Flight 13 : SCL-MAD, LA0704 in Y+, seat 14C.
The report for this flight is brief, and photos are pretty crappy, I apologize. I was running a bit late and briefly popped into the LATAM flagship lounge. Aesthetically pleasing, the lounge lacked an adequate catered selection (that is, until I saw the IB Dali lounge, more on that further down), serving small sandwiches, quiches and cheese/meats and some greens.
This flight was completely full, which I had realized a couple weeks prior to the flight date when I saw no seats available for sale. There were about 20 people on the upgrade list, but as I understood from the check-in agent, 2 confirmed J pax were downgraded (ouch)... needless to say, I knew that baring some miracle (maybe a delayed connection into SCL with several J pax connecting), that I would be seated in Y. What is funny however is that I was 3rd on the upgrade list, having checked in about two minutes after the check-in opened 48hrs prior to departure, only to find that I ended up 4th on the list hours later (with no further Black Signature members checking in)... right...
I've done my fair share of ultra long haul in Y, but was disappointed that all the exit row and bulkhead seats were distributed long before (I booked this flight 2 months ago, yet, those seats were all full then). I appreciate other OW airlines that reserve them for elite members. On the plus side, there was a generous amount of legroom, so it was fine.
This aircraft was much newer than the one from SYD-SCL, with a fresh interior. Boarding was a zoo and yielded a bit of a delay which impacted our arrival time by about 20 minutes.
BTW, am I the only one that flips my case on its side upright to fit in 787 overhead bins? A good amount of delay was caused by people 'not finding space' for their bags, where in reality, each bin was just loaded improperly. Meh.
Service was average, and the meal tasted as horrible as it looks, but this is life behind the curtain.
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