Have you heard of Avianca for a Cusco-La Paz flight? (page 2 of 2)

Thanks, I’ll do that!

Hi, unless you’re short on time. The bus is a great option to meet locals because on planes, no one talks to each other 😜 The bus also lets you see the scenery along the way through the windows, plus a few stops to enjoy the country you’re passing through—its food and all...

The bus also lets you see the scenery along the way through its windows and a few stopovers to enjoy the country you're passing through, its food, etc...

I did the reverse trip in 2017 on a sleeper bus (big leather seats). Not my best memory of that trip: a very, very long journey, several hours late, a long border crossing, and very short stops.

I talk about it here: Day 17: https://voyageforum.com/forum/perou-bolivie-2017-mois-dans-andes-d7776366-3/

hi there, if you can avoid the bus—especially in the Andes—it’s best. During my first trip to Peru, I took the Cusco-Puno route and there was snow. The bus started skidding while crossing a high pass—nearly ended up in the scenery.

In terms of accident probabilities, flying is definitely safer! Plus, the original poster mentioned she wants to save time getting to La Paz. A direct flight is the best solution. If she wanted to take the trip leisurely by bus, that could be interesting, but I’d recommend breaking it up into stages and spending a few days by Lake Titicaca and on the Bolivian islands..

How relevant is it to talk about accidents that happened in the 80s? South American airlines have evolved massively in 40 years!

Avianca is one of the biggest airlines in the region and offers flights worldwide: 3,100 flights and 560,000 seats available in October 2025. We're not talking about some Amazonian company operating 3 or 4 old planes:

https://www.avianca.com/es/sobre-nosotros/noticias-avianca/2025/octubre-02/

Anyway, any airline is 100 times safer than buses in Peru.

Thomas

Hi TomPeru, (Thomas)

Thanks a lot for your (free) promotion of AVIANCA. The topic of my discussion was clearly based on Avianca’s flight safety—not a comparison with buses in Peru or the air safety of some small Amazonian airline...

Anyway, I’ll leave you with your personal judgment, which I don’t share at all. If we claim that accidents happened 30 or 40 years ago, we should at least make sure the problems and mistakes from back then have been fixed. And it’s certainly not the number of flights (or passengers carried) that tips the scales toward worse safety—or more safety... It only shifts the statistics and probabilities.

Thanks, Chris

I don’t think my post will have a huge impact on Avianca’s sales—I wouldn’t hesitate to ask them for some PR if their revenue goes up in 2026 ;)

My personal take is that in Peru, just like anywhere else, airlines are subject to strict controls and regulations, especially if they operate internationally.

On top of that, I lived there for over 10 years, and Avianca is one of the more reliable and punctual airlines in Peru (and I think that was the point of the original question :P).

Thomas

Hi there, I don’t have any shares in Avianca, and I haven’t flown with them since the 90s. What I *do* know is that back then, they were at the top of the list of the safest airlines. Like I said before, it only takes one accident to knock an airline down about fifteen spots in the rankings. These days, it’s very likely that Avianca—even though they’ve slipped a few places—still ranks ahead of Air France or Swissair.

One thing’s for sure: in terms of probabilities, your odds of having a fatal accident are way higher traveling by bus in the Andes than flying with *any* airline on the same route.

Dear TomPeru, (Thomas)

Thanks a lot for your (free) promotion of AVIANCA. The topic of my discussion was clearly based on Avianca's flight safety. No comparison with buses in Peru, or the air safety of a small Amazonian airline...

Anyway, I’ll leave you with your personal judgment—which I don’t share at all. If you claim that the accidents happened 30 or 40 years ago, you should at least make sure that the problems and mistakes from back then have been fixed. And it’s certainly not the number of flights (or passengers carried) that tips the scale toward worse safety (or more safety)... you’re just moving the statistics and probabilities...

Thanks, Chris

Hey, why are you even asking the question then? You’re sticking to your wrong judgment about this airline—well, just don’t take it then (it’s simple). 🤪

... South American airlines have evolved tremendously over the past 40 years! Avianca is one of the largest airlines in the region and offers flights worldwide: 3,100 flights and 560,000 seats available in October 2025 ....

AVIANCA absorbed TACA as mentioned on this page. The merger began in 2009. In 2013, I took a TACA-AVIANCA flight from La Paz to Lima: no issues during the journey. The only problem was upon arrival: waiting for checked baggage took nearly 1 hour 30 minutes because the baggage handlers at Jorge Chávez Airport were working to rule (not sure why).

the wait for checked luggage lasted nearly 1 hour 30 because the baggage handlers at Jorge Chávez Airport were working to rule (I don’t know why).

Why mention this? The luggage wait issue isn’t the airline’s fault and could’ve happened with any other carrier. Baggage service depends on the airport staff.

Normally, baggage handling depends on the airport's handling agent that the airline has chosen.....

Chris

Thanks a lot for your (free) promotion of AVIANCA. The topic of my post was clearly about AVIANCA’s flight safety.

So as an alternative, take a boat that goes, say, from Barcelona to Miami, and then from Miami take another boat to Colombia. You’ll be sure to arrive safely, and since the cruise is fun, you’ll enjoy the entertainment and activities on board 😉

the checked baggage wait lasted nearly 1 hour 30 because the baggage handlers at Jorge Chávez Airport were working to rule (not sure why).

Why mention this?

Just to say I didn’t have any issues with TACA-AVIANCA—just a little hiccup with the long wait for local baggage handlers after landing

I recently booked Avianca for a Medellín-Bogotá flight. On the morning of departure, the flight was canceled. But luckily, there were other flights scheduled by the airline that same day, and I was able to book a later flight at no extra cost.

I’ve concluded that it’s best to choose an airline that offers multiple flights per day for a given route.