Nice trip report! I've spent a lot of time in South America (Chile in particular), but not since before covid. I'd very much love to go again.

I've taken the AC YYZ-EZE flight (with a stop in SCL) more times than I'd like to admit, back when status depended only on miles flown and thus that flight was a great way to get it. Despite how much better AC is than it's US competitors in terms of service, I think at this point I'd just opt for whatever nonstop I could find.