. A public one. The last one that tried, I forget the name, was grounded due to "safety concerns," after a plane crashed.
Anyway, for those of you who don't already know this: If you try to book a LAN flight within Peru from outside of Peru, such as here in the US, you will get an outrageous price. For ex., from here I found flights from Lima-Arequipa-Lima to be $441. So I went on the SPANISH LAN site, not the international one. Their quotes were around $123, something like that. I go through all the forms and info, and it keeps denying my credit card.
FINALLY, I get the number for the LAN office in Lima. That number is: (51-1) 213-8200. It's a lot better if you speak Spanish but if you don't just push the "english" option and you'll get an agent who speaks poor english. Anyway, I was able to book that same flight for a grand total of $97.50 round trip, and I received my confirmation five minutes later.
Point? The phone is still better for some things than the internet.
FYI