To Cusco by Air, Cusco

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Not too many choices of flying into Cusco from Lima, Lan Peru, Taca, or Star Peru. The fare on Lan is more than doubled than on Star. I've taken both Lan and Star Peru, service is good on either flight. If you want to keep budget, then Star Peru is the choice.

Once you arrive into CUS by plane, you'll be greeted by an armada of taxi drivers, which will tell you it'll cost you S15 to get into town. Walk towards the right of the transportation plaza until passing the gate, where you can negotiate a more acceptable rate, S5-S7.

Aerocondor is a Peruvian domestic air carrier that offers daily flights to Cusco. They have regular sales and if you are lucky enough to get one of these deals, then your Cusco adventure may be for less than what you expected. Regular one way rates are $75-125. I paid $88 for my OW ticket to Cusco including taxes.

Note: Aerocondor is no longer in operation as of June 2008.

Please be aware that for US citizens it is illegal to fly by Peru's airline Aero Continente. This airline has been linked to the drug trade of South America. You can check out more information at www.treas.gov I'm not sure how well this law is enforced but I wouldn't risk a hefty fine for it. Fly with someone else

Several airlines service Cuzco most of them are fairly expencive with thte exception of Aero Condor. Aero Condor flies from Lima for $45 one way with flights leaving in the morning your return will also have to be in the morning which is the case with most airlines when leaving Cusco. Other airlines with expencive flights to Lima are TACA and Lan Peru. If you are going to Bolivia the very expencine Lloyd Aereo Boliviano offers service to Santa Cruz.
Be advized that in the rainy season December - April fog often delays airtravel to Cuzco because the city is in a hole. My flight leaving cuzco was delayed 5 hours and aparently that is a very common occurance so take a good book with you.

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The plane from Lima to Cuzco is spectacular! Make sure you have a window seat. I was on the left side of the plane, so if you can, request it!

At first you see the cordilliera Blanca, the Andes and soon enough if you are lucky, the pilot will find the valley Cuzco is in and also find the air strip.Then you will pass a ledge that you will see quite clearly underneath you... I hope that you don't see people on it since you'd be too close. Then the pilot will perform a 180 degree and you will see the valley real well. If you are the faint at heart type, please sit in the alley...

The descent into Cuzco is just spectacular, just have your cameras ready! You have now just completed the first city tour, all for the same price than the airfare!

Flights from Lima to Cusco are mostly early in the morning - the reason for that is weather. Weather gets risker later in the day- storms and wind. Flights leaving Cusco run till 4:30, however.
So my recommendation is this: Do NOT take the last flight out of Cusco - if there's a delay, or cancellation, you may get stuck.
We had a 2:05 flight, and because of a glut of delays from earlier in the day, we left over an hour late. And I thought it was a nice day outside.

You will find daily flights to Lima (approximate flight time, 55 minutes). There are also flights from/to Arequipa, Juliaca (Puno), Puerto Maldonado and Ayacucho.

Watch out for Lloyd Aero Boliviano -- a "grand old airline and the country's oldest -- which, if it is still op[erting, flies lovely airplanes the walls of which you can see striaght through to blue sky!

After our visit to La Paz we flew to El Cusco by Lloyd Aereo Boliviano again, a delightful flight above the peaks of the amazing mountains of Los Andes.
A short flight of 55 minutes departing from La Paz, even you can get a combination coming from Buenos Aires, just remember that flights from La Paz to El Cusco departs only thursdays and saturdays at 11:10 a.m. (flight # 921)

Most tourist arrive to Cuzco by plane from Lima. It is a small airport, and while you wait for the lugagge you will find many stalls offering info about hotels, agencies...
Most of the flights land and leave early in the morning. There are departure taxes (10 USD international, 3,5USD national).
As far as I know there is no bus to the city center, so your only option might be a taxi (about 5 soles, but bargain!). If you reserve an Inca Trail or a hotel, you can tell them to pick you up at the airport too, they did it for free to me.