Ecuador | Getting to the Galapagos

Visiting the Galapagos Islands had been on my bucket list since college. Located about 500 miles off the coast of mainland Ecuador, these islands are well known for biodiversity and several endemic species. There are only three airlines (LAN, TAME, Aerogal) that fly into two airports there (Baltra and San Cristobal), and flights can be very expensive. Fortunately, we were able to use LAN kilometers to get there.

Now to be completely honest, getting to the Galapagos was one of the worst travel experiences we have ever had, hence this post and story to follow, mostly paraphrased from the complaint letter we sent to LAN after the fact.

When we arrived at the Quito Airport for the early morning flight, the kiosks would not allow us to check-in for our flight, and we were told by a manager that we would not be allowed to board our flight. We were told it was a weight issue which basically meant that LAN had oversold the flight. No one was asked if they wanted to voluntary bump, but we along with ~10 others were involuntary bumped with no written notice as to why. Basically, LAN decided to bump everyone in Quito that was supposed to continue on from Guayquil onto Baltra, and we were given a voucher for $60 cash compensation or $120 in LAN credit (which is not considered just compensation for an involuntary bump according to FAA rules).

At that point, we were given two options. The first was to wait a few hours and fly to a different airport nearby on San Cristobal where we would get on a ferry to arrive at our original airport, Baltra. The second was to wait until the next day and then fly to Baltra (at this point, it was 6:30 a.m.) As we had an expensive tour already booked for the next day and limited time in the first place, we took the first option. The supervisor at the Quito airport assured us when we arrived at San Cristobal that there would be a LAN agent waiting for us and that our boat would arrive at the Baltra airport before 2 p.m. as we had a driver waiting to take us on an afternoon tour that day as well.

Despite all the morning chaos, I was thrilled when we started approaching the islands.

The landing was a little scary since the airstrip was right next to the ocean. After crossing the tarmac, having our bags searched (not allowed to bring any fruits/vegetables/meats in), and paying the $100 entrance fee per person, we were officially in the Galapagos!

Upon arrival at the San Cristobal airport (basically a hangar), there was no LAN agent to meet us.

After waiting 45 minutes and chasing down any agent we could, we were told that we would board a boat at 3 p.m. and arrive in Puerto Ayora at 5 p.m., which was 3 hours later and a different location than originally told. Thankfully, Dustin is very good at making a case for our rights as fliers. They did cover the taxi to the harbor and the boat ride, but that was it. Little did we know, it was about to get worse...

The ferry did not leave for a couple of hours, so we grabbed some lunch and Matt made some new friends.

Sea lions were everywhere. I could not think of a better welcome to the islands.

Once on the boat, we were forced to sit outside for two and a half hours across rough waters in the channel. We were all completely drenched with salt water, cold, and others had extreme seasickness. Our boat was the lucky one of two; everyone on the other boat traveling next to us was throwing up. By the time we arrived, the $60 voucher in Matt's back pocket was a wet pile.

The calm water in the harbor was deceiving. The waves were massive on the open water.

Before I knew what we were about to experience...

I wish we could have got some of it on video, but thankfully our stuff was tucked away and remained dry. It was an absolutely wild ride, and we finally made it to our AirBnB rental, soaked and seven hours late.

The dried remains of Matt's $60 voucher for getting kicked off the flight and missing an entire day in the Galapagos.

Needless to say, after all of that, we were just thankful to have arrived to our destination at last!

The aftermath: LAN was quick to respond to my tweets and direct messages. We did end up sending a complaint letter that Dustin wrote to customer service. After reviewing our case (it took about two weeks), they granted us each an additional $200 cash compensation or $400 in LAN credit to the initial $60 cash or $120 airline credit they first offered. We decided to take the $260 in cash per person. It was not ideal to miss a day in the islands, but in the end we were able to put $520 back towards trip expenses.

If you ever find yourself in a situation like this, here are some tips to handle it:
1. Be polite but firm and know your rights as a flier.
2. Record it all as it unfolds in detail.
3. Make sure to get the agent or supervisor's name(s).
4. Call the airline's customer service line as it is happening.
5. Reach out on social media. Twitter is quickest and works well in most cases.
6. When all options are exhausted, give it up and submit a letter afterwards to the airline.
7. If progress has still not been made, reach out to the airline again, either online or by phone.
8. Eventually file a complaint with the FAA. When an airline is not following legal procedures (which was our case), it is time to get others involved.