Taca Nightmare

[leadweight]

Someone I know bought some really cheap tickets from Chicago to La Ceiba on Taca. He was supposed to leave 3 AM on Saturday, but the flight was canceled for unspecified reasons. It is my belief that he is en route to San Pedro Sula at this time, over a day late. From there it's off to Utila. I don't know if Taca made any arrangements to get him to La Ceiba in time to take the ferry today. His flight is supposed to land in SPS before 10 AM today.

Way to go TACA.

 

[jlevine]

Both TACA Regional (the Honduran affiliate of TACA (also sometimes called Islena)) as well as Aerolineas Sosa offer daily flights from San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba. I don't know if Sosa itself has a web site anymore. Honduras' airport web site is Bienvenidos -  Aeropuertos de Honduras but the schedules aren't necessarily up to date.

 

[georoc01]

yeah, there are reasons why Taca has the nickname Take a chance airways. Sometimes they are great, other times )$*)($*@&(

 

[Doc]

yeah, there are reasons why Taca has the nickname Take a chance airways. Sometimes they are great, other times )$*)($*@&(

In years of flying TACA, I have never really had a bad experience. Some bumps here and there, but it's as close to flying a European airline while sitting in Monkey Class for the 2 hour flight. (once you are seated and the door is closed).

TACA, for me, has always been a delight once that cabin door gets closed. Otherwise, yes, there is pretty much-so no continuity or predictability in rules they operate by... on any given day... unlike many of our US Carriers.

If you can smile your way into first cabin, it's a service equal to any of the trans-oceanic carriers.

I have learned that the "be nice" rule is especially effective with TACA agents. Do whatever dumb stunt they ask you to do, do not argue. If they want luggage tags on your bags including your carry on, humor them. (I assume you have your bags overly tagged already, right?) If they want to weigh or measure your carry-on, comply with a smile- you'll get to take all of your precious shiny dive crap along. Hey, even your Pelican cases, for whatever reason you're dragging that onboard. The cabin baggage limitation rule is largely there to discourage the locals from dragging a set of brake rotors (you think I'm kidding here?) for cabin baggage to avoid weight issues on checked bags. If you're a tourist, and you are easy to get along with, they will likely "sticker" your carry-on bags with a special "OK" sticker and be done with you. {If they happen to be using them that dayfor whatever reason}

One TACA desk agent has seen me and "herself" smile so many times on our way through it is a rare day that we don't get upgraded.

This behavior is hard for most of us wanna-go-divin types as we're used to how US airlines function (even today). TACA is reflective of all of Central America and certainly the Bay islands. It will get done (whatever "it" is) in time to get you strapped into the aircraft and out of their hair. Seemingly endless check-in lines will magically evaporate and speed up with 15 minutes to go before boarding.

TACA, with the dreadful telephone access to their seemingly poorly informed (but always polite) Salvadoran agents.... I always heard it was Try Again Can't Answer

 

[DeputyDan]

really cheap - wasn't so cheap after all!

 

[jlevine]

I agree with RoatanMan. I have done many trips from Los Angeles to Roatan via El Salvador with no missed connections and no lost bags. But, those are on TACA *International* with no stop in San Pedro Sula or La Ceiba. If you switch to TACA *Regional* (within Honduras), things get less predictable. At one point all those flights were weight restricted and passengers sometimes found their bags delayed...sometimes for a long time. I wish Utila had regular direct flights from San Pedro Sula. It would make Utila far more accessible. To the Original Poster, please let us know how things work out.

 

[leadweight]

Years ago TACA issued me some paper tickets when everyone was using etickets. These tickets somehow did not make it to the airport. They made us buy new tickets and gave us a credit some months later minus $200. It should have been more like a nominal re-ticketing fee.

By the way, when they reached SPS TACA did not provide transportation to La Ceiba. They had to split a cab in order to make that day's ferry.

TACA is best known for luggage problems as many passengers change to a TACA flight after flying in to Houston from somewhere else. You could blame it on the Houston baggage system, but it seems to happen so much more often with TACA.

I know someone who was flying to Belize city and without any notice the aircraft skipped the stop and went directly to San Salvador. No explanation was offered to them or my friends in this case. Weather would excuse this kind of thing, but apparently they had no excuse.

So, if you never had a problem, consider yourself lucky. As usual, on Scubaboard, no matter how bad the reality is, always someone will defend the service provider in question and call it an anomaly.

Look, I know flying can suck on any airline, but it's worse on TACA.

 

[RTBDiver]

So, if you never had a problem, consider yourself lucky. As usual, on Scubaboard, no matter how bad the reality is, always someone will defend the service provider in question and call it an anomaly.

.

\
I guess its an anomaly but considering I have likely flown TACA to RTB many more times than this poster ever has and only once had luggage issues when connecting through the mainland it is a heck of an anomaly, Now it may help if you speak spanish, Not sure as i always have with them. Something tells me there are probably some forums somewhere with mainly spanish speaking folks badmouthing various USA based carriers.

 

[leadweight]

RTBdiver, seems like you never miss an opportunity to troll me. The practice of intentionally disagreeing with a particular individual is also known as stalking. Now this business about speaking Spanish making a difference also reeks of racism. Its as if anyone speaks Spanish to them the problems go away and all of us English speakers are some horrible problem. Come on, who do you expect to believe that? Could you produce one Spanish language forum to prove your accusation? I think not. BS as usual.

 

[RTBDiver]

Lead .
Please do not kid yourself, This is THE Forum I frequent because i have most knowledge of the area due to living part time on Roatan, Stalking? , Trolling?? Your the one who has had all the problems in Roatan yet keep visiting and posting AFTER I do on many topics suggesting i am wrong EVEN THOUGH I post FACTUAL information from my own experiences and do not take the time to post what a friend or a friend of a friend may have told me just for the sake of posting here.

Someone I know bought some really cheap tickets from Chicago to La Ceiba on Taca. .

I know someone who was flying to Belize city and without any notice the aircraft skipped the stop and went directly to San Salvador. No explanation was offered to them or my friends in this case. .

But then again you always then get off topic and bring up other issues you have. Racist? of course not, Do you also feel spanish speakers are racially discriminated against when they visit places in the US that do not speak spanish? I speak english where appropriate and Spanish when needed and it has worked well for me.


Your comment that

Now this business about speaking Spanish making a difference also reeks of racism. Its as if anyone speaks Spanish to them the problems go away and all of us English speakers are some horrible problem.

also reeks of ignorance , if you read my post you will see I mentioned it MAY help, I doubt many will disagree that speaking spanish to mainly spanish speaking folks would not be beneficial
Do not forget TACA is based in a country where as Spanish is the official language and it may help in conversing or even sweet talking when the girls think its cute that the gringo try's to communicate in their native language, Maybe not as I said, I always speak spanish when dealing with them out of courtesy, NOT racism. Just as when visiting any municipality office in Roatan I use spanish as it is the official language, When I go to Miami to ship things to the Island i also speak mostly spanish although the Cuban version is more difficult and while back in Jacksonville it is mostly english because thats what most use there. If you feel that is racist then your a bigger moron then I imagined. The US has no official language, using the language best suited would simply seem the smart thing to do, why would this be racist?
I do know last time i flew TACA, I was scheduled to leave RTB for Cieba and then on to San Pedro and we were delayed for well over an hour, In Cieba I missed the connection , they said do not worry they would hold the plane, Of course i did not believe them but low and behold once in San Pedro i was escorted to the plane. Sure, Some passengers probably hated waiting for one gringo but the flight did wait. , that is the type of service i have experienced first hand with TACA