LATAM Airlines

On a 3hour 30 minute LATAM flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, departing at 1pm (1 hour late) you'd expect something reasonable to eat for lunch. Wrong. We were handed a small cardboard box containing a very small packet of savory biscuits, a sweet biscuit and a chocolate biscuit. Plus a choice of coffe, tea, juice or water. Absolutely appalling and no nutrition.

✅ Verified Review | Sao Paulo to Belem. LATAM at Sao Paulo Guarulhos is now offering self-tag machines. I shall not say "offering". They compel everyone to use them, and staff has not been well trained. You are strongly instructed to do. No smile, no explanations. Therefore you should expect shorter lines for dropping. Lines are huge, because they already closed many check-in stations. It took me more than 45mn to drop a single luggage. They also decided that Rimowa and Louis Vuitton bags should be dropped in a special place as they are "very expensive items in case of damage". The whole process was crazy. A321 is a high density aircraft now, with small pitch. I paid R$30,00 for emergency exit, with a lot of space. I should not be allowed to do so, as I am older than 60 and they refuse 60 years old people on emergency exits. As far as I paid, they did not check my age. Food was a courtesy very tiny sandwich, with no other option for a >3hours flight.

✅ Verified Review | Sao Paulo to Lima with LATAM. In this relatively short trip of 5 hours the only good thing about business class is the lie flat seat, although it is in a 2-2-2 configuration and very old. Apart from that, everything else was really poor as seems to be the case with LATAM business class lately. They only served a ridiculous breakfast, with very inattentive attendants that simply disappeared after 1h 30min of the flight. Horrible food, poor service, small IFE. Truly below par. Only choose it if you favor the seat, otherwise you will be better off saving your money.

✅ Verified Review | Lima to Sao Paulo. This flight is operated with a plane from original LAN and not TAM. Despite that, the same problems on the incoming flight were repeated. The service was poorer with a economy-class style breakfast served and absolutely nothing else during the flight. Attendants are not courteous and seem to be serving you as a favor. Apart from the lie-flat (narrow and dated), the flight just looks like an economy-class trip.

✅ Verified Review | We flew from BWI to Juliaca, with the flights split between OneWorld partners LATAM and American Airlines. The comparison was not a good one for American. The LATAM planes were so much cleaner, more comfortable, and up to date. The LATAM seats were better, with more legroom. and seat back entertainment systems. The staff was pleasant and helpful. Even the bathrooms were cleaner! One thing we really appreciated was that LATAM gave priority check-in and boarding to senior citizens, along with people with small children and disabled folks. I don't know how often we will fly to South America, but I would definitely fly LATAM again.

✅ Verified Review | First time flying LATAM after the merger was completed, well I can tell the service has skydived, crew are now too impersonal and can look shabby at times, on board service is very basic for the price paid, well they have changed a lot and it seems they are preparing to enter a low cost type of service, soon food will be purchased on board according to one of the cabin staff. Well in Brazil sadly we don't have much options. On the positive note, the planes are new and clean and they leave on time more than ever now.

Whilst I was courting BA on this route something magical happened to cabin crew of TAM Brazil. This was my second trip with Latam this year and the staff attitude could not have been friendlier and more helpful. No more standing back and letting passengers fight for locker space or argue about mistaken seat numbers. Crew welcomed and assisted passengers and remined courteous and friendly during what is still limited contacts with passengers. The old habit of early boarding and a fast pace meal service remains along with the crew exodous to the beverage bar for most of the flight. The B777 which doesnt seem to have been on this route so long is now getting tired. Dinner was a decent offering in both directions and although there is not a designated Bar service as such I managed a couple of glasses of half decent red. The small goodie bag of socks pen and toothbrush are no more and not a snack to be seen during the 11 hour flight. Film selections not too up to date but I selected two each way. All in all, boarded, flew and got off rather like an extended coach trip. Not too bad an option in the light of pretty ordinary airlines on the London - Latin America route.

✅ Verified Review | London Heathrow to Sao Paulo with LATAM. It was my second return trip this year on this route. Both journeys were consistent, and in a good way. Their boarding starts about an hour before departure for all classes, which speeds up departure times. The business class cabin does have a seven-abreast configuration (2-3-2) and I certainly wouldn’t want to be a passenger in the middle of the three in the centre. Luckily, I had a window seat (1A outbound and 2K inbound). The seat is comfortable, the food courses are served all at once on one tray (which is a let-down for business class) and the cabin crew is very efficient. The seat isn’t fully flat, but despite being 6ft 5ins in height, I was able to get about 6 hours of sleep in both directions. The Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit given out provides everything so get through the flight, and the toilets are kept very clean (for walking around in slipper socks). The LATAM lounge in Sao Paulo is exceptional for food, drink, showers, space and comfort, and better than many other airlines. LATAM could do with a flat-bed seat in business class, but they are really leading the way in lounges and this airline should be watched with interest as they consolidate into one brand.

Check-in: Outbound the domestic and international terminals merge together (at least for LATAM/LAN). There was no business desk we could find so we joined the long (and heavily laden) queue at the dedicated Isla de Pascua desks. Around counter 46. Arrive at least two hours before the flight for peace of mind. Inbound Easter Island airport is tiny, and after checking in there's the option to head to the airport bar or to the less busy Piroto restobar outside the airport and just down the road (opposite the car park). Terminal: There is no lounge access for Premium Business travellers (despite hints on the website) as this is a domestic flight (and no lounge at Easter Island). Product: The Dreamliner is excellent and the business class seats are very comfortable and spacious, with a great entertainment system (we later travelled on the same plane in economy for two hours and thought that experience was also fine). Despite having the app I could not connect to the entertainment via this on any LATAM flight. Food: On the way out we got breakfast after take off and a snack before landing. On the way back we got a main meal after take off. The food was good as were the wines (though slightly less premium than their international flights). Service: On both legs the crew were superb and very attentive, if a little more formal than you would find on BA/Qantas. They expertely crawled and retrieved an iPhone that had slipped behind the flat bed seat (happens on every flight). Baggage: At Easter Island it was a massive scrum with priority bags out at the same time as the rest, on the return it was far more civilised with priority bags first.

✅ Verified Review | Flew LATAM Airlines from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janiero. The queue on check in was very long and it took an hour to check in. One of the most reliable airlines in Brazil, I was impressed with the hospitality and cleanliness on board. However the seat pitch is one of the worst I have seen and is extremely tight. Drinks are served on longer flights of 3 hours (taken previously to Recife) along with a non-vegetarian snack with no options to select anything vegetarian. On the short run to Rio, a box with water, biscuits and a chocolate was handed out. The most alarming issue is that while flight attendants speak English, all announcements on board are made in Brazilian Portuguese which made me worried - what language will these airlines make announcements in during emergencies? Therefore, I will prefer to fly local airlines that make announcements in English as well.