California Love – A New LAX to Guatemala Direct Flight Option

Earlier this year I outlined the options for direct flights from US airports to Guatemala City that’ll make your next trip to Casa Vieja Lodge smoother. Those included four options from Los Angeles, the only west coast alternatives, on the following airlines:

• Avianca

• Delta

• United

• Volaris

Now you can add a fifth option. Alaska Airlines, a carrier we’ve found to be very reliable and competent, is adding a daily flight year-round between the two cities. As outlined on One Mile at a Time, they’ll employ a Boeing 737-800 on the the following schedule:

• AS1353 Los Angeles to Guatemala City departing 11:15PM arriving 6:00AM

• AS1354 Guatemala City to Los Angeles departing 11:45AM arriving 3:10PM

How This Fits In the Existing Framework

Because the ride from La Aurora International Airport to the lodge (or vice versa) can take anywhere from an hour and ten minutes up to two and a half hours, depending on traffic, an afternoon arrival means that you might not get there until dinnertime or even bedtime, and a delay of any sort can make you really tired for your first day of fishing.

• The Avianca flight currently takes off at 1:45PM and gets in at 8:45PM. That means a really late arrival which can be treacherous for your first day on the water. They depart at 9:10am going home, which gets you to LA by noon, which is nice on the arrival side, but it means that you’ll be fighting awful rush hour traffic to get to the airport.

• The Volaris flight currently leaves shortly after midnight and arrives in GUA at 6:45AM. That’s very similar to the Alaska option, but the return may be less favorable. It leaves at 7:37pm and gets back at 10:50pm That’s not enough time for a full day on the water, so it requires that you add another day to your trip.

• United has a similar LAX-GUA timetable, leaving at 11PM and arriving 5:48AM, which means you get a full day to relax. Going home, they leave Guatemala City at 7:40AM, arriving LAX 11:06AM. That gives you plenty of time at home, but it does require that you leave for the airport before 4AM.

• Again, the Delta option currently is a redeye, departing 11:59PM and arriving 6:02AM. Coming home, you’ll again have a super-early wake-up call, as their only nonstop departs at 7:45AM.

Possible Advantages

• With four of the now-five arrival options being essentially the same, assuming prices are close, Alaska has what I consider the best departure time. If you’re headed back to Southern California you can eat a leisurely breakfast and still be home in time for dinner. If you connect through LA, there’s still plenty of time to hit most of their afternoon/evening destinations.

• While there’s no evidence of it yet, a wealth of routes could crate some price competition, which is always good thing. It also provides a hedge should one of the carriers drop this route or change the times/frequency.

• If Alaska is your favorite or primary mileage plan, the opportunity to accrue these miles might tip you toward choosing this flight.

• Alaska has connections that some of these airlines may not serve, or may not serve at opportune times. They are of course particularly attuned to the Alaska market, but they also have direct flights to Honolulu and a variety of cities in the Pacific Northwest.