Airline suggestions

The cheapest departure cities to reach Ecuador are Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City.  Houston and Panama City can also be used.  American Airlines, Mexicana, and LAN sometimes have fare sales, but expect to pay about $500 or more round-trip.  If you are not in a hurry (it takes most of the day), you can use Santa Barbara Airlines from Miami to either Quito (the capital) or Guayaquil (the hub for the Galapagos) via Venezuela for about $150 each way.

In my opinion, Guayaquil's airport is much nicer and is being expanded this year (2005).  Quito's airport, which is also in a not-so-great section of the city, may actually be moved out to the suburbs for safety reasons.  Though Quito is a popular destination for travelers, it is a very difficult airport for pilots to fly in to, due to winds and mountains.  I try to avoid night flights.

There are a number of domestic airports in Ecuador as well, including Cuenca and the Galapagos islands.  Flights within mainland Ecuador usually cost $50 each way on TAME, AeroGal, or Icaro.  The former two fly out to the Galapagos for a little over $150 each way.  Only TAME offers a discount for the low season, and it is very difficult to get student or senior discounts on either if you are not an Ecuadorian national.  But the airlines make a killing because they are the sole means of transport...  Upon entering the Islands, tourists must pay $100 in cash.  (Those with certain types of Visa pay a fraction of that.)

To leave Ecuador, you must pay a $25 exit fee.  That's pretty typical of all the Latin countries.  (I think Chile has you pay upon entry, but it's more expensive.)  For American travelers, currency in Ecuador is very easy because they adopted the dollar.