The Best Airlines in South America

Most people from the U.S. think about traveling to South America only on one of the major North American Airlines (such as American, Continental, Delta, United). But travelers can save a lot of money, often hundreds of dollars per person, by traveling on a South American airline.

You're probably wondering if these airlines are safe or if the planes and service are up to the same standards as U.S. flights. In fact, some South American airlines are actually much better than U.S. airlines. In general, South American airlines have better overall safety records than their North American counterparts. Let's review the best and worse airlines operating in South America.

LAN: At the top of the list for quality airline service in South America is LAN, an airline based in Chile. The planes operated by LAN are in excellent condition. The interiors are very nicely decorated and comfortable. Remarkably, LAN planes are generally in better condition than planes operated by most U.S. airlines. LAN also participates in the Oneworld airline alliance, which also includes American Airlines and British Airways. In South America LAN flies to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. In the U.S. LAN flies to Los Angeles, Miami and New York (www.lan.com)

Avianca: A surprisingly excellent airline is Avianca, which is based in Colombia. But don't let its home base of Colombia scare you away from flying on Avianca. Colombia is much safer these days and Avianca is a quality airline. Avianca offers frequent flyer partnerships with Air Canada and Delta Airlines. Avianca usually offers some of the lowest prices among airlines in South America. And, lastly, while this shouldn't be a part of your flight decision: Avianca flight attendants have the most elegant uniforms of any South American airlines. In South America Avianca flies to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. In the U.S. Avianca flies to Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. (www.avianca.com)

TAM: The largest airline in Brazil, TAM operates out of Sao Paulo and is considered a high quality airline. As with many other South American airlines, TAM pays close attention to customer service. In South America TAM flies to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. TAM also has European flights to London, Paris, and Milan. In the U.S. TAM has flights to Miami and New York as well as codeshare flights with American Airlines to 13 other U.S. cities. (www.tam.com.br)

Aerolineas Argentinas: The dominant air carrier in Argentina, Aerolineas Argentinas was once owned by the Spanish airline Iberia. For those planning to travel by air around Argentina, Aerolineas Argentinas offers substantial discounts to foreigners who arrive in Argentina on Aerolineas Argentinas. Otherwise, foreigners arriving in Argentina on another carrier have to pay significantly higher rates than Argentines. Aerolineas Argentinas is now facing competition on its domestic flights from LAN which took over the routes of the now defunct Southern Winds airline. In South America Aerolineas Argentinas flies to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. In the U.S. Aerolineas Argentinas flies to Miami and New York. (www.aerolineas.com.ar)

Gol: One of the newest entries to the South American airline market, Gol is a discount airline specializing in Brazil. But Gol also offers international flights in South America to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru. In a country as large as Brazil, air travel is often the only convenient way to move around and Gol offers travelers the best price value for the Brazilian market. Gol currently has no international flights outside of South America. (www.voegol.com.br)

Varig: Once the largest airline in Brazil, Varig has downsized over the past few years due to financial issues. While Varig still has many flights within Brazil, Varig has greatly reduced its international flights. In South America Varig flies to Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela. Varig has no flights to the U.S. but does fly to Toronto, Canada and London, England. (www.varig.com.br)

LAB: Even though Lloyd Aero Boliviano (LAB) has been in business for more than 80 years, LAB has the worse on-time record of any South American airline. LAB has suffered serious financial problems in recent years that has vastly reduced its fleet. The result is that LAB flights are consistently delayed, rescheduled, or cancelled. LAB also is known to add unexpected stopovers to its flights. Yet, LAB does usually offer the lowest prices among any international carrier based in South America. So, for travelers with plenty of patience and time then LAB might be a good option for the budget flyer. (www.labairlines.com)

Be sure to examine the Web sites for each airline to determine special discounts in traveling around South America through air passes and other offers.