Tag Airlines ATR72 Review (Flores-Guatemala City)

I recently flew with Tag Airlines, the national carrier of Guatemala, on a domestic trip between Guatemala City and Flores in the north of the country.

I have to be honest. Before booking my flights, I had never heard of Tag Airlines and I couldn’t find many recent reviews. So, I thought I’d share my experience to give others who may be considering booking a flight on Tag Airlines an idea of what to expect!

This Tag Airlines review covers my return flight from Flores back to Guatemala City on an ATR72.

Flight Details

Flight number	5U141
Route	Flores (FRS) to Guatemala City (GUA)
Aircraft type	ATR72-500
Class of travel	Economy
Seat number	12
On-time performance	We arrived 20 minutes early
Star rating

The route

Why you would fly to Flores, Guatemala

Firstly, why would you want to fly from Guatemala City to Flores?

Flores is a rather small island that you can walk around in about 15 minutes. The island itself was a rather cool place – it kind of felt like a much smaller version of Bali. But that wasn’t the main reason for my visit.

Mundo Maya International Airport, next to Flores, is the gateway to Tikal National Park. Here, you’ll find one of the largest and most impressive ancient Mayan cities.

The scenery in Tikal National Park was quite spectacular. The creators of the Star Wars movies obviously thought so too, as it appears in Episode IV of Star Wars.

At the moment, the only regularly scheduled flights into Mundo Maya International Airport are from Guatemala City. There’s also a bus, but it’s a long trip. So the direct flights are very popular with tourists (as well as locals).

Flight Cost

I paid AUD$104 each way for an Economy Light fare. This included only one carry-on bag up to 10 pounds (around 4.5kg). Other fare categories with more inclusions were also available, but there’s no Business Class on Tag Airlines.

I booked my ticket directly on the Tag Airlines website and paid with an Australian credit card without any problems.

Airport Experience

When I checked in online, I had to tick a box agreeing that I would arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure. I did, and it seemed too early as the security checkpoint hadn’t even opened yet. (I’d suggest perhaps getting to the airport around 90 minutes early.)

Although I’d checked in online, I needed to show my passport to the check-in staff who then issued me a paper boarding pass (which looked more like a supermarket receipt). With three check-in staff, there was never a queue.

Given the small number of passengers departing mid-morning, there were a lot of staff working at the airport including security and airline employees. The Avianca check-in desk was even staffed, even though the next Avianca flight departed the following day. The upshot was that it didn’t take long to clear security, and the airline was able to turn the plane around quickly enough to get us away 10 minutes early.

There was no lounge at Mundo Maya International Airport. But, unlike in the domestic terminal at Guatemala City, there was at least one shop in the waiting area after security.

This particular flight had only around 30 passengers on board, although my evening flight in the other direction was full.

Boarding

There were three boarding groups, which are based on where you’re sitting. On the ATR72, the door is at the back of the plane. So, passengers in the front section of the plane boarded first in Group A, and so on. Those sitting towards the back are the last on, but also the first off.

I just had a backpack with me for this flight as I’d left my suitcase at my hotel in Guatemala City. My small backpack was never weighed, but Tag Airlines was quite strict with enforcing the weight limits for check-in luggage. During boarding, they also weighed carry-on bags that appeared to be oversized.

The man who boarded in front of me had to pay USD$20 to have his carry-on bag gate-checked. The staff member tagged his bag and told him to give it to ground staff at the foot of the aircraft. This person did pay the fee, but completely ignored the ground staff who were trying to get his attention. He just walked straight past them, got onto the plane and put his bag in the overhead locker before anyone could do anything. At least there was plenty of space in the lockers.

The Hard Product

Tag Airlines (not to be confused with TAAG Angola Airlines!) operates a small fleet of turboprops and one regional jet. This particular aircraft was a 13-year-old ATR72-500 that used to fly for Jet Airways.

The all-Economy cabin had a standard 2-2 layout. No middle seats on this plane! There was advertising for Guatemala Tourism on the overhead bins.

I was able to choose a seat for free during online check-in and allocated myself a window seat in row 12.

The plane wasn’t in the newest condition. For example, my tray table was a bit flimsy and the padding on my armrest was held together with a cable tie. But those were just minor cosmetic things – the plane overall was clean and serviceable.

I’m sorry to say that I didn’t find the seat itself particularly comfortable. The legroom was a bit tight and at six feet tall, I could just manage to fit in the seat. Taller folks may prefer to select a seat in row 1, which is an exit row and has a bit more legroom.

The seat was well-padded and did recline, but it’s just not designed for tall people. The top of my seat-back only reached as far as my neck, so I didn’t have anything to rest my head on.

As you would expect on a regional aircraft like this one, there was no Wi-Fi or in-flight entertainment at all – which is fine given the flight took only an hour. The cabin crew announced that electronic devices and headphones were not allowed to be used during take-off and landing, but did not enforce this.

The Soft Product

The cabin crew, along with all of the other Tag Airlines employees I interacted with, were friendly and spoke both Spanish and English.

On this flight there were two flight attendants, but my full flight in the other direction had three. (One of them had to sit in a passenger seat for take-off and landing as there are only two crew jump seats on the ATR72.)

After take-off, all passengers were offered a complimentary drink along with a cup of ice. The choices were a bottle of water, bottle of Pepsi or a juice box. No food or additional products were available for sale.

Arrival Experience

La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City doesn’t appear to have a separate domestic arrivals area. After landing, we were simply escorted by a ground staff member through the international arrivals hall and past immigration. After this, there was a customs checkpoint; I told the staff member there that I’d arrived from Flores and she waved me through the green lane.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 80 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.