Travel Question of the Day: Simon Calder on domestic flights in Peru

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Peru: A specialist agent can help with flights

Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles readers' questions. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder

Q I am planning a honeymoon in Peru this autumn, and foresee the need to take a couple of domestic flights whilst there. I have not been to Latin America before so the airlines there are unknown to me, and wondered if you had heard anything good or bad about Peruvian Airlines (they have flights from Lima to Arequipa) or Star Peru (which serves the Cusco to Lima route) LAN or Avianca. Any thoughts or advice gratefully received.

Martin Hetherington

A Congratulations to you both on your impending wedding, and your choice of honeymoon destination. Latin America is probably the continent where aviation is most advantageous, compared with surface transport - roads and railways are mostly dreadful, and the terrain makes journeys extremely long.

I have flown happily many times on Avianca - the national airline of Colombia - and recommend it unreservedly. LAN, which began as the national airline of Chile but has expanded across South America and linked up with the Brazilian carrier, TAM, is also excellent. My only flight with Star Peru involved an aborted landing and a diversion to a distant Amazonian airport, but these unfortunate events were handled well.

I have not yet had the pleasure of flying on Peruvian Airlines, and I look forward to doing so. Latin American aviation has not had the happiest of reputations, but its safety record is now as good as most of the world.

However, if you haven’t yet booked your flights to and from South America, I suggest that you enlist a specialist agent and consider asking them to book the whole trip for you. You might spend a little more, but you will have the security of knowing that there is someone able to fight your corner if your travel arrangements start to unravel - as they have a habit of doing in South America.