My wife and are are planning to use AS miles to go from SAN to Santiago (SCL?) in late January and return in mid Feb from Rio de Janeiro to SAN. Using LAN cost less miles than taking AA. We are planning business class flights. Depending on our routing, we expect a leg out of SAN may be C, but would expect business the rest of the way. Are we wasting our miles booking "in business"? I'm 235, 6' and prefer larger seating...wife is nearly 1/2 that size, but she still is use to 1st, from our working days, and really seems somewhat alergic to C.
Never flown LAN. Early this year we went on Iberian for the first time and were delighted.
Thank you. The choice is, using AS miles (if award available) an open jaw on LAN for about 70,000 or on AA (again with AS miles) 90,000 (each).
The Lan flight out of SAN seem to be SAN to LAX (on a Embaer RJ140) then on a 767 to Lima, then on a 767 to SCL. Similar on the way back from Rio De Janiero (flight for a cruise), Rio to SCL to LAX to SAN. Lots of plane changes and therefore potential problems. It is overnight and therefore the time is less important.
OR take AA to DFW or ORD (their choice, not mine...or worse) then to SCL. Simplier route (altough seem out of the way). Costs the additional miles.
Do not know which to try for first. May not have a choice. Will attempt to book 8/19 if all goes well. Cruise wants $2100 pp, plus whatevers in coach, with unknown carrier and route. Thought we would use our miles while, and if, we can.
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Only God does not have to travel
Thank you. The choice is, using AS miles (if award available) an open jaw on LAN for about 70,000 or on AA (again with AS miles) 90,000 (each).
The Lan flight out of SAN seem to be SAN to LAX (on a Embaer RJ140) then on a 767 to Lima, then on a 767 to SCL. Similar on the way back from Rio De Janiero (flight for a cruise), Rio to SCL to LAX to SAN. Lots of plane changes and therefore potential problems. It is overnight and therefore the time is less important.
OR take AA to DFW or ORD (their choice, not mine...or worse) then to SCL. Simplier route (altough seem out of the way). Costs the additional miles.
Do not know which to try for first. May not have a choice. Will attempt to book 8/19 if all goes well. Cruise wants $2100 pp, plus whatevers in coach, with unknown carrier and route. Thought we would use our miles while, and if, we can.
As mentioned above, LAN's product on the 763s is good. The only question is whether you want to burn the extra 20,000 miles to cut out a stop and avoid the backtrack (about 2000 miles) to SCL on the way home (I'm assuming AA is GRU-DFW-SAN).
We have 3 LAN flights as part of a DONE5 affected by this change. One was originally operated by a 763, but now all 3 flights are 319/320, and we've been downgraded to economy on all of them.
The odd thing is that, although no business class booking codes are showing in the flight availability, the economy cabin starts at row 4, and at least ExpertFlyer does generate a business class seat map (J) for rows 1-3.
Also, they seem to have introduced a "W" booking code ahead of economy (perhaps premium economy?) which also produces the same seat map as "J" (rows 1-3). Odd thing is that there are no W fares offered, but J fares are offered, but can't be booked in J.
I am hoping that this is just a transitional period until LAN figures out what they're doing, and that business class or premium economy (in a separate cabin) are coming back to intra South America flights.
This blog (in Spanish only), talks about LAN's new Premium Economy class in the first 3 rows of the cabin. Starting on Sept. 15 on flights between SCL and EZE, GYE, UIO, LIM, GRU, MVD and between LIM and UIO, BOG, MDE, GRU. It seems to have the same benefits as business class (lounge access, preferential check-in, bonus miles, separate catering, 2? dedicated flight attendants.)
So the question is, for those of us on DONEx or AONEx tickets, how do we get booked in "W" class?
This will make qualifying for Comodoro status via the fast track method very difficult. You used to be able to do it on one DONEX (50000 miles=80000kms + COS bonus of 20000kms) with 4 D Class intra-SA flights and 2 NA-SA flights.
Accumulating 90.000 kilometers with a minimum of 6 medium or long haul segments in LAN's Business or First Class.
Valid kilometers are accumulated either by flying in LAN or oneworld and/or through bonus kilometers for flying in LAN's Business or First Class.
Business or First Class must take place in LAN, within tariffs and routes that allow kilometer accumulation and must comprise at least 6 segments.
Business or First Class flights must be medium or long haul , according to LANPASS' definition.
The goal must be reached between January 1 and December 31 of each year.
Once the goal has been reached, the awarded category shall be given within a maximum period of approximately 2 weeks after the qualifying date.
This blog (in Spanish only), talks about LAN's new Premium Economy class in the first 3 rows of the cabin. Starting on Sept. 15 on flights between SCL and EZE, GYE, UIO, LIM, GRU, MVD and between LIM and UIO, BOG, MDE, GRU. It seems to have the same benefits as business class (lounge access, preferential check-in, bonus miles, separate catering, 2? dedicated flight attendants.)
So the question is, for those of us on DONEx or AONEx tickets, how do we get booked in "W" class?
This is very interesting because originally, this service was supposed to be called 'Business Express' which quickly disappeared from their webpage, some time ago. I hope they expand this on longer flights within Chile, too.
There must be some subversive reason it went from "Business light" to "Economy More"
So basically, they took the J D I buckets out, rebooked everyone in Economy. Then they added W, but left everyone who was originally in Business, back in Economy. I was able to get myself rebooked to W on paid flights (DONE5), but no idea what will happen to anyone on award tickets.
In Sep 06, I had a D-class ticket on a GRU-SCL flight who turned into a full economy flight. To compensate, LAN gave me a voucher of USD 850 in cash or USD 1300 for future tickets with them.
So basically, they took the J D I buckets out, rebooked everyone in Economy. Then they added W, but left everyone who was originally in Business, back in Economy. I was able to get myself rebooked to W on paid flights (DONE5), but no idea what will happen to anyone on award tickets.
Pretty disgraceful behaviour by LA, but not a huge surprise (sadly). The Y+ product shamelessly borrows from BA Club Europe: the benefits are all weighted in favour of the carrier, rather than the passenger -- putting a table in the middle allows Y seating, with the table put in or taken out depending on loads. As well as downgrading pre-booked premium pax, it's an opportunity over the fuller term to downscale the overall product: cheaper food / drink etc.
Update in respect of my tickets I have, after much chasing up, been rebooked into premium economy.
1) DONE4 - no compensation for the invol downgrade. No options.
2) Other tickets - after much chasing up I have been given 2 options
a) Cancel for full refund (I had that right anyway with my fare basis)
b) Request a voucher for the difference between fare paid and current fare in the downgraded class. In my case this is less than $30 and not worth the paper it is written on. The request may or may not be approved. Good grief.
Customer service is sorely lacking. Each person I spoke with could only deal with a tiny bit of the process and required me to call another number to do the next step. I've lost count of the number of times I got no answer, or got cut off.
Looks like I need to find another airline to fly to & within South America.
