FLIGHT#35 LAN#814 Santiago-Easter Island 767 Biz with Pics
Jun 7, 2011, 8:52 am
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2000
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FLIGHT#35 LAN#814 Santiago-Easter Island 767 Biz with Pics
FLIGHT#35
LAN #814
Santiago, Chile (SCL) – Easter Island, Chile (IPC)
Date: May 3, 2011
Departure 09:10
Arrival: 13:00
Length: 04:40
Miles flown since start of trip: 68,971 mi.
Aircraft: Boeing 767 (CC-CXG)
Seats: BUSINESS 4ACD
One of the highlights for our round-the-world trip was our visit to Easter Island. About five hours off the coast of Chile, it is far from anything. The nearest island is 2200 km away and it is uninhabited. It is the southernmost corner of the triangle that makes up Polynesia with the other corners being New Zealand and Hawaii. LAN is the only carrier with scheduled flights although other airlines like Qantas and Air France run charter flights there in the high season. We booked the ticket using two of the sixteen segments of our Oneworld six continent Explorer ticket. They fly the route with a 767 with fully horizontal seats in Business. Yeah! In fact is it LAN’s only domestic route in Chile with Business class.
We arrived at the airport the evening before on an Air Canada flight from Buenos Aires. You can view the trip report here:
FLIGHT#34 Air Canada#412 Buenos Aires - Santiago 767 Biz with Pics
We spent the night at the super convenient Holiday Inn located sixty feet from the airport arrival hall. The price was a bit high at $200 but location, location, location. Corbin and I tried to use the pool and Jacuzzi but they were closed for repairs. Instead we used the dry sauna. Corbin has decided that we should have a sauna in our future house. I will get right on that!
CHECK-IN:
LAN allows online check-in starting at 48 hours before departure. Unfortunately it did not work for me. I would get all the way to seat selection before it would get stuck. I tried Firefox, Safari, Mac and PC with no success. Luckily we had pre-selected our seats so I was not too worried. We have had varying success in doing online check-in with our RTW ticket.
We checked out of our hotel and quickly were at the departures hall. We walked up and down looking for the Business Class check-in but found nothing. At one point we were directed to desks 35-39 where the Isla de Pasqua flight was checking in. When we got there we asked if there was a separate Business Class check-in. No. Also he sent me away to the self-service machines half way down the hall. There was a line to use the machines and finally when I put in our information, it told me that I needed to see a Customer Service Agent. Ugh. So we walked back to the check-in area and I explained that I couldn’t check in at the machine. He allowed me to join the long line of passengers waiting to check-in. He confirmed that there was no separate queue for Business class passengers.
Unfortunately, our agent wasn’t very friendly. I asked why there wasn’t a separate Business Class queue and she simple said she did not know. She then asked if I had checked in online. I explained that I tried but it never completed the check-in. This seems to cause her distress. I then asked if we could move from 2ACD to 4ACD because I saw online that 2E was currently occupied. Also the entire row 4 was empty. I asked if 4E was occupied and she said no. So I asked that we be changed to 4ACD. This threw her for a loop. It was a fifteen minute process to get the seats changed and she needed the help of two different people. After ten minutes I told her not to bother but she persisted.
She tagged my bag and just as she was sending it away I asked if LAN uses the Priority tags. She answered yes and she pushed the button to send off my bag without the tag. At this point I was beginning to get frustrated. She managed to put the Priority tags on the other two bags without any prompting.
THE UNLOUNGE:
When she gave us our boarding passes, I asked where the lounge was located. She said there is no lounge in the domestic departure area! WHAT? I figured out later that the reason that the ground services for Business Class passengers is so bad was that the Easter Island flights are the only domestic flights with Business Class. Their system just wasn’t set up for offering any special services because there are so few passengers. I do not agree with this decision but at least understand it. I found it ironic that we passed a shared Salon VIP right after security. Why doesn’t LAN put the eighteen C class passengers in there?
All of us were hungry so we found a little caf and had eggs and sandwiches. I knew that it would be a while before we had our breakfast on board. I was in a much better mood after I ate. The whole LAN experience so far had been a disaster. At least we knew that a great flat seat was waiting for us on board.
BOARDING:
When we got to the gate I was happy to see that they offered Priority Boarding. They never explained who qualified for Priority Boarding but I knew that their Business Class passengers would definitely qualify.
A flight attendant greeted us at the door and we all were impressed with the cabin. It was spacious and each seat had lots of room. Many other people have written rave reports about their hard product. Once we got settled, I played with the seat making sure it worked perfectly. I liked that it provided a nice compartment for my shoes.
A little amenity bag was passed out. It was a bit strange because it looked like a cloth shopping bag. Inside was a toothbrush set, pen, ear plugs and socks. They also offered water or orange juice but no champers.
The irony of getting our seats changed back to row 4 from row 2 was that indeed 4E was occupied and 2E wasn’t! It seems like the check-in agent was trying to mess with me. Business class was pretty full with only three free seats.
IN-FLIGHT SERVICE:
Beautiful menus showed that we had an option of cold cuts, cheese, cereal and yogurt or an omelet with mushrooms and tomatoes. Both selections also came with a simple fresh fruit salad and warm rolls. I had a nice cup of chamomile tea which always is soothing. Corbin liked the cold breakfast and my omelet was great. The mushrooms were delicious.
A blurry cold breakfast
The mushroom and tomato omelet
The interesting thing was that after the one beverage service during the meal, no other beverages were offered during this almost five hour flight. At one point I went up to the galley and asked for a white wine. He poured about 2 cm in a small glass and handed it to me. I could easily drink it in one swallow!
I would describe the service as cold and distant throughout the flight. I went up and got my family glasses of water several times because I always like them to stay hydrated. My requests were met but no warmth was attempted.
The entertainment system “in” offered many movies and TV. Lately I have just been watching my own stuff on my laptop but the screen was a decent size so I watched their offerings. It is easy to use and I would definitely say it is above average.
SEAT:
I give their fully horizontal seat very good marks. I found it very comfortable in the both the seated and bed positions. I asked for an extra duvet to put underneath me which always helps to smooth out all the bumps of the seat. It also makes it feel more like a bed with a sheet underneath. Several times on Cathay Pacific’s previous First Class seat I would put three or four duvets under me if the load was light.
LANDING:
The seatbelt sign came on and after a few more minutes the island was visible out the left side of the plane. Luckily we were on that side and we got many great photos as we descended.
Our first glimpse of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
You can see the island isn’t very big
A view of the west end of the island
One of the few sand beaches on the island
Approaching the only city and the airport
We didn’t really park at a gate. Instead we just sort of stopped kind of near the small terminal building. Airstairs arrived and as soon as the door was opened, a gush of warm tropical air greeted us! Santiago was really cold. We loved being back in warmland again. I felt like I was arriving on “Fantasy Island”, the TV show that came on after “The Love Boat” in the late seventies.
An old-fashion airstairs arrival
Walking towards the Easter Island International Terminal
This airport is small. It only has one “gate”. A small trio played local music to greet us. Each of us had huge smiles on our faces. The baggage hall was really small. It took over twenty minutes before the first tractor arrived with some bags. Unfortunately, the container with the crew and priority bags didn’t arrive for another ten minutes. We could see only one guy offloading all the bags from the big 767. Things didn’t go fast. We were now on “island time”. Ironically, the bag without the Priority tag arrived first.
We booked into a hotel recommended by Loney Planet. A representative was waiting for us as we got our bags. And our adventure on Easter Island was beginning!!
OVERALL:
The experience of flying LAN to Easter Island was disappointing. The ground services in Santiago were shocking. The in-flight service was also sub-par. At least the seat and meal were good. And the island fly-by at the end was spectacular.
We have five more flights on LAN in Business on their 767 so let’s hope they improve and this was just bad luck.
Previous reports in this year of travel:
My Son’s Fifth Grade Year, 97,737 miles, 40 flights, 6 continents, 16 countries
FLIGHT#34 Air Canada#412 Buenos Aires - Santiago 767 Biz with Pics
FLIGHT#32: Emirates A380 First Class AKL-SYD
FLIGHT#31: Emirates #412 A380 First Class SYD-AKL Shower Pics/Video
FLIGHT#28: QF32 A380 Biz Class & QF/CX SIN Lounges with photos
FLIGHT#27: Five OW Lounges & JL 719 NRT-SIN Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#23: BKK CX/QF/BA Lounges CX751 BKK-DEL Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#26: Delhi Green Lounge & JL 740 Business Class with photos
FLIGHT#22: SGN International Sasco Lounge & TG 551 Business Class with photos
FLIGHT#20: SGN Dom Sasco Lounge, VN452 SGN-NHA Biz Class and Sheraton Nha Trang
FLIGHT#19: BKK Royal First Lounge & LH772 BKK-SGN in First Class with photos
FLIGHT#18: TG242 KBV-BKK in Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#17: TG245 BKK-KVG in Biz Class with Photos
FLIGHT#16: THE CABIN & CX751 HKG-BKK in Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#15: CX748 JNB-HKG Biz Class with photos
LAN #814
Santiago, Chile (SCL) – Easter Island, Chile (IPC)
Date: May 3, 2011
Departure 09:10
Arrival: 13:00
Length: 04:40
Miles flown since start of trip: 68,971 mi.
Aircraft: Boeing 767 (CC-CXG)
Seats: BUSINESS 4ACD
One of the highlights for our round-the-world trip was our visit to Easter Island. About five hours off the coast of Chile, it is far from anything. The nearest island is 2200 km away and it is uninhabited. It is the southernmost corner of the triangle that makes up Polynesia with the other corners being New Zealand and Hawaii. LAN is the only carrier with scheduled flights although other airlines like Qantas and Air France run charter flights there in the high season. We booked the ticket using two of the sixteen segments of our Oneworld six continent Explorer ticket. They fly the route with a 767 with fully horizontal seats in Business. Yeah! In fact is it LAN’s only domestic route in Chile with Business class.
We arrived at the airport the evening before on an Air Canada flight from Buenos Aires. You can view the trip report here:
FLIGHT#34 Air Canada#412 Buenos Aires - Santiago 767 Biz with Pics
We spent the night at the super convenient Holiday Inn located sixty feet from the airport arrival hall. The price was a bit high at $200 but location, location, location. Corbin and I tried to use the pool and Jacuzzi but they were closed for repairs. Instead we used the dry sauna. Corbin has decided that we should have a sauna in our future house. I will get right on that!
CHECK-IN:
LAN allows online check-in starting at 48 hours before departure. Unfortunately it did not work for me. I would get all the way to seat selection before it would get stuck. I tried Firefox, Safari, Mac and PC with no success. Luckily we had pre-selected our seats so I was not too worried. We have had varying success in doing online check-in with our RTW ticket.
We checked out of our hotel and quickly were at the departures hall. We walked up and down looking for the Business Class check-in but found nothing. At one point we were directed to desks 35-39 where the Isla de Pasqua flight was checking in. When we got there we asked if there was a separate Business Class check-in. No. Also he sent me away to the self-service machines half way down the hall. There was a line to use the machines and finally when I put in our information, it told me that I needed to see a Customer Service Agent. Ugh. So we walked back to the check-in area and I explained that I couldn’t check in at the machine. He allowed me to join the long line of passengers waiting to check-in. He confirmed that there was no separate queue for Business class passengers.
Unfortunately, our agent wasn’t very friendly. I asked why there wasn’t a separate Business Class queue and she simple said she did not know. She then asked if I had checked in online. I explained that I tried but it never completed the check-in. This seems to cause her distress. I then asked if we could move from 2ACD to 4ACD because I saw online that 2E was currently occupied. Also the entire row 4 was empty. I asked if 4E was occupied and she said no. So I asked that we be changed to 4ACD. This threw her for a loop. It was a fifteen minute process to get the seats changed and she needed the help of two different people. After ten minutes I told her not to bother but she persisted.
She tagged my bag and just as she was sending it away I asked if LAN uses the Priority tags. She answered yes and she pushed the button to send off my bag without the tag. At this point I was beginning to get frustrated. She managed to put the Priority tags on the other two bags without any prompting.
THE UNLOUNGE:
When she gave us our boarding passes, I asked where the lounge was located. She said there is no lounge in the domestic departure area! WHAT? I figured out later that the reason that the ground services for Business Class passengers is so bad was that the Easter Island flights are the only domestic flights with Business Class. Their system just wasn’t set up for offering any special services because there are so few passengers. I do not agree with this decision but at least understand it. I found it ironic that we passed a shared Salon VIP right after security. Why doesn’t LAN put the eighteen C class passengers in there?
All of us were hungry so we found a little caf and had eggs and sandwiches. I knew that it would be a while before we had our breakfast on board. I was in a much better mood after I ate. The whole LAN experience so far had been a disaster. At least we knew that a great flat seat was waiting for us on board.
BOARDING:
When we got to the gate I was happy to see that they offered Priority Boarding. They never explained who qualified for Priority Boarding but I knew that their Business Class passengers would definitely qualify.
A flight attendant greeted us at the door and we all were impressed with the cabin. It was spacious and each seat had lots of room. Many other people have written rave reports about their hard product. Once we got settled, I played with the seat making sure it worked perfectly. I liked that it provided a nice compartment for my shoes.
A little amenity bag was passed out. It was a bit strange because it looked like a cloth shopping bag. Inside was a toothbrush set, pen, ear plugs and socks. They also offered water or orange juice but no champers.
The irony of getting our seats changed back to row 4 from row 2 was that indeed 4E was occupied and 2E wasn’t! It seems like the check-in agent was trying to mess with me. Business class was pretty full with only three free seats.
IN-FLIGHT SERVICE:
Beautiful menus showed that we had an option of cold cuts, cheese, cereal and yogurt or an omelet with mushrooms and tomatoes. Both selections also came with a simple fresh fruit salad and warm rolls. I had a nice cup of chamomile tea which always is soothing. Corbin liked the cold breakfast and my omelet was great. The mushrooms were delicious.
A blurry cold breakfast
The mushroom and tomato omelet
The interesting thing was that after the one beverage service during the meal, no other beverages were offered during this almost five hour flight. At one point I went up to the galley and asked for a white wine. He poured about 2 cm in a small glass and handed it to me. I could easily drink it in one swallow!
I would describe the service as cold and distant throughout the flight. I went up and got my family glasses of water several times because I always like them to stay hydrated. My requests were met but no warmth was attempted.
The entertainment system “in” offered many movies and TV. Lately I have just been watching my own stuff on my laptop but the screen was a decent size so I watched their offerings. It is easy to use and I would definitely say it is above average.
SEAT:
I give their fully horizontal seat very good marks. I found it very comfortable in the both the seated and bed positions. I asked for an extra duvet to put underneath me which always helps to smooth out all the bumps of the seat. It also makes it feel more like a bed with a sheet underneath. Several times on Cathay Pacific’s previous First Class seat I would put three or four duvets under me if the load was light.
LANDING:
The seatbelt sign came on and after a few more minutes the island was visible out the left side of the plane. Luckily we were on that side and we got many great photos as we descended.
Our first glimpse of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
You can see the island isn’t very big
A view of the west end of the island
One of the few sand beaches on the island
Approaching the only city and the airport
We didn’t really park at a gate. Instead we just sort of stopped kind of near the small terminal building. Airstairs arrived and as soon as the door was opened, a gush of warm tropical air greeted us! Santiago was really cold. We loved being back in warmland again. I felt like I was arriving on “Fantasy Island”, the TV show that came on after “The Love Boat” in the late seventies.
An old-fashion airstairs arrival
Walking towards the Easter Island International Terminal
This airport is small. It only has one “gate”. A small trio played local music to greet us. Each of us had huge smiles on our faces. The baggage hall was really small. It took over twenty minutes before the first tractor arrived with some bags. Unfortunately, the container with the crew and priority bags didn’t arrive for another ten minutes. We could see only one guy offloading all the bags from the big 767. Things didn’t go fast. We were now on “island time”. Ironically, the bag without the Priority tag arrived first.
We booked into a hotel recommended by Loney Planet. A representative was waiting for us as we got our bags. And our adventure on Easter Island was beginning!!
OVERALL:
The experience of flying LAN to Easter Island was disappointing. The ground services in Santiago were shocking. The in-flight service was also sub-par. At least the seat and meal were good. And the island fly-by at the end was spectacular.
We have five more flights on LAN in Business on their 767 so let’s hope they improve and this was just bad luck.
Previous reports in this year of travel:
My Son’s Fifth Grade Year, 97,737 miles, 40 flights, 6 continents, 16 countries
FLIGHT#34 Air Canada#412 Buenos Aires - Santiago 767 Biz with Pics
FLIGHT#32: Emirates A380 First Class AKL-SYD
FLIGHT#31: Emirates #412 A380 First Class SYD-AKL Shower Pics/Video
FLIGHT#28: QF32 A380 Biz Class & QF/CX SIN Lounges with photos
FLIGHT#27: Five OW Lounges & JL 719 NRT-SIN Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#23: BKK CX/QF/BA Lounges CX751 BKK-DEL Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#26: Delhi Green Lounge & JL 740 Business Class with photos
FLIGHT#22: SGN International Sasco Lounge & TG 551 Business Class with photos
FLIGHT#20: SGN Dom Sasco Lounge, VN452 SGN-NHA Biz Class and Sheraton Nha Trang
FLIGHT#19: BKK Royal First Lounge & LH772 BKK-SGN in First Class with photos
FLIGHT#18: TG242 KBV-BKK in Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#17: TG245 BKK-KVG in Biz Class with Photos
FLIGHT#16: THE CABIN & CX751 HKG-BKK in Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#15: CX748 JNB-HKG Biz Class with photos
Jun 9, 2011, 8:37 am
#4
Join Date: May 2003
Location: australia
Posts: 438
Just wanted to say love the whole idea of the year of traveling.
Oh and on a side note when you are next at SCL there is a business check in it is at the far left of the terminal same level as the rest of the check in desks if coming from the holiday inn and has its own dedicated passport control. Its not well sign posted at all, but I too had the same issue trying to find the business class check in.
Also the lounge issue to IPC can only really be solved if you if you happen to get the flight that continues onto Tahiti and a customs official who does not care as I had the fortune (as I don't think it is technically allowed) of using the premium check in and then going through the passport control, and in this way the boarding Gate used for the flight to Easter Island/Tahiti contains two sides one on the domestic and one on the international side of the glass wall but they lead to the same air bridge, so was able to use the lounge and get on the same aircraft.
Oh and on a side note when you are next at SCL there is a business check in it is at the far left of the terminal same level as the rest of the check in desks if coming from the holiday inn and has its own dedicated passport control. Its not well sign posted at all, but I too had the same issue trying to find the business class check in.
Also the lounge issue to IPC can only really be solved if you if you happen to get the flight that continues onto Tahiti and a customs official who does not care as I had the fortune (as I don't think it is technically allowed) of using the premium check in and then going through the passport control, and in this way the boarding Gate used for the flight to Easter Island/Tahiti contains two sides one on the domestic and one on the international side of the glass wall but they lead to the same air bridge, so was able to use the lounge and get on the same aircraft.
Jun 9, 2011, 9:16 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,149
What a grand trip! And trip report! Thanks for letting us tag along with you.
LAN Chile was once known for the high quality of its First Class product, especially the service. Unfortunately, nowadays the hard product shines while the soft product is fairly mediocre. I hope the rest of your flights will be much better.
LAN Chile was once known for the high quality of its First Class product, especially the service. Unfortunately, nowadays the hard product shines while the soft product is fairly mediocre. I hope the rest of your flights will be much better.
Jun 9, 2011, 10:14 pm
#6
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Burlingame, CA
Programs: TK Miles & Smiles, CM ConnectMiles, AA Advantage
Posts: 2,129
Thanks for sharing this great report and sorry to hear about your disappointment. LA's crew are not very soliciting but they seem to answer the bell quickly when you ring and acknowledge your requests. I can't believe that there is no special J check-in for such long flight and "special" destination. Does this flight attract a lot of intl. connecting pax in J? If so then a separate check-in and lounge access are in order.
Jun 9, 2011, 11:11 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,708
Thanks for sharing this great report and sorry to hear about your disappointment. LA's crew are not very soliciting but they seem to answer the bell quickly when you ring and acknowledge your requests. I can't believe that there is no special J check-in for such long flight and "special" destination. Does this flight attract a lot of intl. connecting pax in J? If so then a separate check-in and lounge access are in order.
Jun 10, 2011, 6:49 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Digital Nomad
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I'm writing the report right now. I'll be sure to put in some pictures.
Until I get the report up, check out my photo blog:
http://travelcarl.blogspot.com
Look for pictures in May towards the beginning of the month! In spite of some rain, it was amazing!!
Until I get the report up, check out my photo blog:
http://travelcarl.blogspot.com
Look for pictures in May towards the beginning of the month! In spite of some rain, it was amazing!!
Jun 10, 2011, 6:52 am
#9
Original Poster
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Had I known that there was no lounge, I would have just stayed in our hotel room at the airport and ordered room service! And the wifi is free at the Holiday Inn! And no annoying boarding announcements!
Jun 11, 2011, 10:45 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
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Posts: 16,367
Another nice addition to your mammoth trip report series, olafman ^
Shame about the LAN ground and onboard service, but from what I have read their hard product in J is not too bad at all, and the food didn't look bad either.
Shame about the LAN ground and onboard service, but from what I have read their hard product in J is not too bad at all, and the food didn't look bad either.
Jun 12, 2011, 12:11 pm
#11
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 35
Great trip report. We will be taking this flight in mid-July, and very much looking forward to it. I do hope that we get the crew from your return flight.
I am currently in 2J/2L. It looks like we will get better island views if we switch to 3A/3B. Do you agree?
I am currently in 2J/2L. It looks like we will get better island views if we switch to 3A/3B. Do you agree?
Jun 13, 2011, 12:29 pm
#12
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Jun 19, 2011, 7:33 am
#13
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You can read it here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/14949848-post13.html