LadyBell

Hello!

Im thinking about flying the AKL - SYD leg on LA801.
But ice read allt about frequent delays and cancellations, Ineas sondering IG anyone had some recept information regarding that.
I Will fly into AKl from Europe and arrive around midnight and then spend the night at the AirPort and getting an early flight to SYD.
If on time or just slightly delayed LA801 is a Good choice. However the irregularity rumours are scaring me.

* When does check in open? (I'll be waiting landside since midnight)
* Lounge in AKL for J pax?
* Do Latam have ground straff and handling? Or do you check in with Qantas?
* IF cancelled, How soon is that announcement made?
* IF cancelled Will I be transferred free of charge to another carrier the same day? Still in J class or Y?
* What is service like in J? Hot breakfast? multiple choice? Good IfE ?
Best seat for solo traveller?
* Any point of advice, or Recomendations?

Thank you very much!

FairDinkumMate

According to flight tracker http://www.flightstats.com/go/Flight...irportCode=SYD it seems to be OK.

There's a Cathay Pacific lounge but it only opens 4:30am - 3pm

Ground staff are Qantas.

The flight is rarely cancelled (less than 1%), but if it is, it would normally be advised VERY early as it would be cancelled by the flight not leaving Santiago 12 hours earlier!

If cancelled you would be put on another flight in J(if available), same day.

LadyBell

Thank you!

I read that usually they just cancel the AKL-SyD-AKL sector to make up for delays on the SCL-AKL-SCL service
My flight is not until October

Am I allowed in the CX lounge? Or just the Qantas lounge? Anyone know when check in and Security open to go Airisde?

Thank u

PrimaVista

I flew BGO-LHR-SIN-SYD-AKL and return last month.

SYD-AKL in J: after sitting in the QF F Lounge for hours, there started a rolling delay on the LA800.
Finally, after 4 hours, it was announced that Latam had cancelled the flight.
Everyone had to proceed to the gate, then go back through Arrivals into Immigration.
Big problem: passengers in transit did not have AUS Visas, so we had to hang around for another hour like the stars of "Nothing to declare" whilst we were issued with Visas.
We then had to collect our luggage and proceed back upstairs to check-in, by which time we were at the back of a very long queue and no priority for J or status pax.
Latam decided, in their wisdom, that no-one travelling just to AKL would be travelling that day and we would have to find our own hotel accommodation; only, Adele was performing in SYD that night and there wasn't a single room available.
Tempers were running high.
Finally, a helping hand was extended by Qantas (Thea was her name) who took us under her wing and confronted Latam about the shambles.
Bottom line was, Latam didn't want the cost of re-ticketing passengers onto other carriers.
Kudos to Qantas for their help (we were on BA -125 stock).
With their help and involvement, we did finally get put on NZ108 just minutes before the flight closed, arriving in AKL after midnight and 8 hours late; not good after 28 hours travel prior.

The return on LA801 was uneventful and on time.

However, Latam have not credited us with Avios or TPs to BAEC for either of their sectors (Original Mileage Credit requested for the cancelled flight and a request for the 801 have been submitted).

Going back in May and again in November. On the experience of this trip, we've changed our SYD-AKL-SYD sectors to Qantas (n.b. if you do the same and want to avoid Latam, make sure you don't get QF321 and 322, as they are codeshares on Latam)

FairDinkumMate

Whenever I'm flying LA800, I always track LA801 out of SCL. I've had it cancel once on me because it was 6 hours late into AKL. Knowing this in advance helped me to make sure I was put on an alternative flight early!