Flight: LAN 531
Depart: New York, NY (JFK) – 10:15pm (EST / GMT -5) – Actual 10:30pm
Arrive: Lima, Peru (LIM) – 6:00am (PET / GMT -5) – Actual 6:15am
Duration: 7h45m (Actual 7h45m)
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER
Seat: 2A (Premium Business – Window)

From the jetway


Because I had waited to board, I boarded with the last group, so I was unable to grab empty cabin shots. With 4 more sectors in J on the 767-300ER, including 1 daytime one where I won’t need to use ISO 1600, I wasn’t too worried about pictures.

The view from Seat 2A


This was my first time on LAN’s business class, and I had become pretty excited looking at the pictures of their unique hard product. Indeed, I was pretty giddy about the trip, and it showed. Most of the other passengers seemed to be the normal J fare … uninterested businessmen who’d done this hundreds of times. Not me.

After a few minutes of testing out the seat, I was offered champagne and nuts, and gladly obliged. I was also given an amenity kit, as well as pillow and duvet. We pushed back close to 10:30pm and headed toward the runway.

Champagne and nuts, and no adverts on the cocktail napkin a la U.S. airlines!


Contents of amenity kit; picture taken post-flight. Bvlgari bag on the bottom


It was interesting to see how lax LAN’s FAs were on this flight, as I noticed several people in the J cabin standing up and dealing with luggage in the overheads while the plane was on the taxiway. The seats also have a light on the control panel that turns on when the seat is in complete “locked un-reclined mode,” yet all the passengers in my row had our seats in some form of the Z-conformation.

After takeoff, the seat belt sign was turned off almost immediately and stayed that way for several hours, even through turbulence that would jump-seat an American crew. Orders for dinner were taken promptly afterward.

Sitting in row 2, I was one of the first to be asked. Silly me, I hadn’t read the menu before takeoff, as it was hidden in the magazine slot. The options were an Express or Full/Traditional dinner. I chose the Full. These were the menu options, with my selections pictured:

DINNER
Salad greens with seasonal vegetables

Appetizer
Fresh Mozzarella with cherry tomatoes, olives and pesto
Master Sommelier suggestion: Casa Lapostolle / Sauvignon Blanc 2011 / Viña Casa Lapostolle / Rapel Valley


Artichoke soup with hazel nuts sour cream

Entrée
Pan seared salmon with morel shallot sauce, accompanied with roasted potatoes and tomatoes
Master Sommelier suggestion: Don David / Torrontes 2011 / Bodega El Esteco / Cafayate, Salta


Grilled filet of beef with golden polenta and eggplant tapenade
Master Sommelier suggestion: Payen / Syrah 2008 / Viña Tabali / Pirque, Limari Valley

Steamed shrimp salad, hearts of palm, smoken bacon chips with apples and assorted lettuce
Master Sommelier suggestion: Casa Lapostolle / Sauvignon Blanc 2011 / Viña Casa Lapostolle / Rapel Valley

Special cheese selection

Dessert
Tiramisu

Häagen Dazs ice cream
Fresh seasonal fruit

EXPRESS DINNER
Choose this alternative if you want more time to rest
-Select one of the options of appetizers and main entrées
-Salad
-Cheese Plate
-Select your dessert


SNACK SANDWICH
Fresh seasonal fruit
Prosciutto sandwich with Provolone cheese, asparagus and tomato pesto
Mixed seasonal berries cheesecake

BREAKFAST
You can choose between two options:
Cold Express Breakfast, to maximize your rest this option will be served 40 minutes before landing
Full Breakfast, select your option completing the preorder card that will be collected by the flight attendant

The wine list is as is:
CHAMPAGNE
Maison Louis Roederer / Champagne Louis Roederer / Brut Premier / Reims, France

VINOS / WINES
Viña Tabalí / Payen Syrah / 2008 / Valle del Limarí / Chile

Bodega Renacer / Punto Final Malbec / 2007 / Pedriel, Luján de Cuyo / Mendoza, Argentina

Viña Undurraga / Founder’s Collection / Cabernet Sauvignon / 2007 / Valle del Maipo / Chile

Bodega El Esteco / Don David Torrontés / 2011 / Cafayate / Salta, Argentina

Viña Casa Lapostolle / Sauvignon Blanc / 2011 / Valle de Rapel / Chile

OPORTO / PORT
Croft Oporto / Late Bottled Vintage / 2005 / Vila Nova de Gaia Portugal

I chose to stick with the sommelier’s suggestions for each course, and liked both wines, more so the Casa Lapostolle. The mozzarella starter was tasty, and the main course salmon was tender and delicious. The tiramisu was heavenly (not pictured: dark chocolate pieces to go with it). I capped off the meal with some tea.

There was an option to have a breakfast before landing, but I chose to skip that. When I was in the galley waiting for the lav, I saw on the manifest that every single passenger had decided the same thing. Given our early arrival, I wanted to sleep as much as possible.

As for the seat -- it is incredibly comfortable, except while in the locked upright position. The cabin is rather elegant, with simple wood paneling at the front and back contrasting with the softer purple/lavender seating. While other business classes now have 1-2-1 setups on 767s (like Delta), the 2-2-2 setup does not feel too cramped. The aisles are a bit narrow, but you won’t be spending much time in those. When I was seated with a friend on a later segment, I was able to easily step over the flat-bed from the window seat to the aisle, although it does help to be a little young and spry.

Seat in bed mode


The IFE comes with a rather large screen, although it isn’t the highest of resolutions. There are plenty of options for movies, TV shows, and music, including a decent selection of English titles. In addition to the resolution, my system in particular was rather slow to respond to inputs via the controller and was somewhat frustrating. I blame this on Apple. I’m too used to instant input feedback.

The controller itself is designed well. At first, I thought the mini screen had input functionality, but it simply shows if you are in “scrolling mode” or if the system is disabled due to PA announcements. My favorite function of the controller is a button that gives direct access to the moving map, something I think more airlines should put in.

Large IFE w/ extensive movies/TV/music selection


Picture-in-Picture movie & moving map


Headphones


IFE Controller



The tray table is rather small, and an annoying part of it is that it overlaps with the large cocktail table between the two seats. You can either stick the table underneath the cocktail table, but then the table is slanted and not sturdy; or, prop the table a bit over the cocktail table, but then you lose space there. Given the size of the table, you need the cocktail table to place drinks (especially since I’m keen to always have water in addition to wine). I think it’s something that could have been planned a bit better in the design.

To show size of tray table -- notice the overlap with the cocktail table


The cocktail table is rather large, but also slick, so be careful about keeping things on there for takeoff and landing (on a later flight, my camera was on there for landing, and had it not been for my friend catching it, it would have fallen to the floor upon reverse thrust).

Other functions of the seat include a privacy divider between the two seats, as well as power outlets underneath. Except for the bulkhead seats, every seat has a storage place at the bottom of the seat in front. Most seats will have pillows and duvets stored there pre-flight; during flight, I stored anything from shoes to laptop to camera to amenity kit while in bed mode. It really is spacious. The headphones are placed in a little slot underneath the cocktail table.

Charging my phone, showing location of power port


Showing the storage area, toward the end of the flight. Biz passengers produce a lot of trash.


Business class bathroom - eau de toilette, lotion, moist towelettes, and cups for the non-drinkable water in there


In-Flight magazine -- never seen JFK referred to as "Fitzgerald Kennedy Airport" before


I had a good sleep, almost 5 hours worth, before being woken about 15 minutes before landing. Good thing I chose to skip breakfast. We landed amidst a foggy morning in Lima and quickly found a gate in the international area. Most of the J passengers stayed onboard for the next leg to Santiago. I de-boarded through 1L with only 2 other J pax and briskly walked to immigration. I had a feeling I had forgotten something, but couldn’t put my finger on it. Turns out, the cabin crew hadn’t passed out Peruvian immigration/customs cards. Perhaps I was too late for that. I quickly found the documentation and filled it out, so as to miss the throng of Y passengers arriving behind me.

Foggy Lima


The priority tag didn’t work, as it took about 15 minutes to see my bag once the carousel started. Off to immigration and customs, where my push of the button was unlucky, and I got the red light to go have my bag scanned. No worries, took only about 30 seconds extra to pass through. I exited the transit area and made my way to the check-in counters for the leg to Cuzco.

Coming up later: A pair of LAN A319s to/from CUZ and Machu Picchu, the "Lost City of the Incas."