How safe is the El Dorado Airport in Bogotá, Colombia?
I am planning to travel to Santiago, Chile in December 2010 for about a month. There is one ticket I found for cheap with Avianca, but it has 1 stop in Bogota, Colombia, both ways. Going to Chile it has a layover in the afternoon for almost 9 hrs and coming back to the US the layover is 11 hrs in the afternoon again. I know it's a hassle but I would be saving almost $400 dollars, which is a lot for a college student these days. I usually travel with LanChile, which usually stops in Lima for about an hour, so you don't even need to get off the plane, or it's a direct flight. I was wondering how safe would it be for a young American woman to wait in Bogota for that long period of time? My mother is worried as she says it is very unsafe because of the whole drug and political problem in the country. I want to buy this ticket asap as it is extremely cheap, but mother says that it is that low price because no one wants to take a risk and to stop in Colombia. Please help me with your experience and opinion! Thanks!!!
Air Travel - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I was going to Caracas, Venezuela last year and there was a possibility of a flight via Bogota (for some reason). A colleague warned me to avoid anything that involved a wait in Bogota airport at any costs. However, over in Latin America, most are of the firm belief that the reputation of Bogota is a little outdated now, and it is a much safer city than certainly it used to be. Local Venezuelans from Caracas actually said they would prefer Bogota to Caracas! I wouldn't want an 11 hour stay, but then it wouldn't be the airport putting me off but the long hours.
2 :
You can find a bunch of good layover tips for Bogota layovers (including things to do) here - http://www.layoverguide.com/2009/12/layover-in-bogota-columbia.html
Read more other entries :
