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Ecuador Domestic flights, airfares and airports
If you opt for air travel, all major mainland destinations are serviced by domestic flights with durations of under an hour, and one-way tickets usually cost $50 and $70. The exceptions are flights to the Galapagos Islands, which take around four hours and cost much more than most flights ($300 - $400 round-trip for foreigners, depending on the route and the season. Flights to reach some locations deep in the Amazon Rainforest are also expensive. The return journey to get to deep Amazon locations can cost $160 from Quito, Cuenca or Guayaquil just for the first flight. There may be a small local flight following this flight also. Flights to nearly all destinations originate from the Quito or Guayaquil international airports. The Quito airport (www.quiport.com) is located at Av. Amazonas and Av. de la Prensa. A new airport is under construction, which will be located about a half an hour outside of the city, but it is unclear when construction will be completed. The Guayaquil (www.tagsa.aero) airport is located at Av. de las Americas and Isidro Ayora.Aerogal (tel. 1800/2376-425 toll-free nationwide; www.aerogal.com.ec), Icaro (tel. 1800/883-567 toll-free nationwide; www.icaro.aero), VIP (tel. 02/330 4621 in Quito; www.vipec.com) and Tame (tel. 02/2909-900 in Quito, or 04/2310-305 or 04/2310-305 in Guayaquil; www.tame.com.ec), are the main commuter airlines. AeroGal serves Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Manta, Coca, Lago Agrio and Portoviejo, Isla Baltra and Isla San Cristobal, and also provides service to the international destinations of Bogota, Colombia, and New York City. Icaro serves Guayaquil, Cuenca, Quito and Manta. TAME serves Cali, Coca, Cuenca, Esmeraldas, Galapagos Baltra airport, Guayaquil, Lago Agrio, Loja, Quito, San Cristóbal Galápagos airport and Santa Rosa. LAN Ecuador has flights serving Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca. On this airline, international connections are available from New York, Miami, Madrid, Bogota and Lima, making it easy to get to Ecuador and get around within the country. From September 2010, LAN will also offer direct flights to the Galapagos Islands, making the trip cheaper.
If you can’t get on a flight, you may want to go early to the airport to get on a waiting list, because passengers often don’t show up. Aerogal, Tame and LAN Ecuador have service to both the Galapagos based airports, Baltra and San Cristobal; it is important to remember that these flights will require that you arrive to the airport at least two hours in advance and that you pay a $100 entrance fee upon entering the islands. For other domestic flights, arriving an hour in advance is generally sufficient.
Airports with commercial air service are:
| City Served/Location |
Province | Airport Name |
| Baltra, Galapagos | Galapagos | Seymour Airport |
| Cuenca | Azuay | Mariscal Lamar Airport |
| Coca | Orellana | Francisco de Orellana Airport |
| Esmeraldas | Esmeraldas | General Rivadeneira Airport |
| Guayaquil | Guayas | Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport |
| Lago Agrio (Nueva Loja) | Sucumbios | Lago Agrio Airport |
| Loja | Loja | Camilo Ponce Enriquez Airport |
| Macas | Morona-Santiago | Coronel Edmundo Carvajal Airport |
| Manta | Manabi | Eloy Alfaro International Airport |
| Quito | Pichincha | Mariscal Sucre International Airport |
| San Cristobal | Galapagos | San Cristobal Airport |
Ecuador international Flights & Airports
Ecuador has three international airports: Mariscal Sucre in Quito, José Joaquín de Olmedo in Guayaquil and Santa Rosa airport in the southern province of El Oro.Flying to Ecuador is really easy from major cities. There are daily flights in North America and Europe and you can plan your flight from:
Los Angeles (LAX),
Houston,
Atlanta,
New York,
Miami
Madrid
London
Amsterdam
Toronto doing stop in United States or doing plane switch
Quebec doing stop in United States or doing plane switch
Bogota
Lima
Almost all the flights have a stop with the exception of flights from the United States, Bogota and Lima. Some make stops in Central America and others in Madrid. From Europe the hub airports are Madrid Barajas and Amsterdam Schipol. You can book departures from these airports.
Airlines with daily flights to Ecuador
The airlines who fly to Ecuador from North America, South America and Europe daily are:
American Airlines
Delta Airlines
Lan
Iberia
KLM
Copa
Continental Airlines
Taca
Aerogal
Avianca
Santa Barbara
Ecuador flight seasons from North America and Europe
High Season: Jun – August and December mid JanuaryLow Season: Mid January to May, September to November
Ecuador airport departure fee
Ecuador national airports have different rates of departure tax. The Mariscal Sucre Quito airport has a $40.80 fee, that must be paid in cash at the desk in the check in area.
Guayaquil Airport Fee is for all passengers is US$28, 27. This amount is paid at the Banco de Guayaquil branch located in the International Departure Hall next to the check-in counters of the airlines. The fee is non-refundable and valid for 7 days.
