Washington Dulles to San Salvador on TACA

This is the first of a six-part recount of my recent trip to Central America.

• Washington Dulles to San Salvador on TACA
• My Adventure in San Salvador
• Aborted Landing on TACA: SAL-PTY
• 24 Hours in Panama City
• Short-Haul Flying on LACSA: PTY-SJO-SAL
• Accused of Being a Terrorist: SAL to IAD on TACA

Last April I took a weekend jaunt down to Panama City on a $170 r/t fare from IAD on TACA. I had heard some bad stories about TACA from my friend Dave, but it seems TACA has really improved the last few years. Although I only flew in economy class on this trip, I was impressed with the onboard service.

TACA 581

IAD-SAL

A321

4 hrs, 35 min

Check-in was a breeze. I had checked in online the previous night and quickly had my boarding pass reprinted by a well-staffed check-in desk toward the center of the Main Terminal at Dulles.

TACA flights depart from Terminal B. At the gate, I inquired about an upgrade and was told that there were seats available for $199. Not knowing what TACA business class seats were like or the service levels I would recieve onboard, I passed.

Boarding was done from front to back, though it was more of a free for all. Onboard, the A321 was clean and modern with leather seats throughout the cabin. Legroom was tight, but not unbearable. There were no individual IFE units; only overhead monitors. By the time boarding concluded, every seat was full. We departed about 20 minutes late.

^{A321 in SAL}