South American price war: Qantas, Air New Zealand and LATAM push rival bargains
Cheap flights vs cheap baggage. Who's winning the price war for South American travel?
With flight prices to the USA constantly falling it was only a matter of time until South America starting sporting its own travel deals and discounts.
The biggest players offering these at the moment are Qantas, with cheap flights to Chile, LATAM with cheap flights to Chile, Peru, Argentina and Brazil and Air New Zealand with discounted checked-baggage to various destinations.
At this point, you should start considering which destination you wish to fly to.
If the answer is Chile, then until 7 June 2016, Qantas has return flights from Sydney for as little as $1045 return. While flight dates for this leg are limited to September to November 2016, if you want to stretch that out a little longer, the Australian carrier is also offering flights from $1128 along the same route for departures between 1 September 2016 and 30 April 2017.
Compared to LATAM it's a little cheaper but you do have more destinations options with LATAM. Destinations in this sale include to Santiago de Chile, Lima, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janiero and Sao Paulo and prices start from $1199 return. Like Qantas, this sale is until 7 June 2016 and valid for flights between 1 September 2016 and 30 April 2017.
While a single checked bag is included in both Qantas and LATAM flights, those who don't like to travel lightly might like to look to Air New Zealand's flight deal.
Until 14 June 2016, Air New Zealand is offering flights to South America from $1418 return with the option to check-in a second bag (23kg) for only $1. While these prices are more expensive than Qantas', you do have more options for routes, including Sydney to Buenos Aires (from $1418), Rio de Janeiro (from $1264), Sao Paulo (from $1364) and Lima (from $1769). The catch? You don't have the option to fly into Santiago de Chile with Air New Zealand but you do have the choice of flying between 5 June 2016 and 11 December 2016.
Full prices and routes are below:
Qantas flights to Chile
| Dates | ex. Sydney | ex. Melbourne | ex. Brisbane | ex. Adelaide | ex. Hobart | ex. Perth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September-November 2016 | $1045 | $1065 | $1084 | $1102 | $1201 | $1381 |
| September-April 2017 | $1128 | $1156 | $1156 | - | - | - |
LATAM flights to South America (Dates 1 September 2016 - 30 April 2017)
| To | ex. Sydney | ex. Melbourne | ex. Brisbane | ex. Perth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago de Chile | $1199 | $1239 | $1235 | $1530 |
| Lima | $1499 | $1535 | $1535 | $1835 |
| Buenos Aires | $1199 | $1239 | $1239 | $1530 |
| Rio de Janeiro | $1499 | $1535 | $1535 | $1835 |
| Sao Paulo | $1499 | $1535 | $1535 | $1835 |
New Zealand flights to South America (ex. Sydney)
| To | ex. Sydney | ex. Melbourne | ex. Brisbane | ex. Perth | ex. Adelaide | ex. Gold Coast | ex. Cairns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lima | $1769 | $1752 | $1771 | $2322 | $2102 | $1837 | $2057 |
| Buenos Aires | $1418 | $1401 | $1420 | $1971 | $1751 | $1486 | $1706 |
| Rio de Janeiro | $1364 | $1347 | $1366 | $1917 | $1697 | $1432 | $1652 |
| Sao Paulo | $1364 | $1347 | $1366 | $1917 | $1687 | $1432 | $1652 |
