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TRAVEL | When flying from Lima to Santiago there are a few options to consider. One of the most popular airlines in the region is LATAM, and they offer several daily flights on the route. I recently flew from Lima to Santiago in LATAM’s Economy cabin, on an Airbus A320 (“A320”).
Check In
Online check in is available between 48 hours and 2 hours before your flight departure and is easily done using LATAM’s website on either a computer or phone/tablet. You can choose a seat if you haven’t done so already and note how many bags you need to check in, if any.
Unfortunately if you do have checked luggage you still need to go to the check in counter to drop your bags off as LATAM doesn’t currently have any luggage tag terminals and automated bag drop counters. If you don’t have any luggage to check in and you haven’t been able to check in to your flight online, there are check in terminals at the airport which can save you from having to line up at the check in counter.
Luggage
Checked luggage is included with all LATAM Economy tickets when flying within South America. You’re allowed to check in one bag up to 23kg, and a carry-on bag up to 8kg.
Service
I was happy with the service on this flight, and all LATAM cabin crew on this flight that I dealt with spoke fluent Spanish and English. Boarding went smoothly and there weren’t any issues. Staff were friendly and efficient.
Cabin
The LATAM Economy cabin on the A320 that flies from Santiago to Lima features 180 seats, in a 3-3 layout. There are enough flight attendants around so getting the attention of someone should you need assistance isn’t an issue. Colour wise it’s white and blue with a few flourishes of red, keeping in line with LATAM’s branding. When it comes to cleanliness, everything nice and clean.
Seat
The leather seat has dimensions of about 76cm x 45cm – about standard for a domestic economy cabin when flying this distance (the flight is 3 hours and 45 minutes).
There are small armrests, and a leather pocket sleeve at the back of the seat in front to place a few things. It’s a spacious enough sleeve, however in flight information and magazines are stored in it too which takes up a bit of space. There’s not much space to get work done with the tray down if you’ve got a laptop, but for a tablet sized device it’s possible to get some productive stuff done.
Depending on the age/configuration of the A320 you get, you may or may not get USB and mains charging. I was on an older plane which did not have these features but the earlier flight I had taken that day from Cartagena to Lima did have them.
Entertainment
There’s no in seat entertainment but you can download LATAM’s ‘Play’ app for mobile, tablet, and laptop. If features over 80 movies, along with television programmes, music, games and apps, all of which rotate regularly to ensure that the content remains fresh and current. It’s not as extensive as LATAM’s full in-seat entertainment offering on longer flights but it does the trick for a short flight like this. The content is a mixture of English language entertainment and content from across Latin America.
Unfortunately for those who can only read English, VAMOS, the in-flight magazine, is almost entirely in Spanish and Portuguese.
Food
For an international flight of this length (under 4 hours), a full meal service isn’t offered. What you get is Juan Valdez or Suplicy premium coffee along with a muffin, a sandwich selection, and various snack and beverage options. Given the hour of day we opted to skip eating and instead tried to get as much sleep as we could.
Amenities
Beyond the usual blanket, eye mask and pillow that’s on your seat when you first board, there aren’t any additional amenities provided in Economy class.
Verdict
The flight was perfectly acceptable for a sub 4 hour international flight, with the quality of the cabin and level of service meeting expectations.