Originally Posted by
SenSCL
You may want to take into account that GRU - SCL (and vice versa) is an elite-heavy route and much of C class is actually sold as well. Just bear in mind that, except for MAD (and indirectly FRA), the big bulk of SCL's intercontinental traffic bound for Europe transits via GRU.
Even as a Black, bidding for upgrades with coupons is not always successful between these two cities, so I would not set my hopes too high. On the other hand, I have always been able to book C class with miles, even as much as three or four seats on the same flight. However, 66k sounds excessive to me. The standard fee - with LATAM Pass - is around 35k. At least, this is what I have dished out for the last trips in July (actually booked only one month or so in advance).
I'm talking about 66k roundtrip, to be clear. Is that so out of range?
At this point I'm seriously considering the option of pursuing a ticket in G3 GRU-SCL in economy, and an LA ticket SCL-GRU, in business. I'd arrange so that I go out on the first ticket and come back on the first leg of the second, my second trip would start as the return leg from the second ticket and finish with the return leg of the G3 ticket. Either that or accepting LA's Y and doing the same but replacing the G3 segments for LA ones and use only 28.5k points. I wonder why it is so much cheaper to fly C out of SCL when compared to GRU...