Reliability?
Service?
Entertainment?

What are they? Lan Chile has NO idea I can tell you. No movies on 6 flights I just took on 737s, 2 of them being "International". No headsets, no music on ANY flight. Yes, I bet flying Madrid to Santiago is a different gig but I can only comment about my experience. I flew the rest of the way on a superb Airline - United!

See: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/003912.html


These Lan Chile guys were a disorganised shambles I am afraid. I flew Santiago to Puerto Montt to Puntas Arenas to Falkland Islands and back. Six 737 flights in recent weeks from which I just got back, so comments are current. First tried to use my zillion Qantas points to book reward tickets. "No way - Falklands is not part of South America". "But you do fly there right? It is off the coast of Argentina. Is there perhaps a higher point table I can redeem? I can after all use points for other non South American cities." "No we want money, not points".

Getting the paid tickets issued was a major WAR with them. Sydney GSA were totally useless and insisted or cash and no credit cards. They cancelled the entire booking when their totally arbitrary advance booking period expired (on a "7 day advance purchase" fare ticket!) Phoned Chile and they were all but useless, as my Spanish is very limited and their English was similar.

Then phoned Miami Lan Chile, the USA base. I have my phone account here for December. 1-800 calls from here to USA are NOT free. My account is for about $A100 after about TEN calls to get these tickets booked, and confirmed. It was like trying to buy a house. I needed to wait up to midnight to actually get the USA staff, not the Chile ones. They take the card #, they need to send stuff off to the moon for approval. "Phone back Manana" stuff all the time. Phone back Manana and it still is not done. No-one knows about it. "Try us later" stuff. Everyone quoted different fares and rules.

I NEVER at any point could get them to fax or email me ANYTHING whatever proving I had 2 HK seats booked, paid for and CONFIRMED. "Not policy". (Tickets were over $US700 each). I asked 6 times. All staffers off handedly promised they'd ask around, but it never happened, so needed to collect TIX in Santiago, wasting an hour or so. Had there been a mess up then I was doomed. I was flying out Dec 23 and back Dec 30 on a ONCE a week flight, and knowing how Latins overbook like crazy around Xmas this was VERY unsettling. (As mentioned earlier they were overbooked by 10 in Puntas Arenas, and most seats had handwritten dupe boarding passes! Nearly a RIOT on board. Delay to depart about 90 minutes while entire crew counted heads about 3 times each. A grade schooler could have told them how many were on board in 4 minutes.)

At NO point on my flights Falklands-Puerto Montt-Puntas Arenas could ANYONE add our AA flyer #s in. "Not possible". Wasted much time on this. Delays, no announcements in English when a take-off aborted twice and plane went back to gate twice. Sitting on tarmac for 40 minutes etc. Very worrying. Lots of chattering over PA in Spanish though, and plane full of mainly English speaking tourists - we were going to a British Territory after all!

Hey, we got there and back in one piece and for that I am very thankful. However Lan Chile is the ONLY commercial airline able to fly you to Falkland Islands from ANYWHERE in the world. If not, I'd never have flown them. Asked them about pre-booked seating. Much muttering. Whatever they told me and "allocated" never happened in practice. They seated us apart at one stage. One flight steward let pax scream at each other about all being in wrong seats as per "boarding passes". Did not care - the Latin shrug and went back and made himself a coffee.

Waiting for bags in Puntas Arenas 2 very young kids were running and playing on moving luggage belt for 20 mins - even going into the "tunnel". I was horrified. Lan Chile Staff ignored it all. So did the parents, until I intervened. Total chaos. They only receive ONE It'l flight a flight there and yet staff had no idea what to do with bags, customs, re-checking etc.

They took a Swiss Army knife off me from hand baggage in Puerto Montt and said they'd check it thru to Falklands. One tiny Swiss Army thing with a long white tag affixed, on a luggage belt, I kid you not. I protested and said surely it was bound to be stolen or lost en-route - why not simply hand it to the flight purser for collection on arrival? Gave me a bag chit, and of course it never arrived. No-one wanted to know about it. Compensation is $US9.07 per pound for checked baggage someone gruffly pointed out!! (The ticket folder confirms this!) So my Swiss knife will one day (maybe!) get me a "compensation" check for what - $2 bucks American, that my bank will charge me $20 to exchange.

Lan Chile. NEVER again, unless there is NO other choice.

If anyone knows an address or "real person" I can contact re the "lost" Swiss Army, please advise, and the $100 phone bill, as on principal I'd like to follow it up.

They may be part of the One World alliance, but my experience of dealing with Lao Aviation or Tarom Romanian Airlines was about on par with Lan Chile I am afraid. Can only hope others have had better experiences.


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~ Glen ~

[This message has been edited by ozstamps (edited 01-07-2001).]