When heading to South America, you don’t have the big selection of selections you’ll discover for Europe. You’ve acquired the US carriers, three fundamental South American ones, then a number of serving only one or two international locations. The most important one is of these is LATAM Airways, based mostly in Chile. Not like Avianca, it has saved the traits of a full-service legacy airline all alongside and it has an excellent enterprise class product for all worldwide flights.
I’ve flown LATAM a number of occasions since Luxurious Latin America launched practically 20 years in the past. I’ve flown them to the Atacama Desert, to Santiago and again for snowboarding and wine, and again from Santiago after a Scenic Eclipse cruise in South America. My newest journey was all the way in which right down to Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales for mountain climbing and boat excursions round Patagonia.
I used to say that LATAM will practically all the time offer you a superior flying expertise for those who select them over their American counterparts flying to South America, however their common economic system choices have gotten extra cramped and United has upped its recreation fairly a bit, so it may be a toss-up now between these two behind the aircraft.
Within the entrance they’re fairly good although and this airline usually wins awards. For six years in a row as I write this, they’ve gained “finest airline in South America” within the annual Skytrax survey, which is essentially the most revered one on the market, based mostly on person opinions. Additionally they acquired accolades for his or her employees and have been referred to as out for his or her glorious lie-flat enterprise class seats with doorways and a premium economic system part that’s higher than most.
LATAM took place with the merger in 2012 of Lan Airways of Chile and Tam airways of Brazil. (To not be confused with Tame — pronounced TAH-may — the principle airline of Ecuador.) The airline flies to 65 locations in 26 international locations, together with all the way in which to Australia and New Zealand. They fly to six US locations and a pair of Mexican ones, plus Costa Rica in Central America and seven international locations in Europe.
Moreover the in depth worldwide routes, additionally they function strong home routes in a number of international locations.
Based mostly in Chile, they’ve round 300 planes and still have hubs in Lima and Sao Paulo. You’ll usually find yourself stopping in a type of on the way in which to Chile for those who’re headed there, so issue that into your plans. It’s a plus in case you are stopping off, not so nice if it simply lengthens the time it takes to get to the place you’re going and has you sitting round in the midst of the night time.
On the Airplane in South America
The primary draw back of LATAM is obvious for those who’re sitting behind the aircraft. Even on a long-haul flight, the economic system seat pitch has been squeezed to the purpose the place it appears like a home funds airline flight on the likes of Allegiant or Viva Aerobus. In accordance with the seat maps you could find on-line, you often solely get 31 inches when the seats will not be reclined, regardless of seats that aren’t very thick and have a carve-out design to slot in extra of them. Then when the individual in entrance of you leans again, that individual is virtually in your lap.
If you happen to bump it as much as premium economic system, you’ll get 35 inches, which doesn’t precisely really feel beneficiant. Enterprise class can differ extensively however the latest configuration is greater than double that, at 75 inches, with lie-flat set-ups for sleeping.
That is a type of airways that makes use of a 3X3X3 configuration in economic system too, which implies one-third extra center seats to get caught in than on an airline that makes use of a 2X4X2 possibility. I managed to keep away from that, however extra of my flights have been full than not, so it’s a severe consideration, particularly for a pair who can’t sit collectively with out one of many two being in a center seat.
On the plus aspect, my flights had an important seat-back leisure system with a 15-inch display screen and a wide array of films, together with present releases and classics. There was music I may take heed to if I needed, video games to play, and an ongoing map of the place we have been on the globe. The airline acquired the nod for “Greatest Inflight Leisure in South America” on the newest version of the Airline Passenger Expertise Affiliation (APEX) Awards.
Meals have been simply so-so, sufficient to maintain us refueled however nothing they served was memorable. Right here’s one instance beneath and I can’t even bear in mind what it was. Some sort of meat, rice, and an apple pastry dessert. They did serve wine with dinner although and the service was pleasant. Kudos to LATAM for not utilizing a lot plastic as many rivals: the consuming utensils have been product of bamboo.
In my expertise, service on the planes was a lot better than outdoors them. Verify-in and boarding have been usually chaotic and in Lima the gate brokers confiscated all of the bottles of water individuals had simply purchased (regardless of the actual fact they didn’t serve a lot on the upcoming flight.) Naturally you’re going to have a neater time of it if holding a enterprise class ticket, particularly if checking a bag on the counter.
Home LATAM Flights
Based mostly in Chile and Brazil, the airline is strongest in these two international locations, however additionally they cowl many different international locations in South America.
Chile: 19 locations stretching from the Atacama Desert right down to Tierra del Fuego in southern Patagonia.
Brazil: Over the previous decade, connections right here have doubled from 12 to 24 locations and the home flights throughout the nation might be fairly a deal in that market, which is extra aggressive than most.
Argentina: Their protection right here has dropped through the years and is now simply to the 4 largest cities within the northern half of the nation. For no matter motive, there’s no connection between Chile and Argentina inside Patagonia on this airline or the Argentine one.
Peru: 18 routes in Peru hitting the vacationer and enterprise locations all through.
Ecuador: a smaller footprint right here serves 3 mainland cities plus the Galapagos Islands.
Colombia: competing on Avianca’s residence turf, LATAM serves 13 cities by way of Bogota and inner flights are a deal.
LATAM additionally flies to Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia.
See the total route breakdown right here.
Worldwide Locations for LATAM
This airline has gotten bigger and extra bold through the years and now has a powerful variety of worldwide flights, together with ones stretching to Australia and Europe.
North America: at the moment flying to extra 8 North American locations, with flight choices together with New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Mexico Metropolis.
Europe: flying to locations in Portugal, Spain, Italy France, Germany, UK, and Netherlands.
Africa, New Zealand and Australia: one flight connects Brazil with South Africa, which is able to go each day in April 2019. Different routes join Chile with new Zealand and two Australian cities.
There are a number of useless spots on that route within the Americas. In some circumstances you may be higher off flying on Copa Airways, Avianca, and even Aeromexico, particularly for Central America.
Enterprise Class on LATAM
You’ll get correctly pampered on long-haul flights with this airline, together with lie-flat mattress seats, good meals, and a famend wine choice. Costs are sometimes the identical or higher than with U.S. airways and since LATAM has frequently improved its service within the entrance of the aircraft (not like its South American rivals), that is often your finest guess within the area.
The expertise can differ significantly relying on the aircraft and configuration although. You’d usually beforehand get 2 X 2 X 2 seating, which left singles sitting subsequent to somebody they didn’t know. Now they’ve remedied that with a 1 X 2 X 2 set-up that’s extra normal throughout the trade they usually’re the primary in Latin America to put in partitions and doorways within the latest design to supply extra privateness. (Although sadly, for those who’ve acquired a large physique, the seats appeared awfully slim to me in individual and do on this official airline photograph beneath too.)
The set-up is usually not as uniform because it appears above although so decide your seat rigorously. Some aisle ones are shut collectively for {couples}, others sit subsequent to the aisle. A few of the window ones are up in opposition to the outside of the plane whereas others have their further area there.
These Boeing Dreamliner set-ups are getting favorable opinions general although and that’s good for North Individuals since that is what you’ll get now if flying from the USA or Mexico. You’ll get an 18-inch media display screen, a number of charging shops, an amenity package that’s well-stocked, and full meals with Chilean wine (two whites, two reds) and different choices.
There’s a whole lot of data on the corporate web site concerning the biz class choices, together with video, seat configurations, and meal menus.
What’s the LATAM Airline Alliance Scenario?
LATAM was once a part of the OneWorld alliance, so you can earn or use these miles right here with the identical partnership that features American Airways, Qantas, British Air, and others. On considered one of my flights final decade, I used to be ready to make use of my AAdvantage miles to guide all the way in which to Salta.
Sadly, the scenario has gotten much more restricted since then. LATAM is just not a associate with any worldwide alliance now due to an funding from Delta that voided the opposite association. They didn’t be part of Skyteam although, as a substitute forging singular alliances with Delta and Alaska Air.
So now there’s a blended patchwork of companions, a few of them within the OneWorld alliance, a few of them not. Probably the most notable ones for North America are Delta, Alaska, and Aeromexico.
I did earn Delta factors from my flights, however a somewhat paltry quantity regardless of the gap and a number of segments because it’s based mostly on value paid and fare class, not how lengthy you have been within the aircraft or how far you went. So with all my legs of going from Los Angeles to the underside of South America and again, 4 separate flights on the way in which again, I acquired a grand complete of seven,875 factors. Clearly you’ll get nearer to a free flight a lot quicker for those who’re utilizing the Amex bank card.
Redemptions are a greater deal although, with some fliers reporting that they acquired a enterprise class ticket between the USA and Chile for as little as 40K miles a method, a real discount. If you happen to work it out proper, that might embrace a stopover in Lima or Santiago as properly. That bank card above is providing a 50K signup bonus proper now, in order that could possibly be sufficient to get you to Patagonia or Atacama.
Verify the corporate web site at www.latam.com for frequent sale promotions and test costs in opposition to others at Skyscanner. More often than not, the LATAM costs are suitable or higher, particularly within the entrance of the aircraft.
