gbjd1205

I will be flying from IAD to EZE on UA847, with a scheduled arrival of 10:20 AM. I need to connect to SCL on LAN that same day, and I was wondering how tight a connection I can safely make. Does anyone with experience foresee a problem making the 12:25PM flight to SCL?

Many thanks in advance.

GUWonder

Are you on one-ticket or two tickets? If it happens to be one ticket, then I'd feel fine with that since they can reaccomodate you if you miss your flight.

If your flight arrives on time into EZE, two hours is do-able too but I'd add a bit more time if doing it on two tickets, particularly if the latter ticket is not flexible.

Gaucho100K

If you arrive late, try to get hold of a Lan ground staff while you are collecting your bags from the UA flight... make sure you get escorted to check in so that you can max out your chances of getting on the flight. Also, if you see you will be calling it close it may help to ask UA to send a message to UA's EZE ground staff and have them alert LAN about a pax making a tight connection....

gbjd1205

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I'll be checking bags from IAD through to SCL (assuming UA lets me), so I don't think I'll have to collect them in EZE. Will I have to go through customs if I'm making an international connection? If not, then I'm guessing that 2 hours will be plenty.

Gaucho100K

Please let me know if you get UA to check your bags through.... does UA have access to the LAN system...? On the other hand, if you were to buy a single ticket from UA that included a LAN segment they should be able to do this, or...?

gbjd1205

I just called UA to ask whether there is a baggage tranfer agreement with LAN, and they said that there will be no problem checking bags all the way to SCL. Since I won't have to claim my bags, they thought that the 2 hour connection would be plenty of time. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks again for the advice.

bk42

On a side note, I recently interlined my bags from NW to LAN with no problem at all. It seems that LAN has interline agreements with probably all the US carriers.

jmartinn

Have your bags checked to your final destination (SCL) at IAD.
Upon arrival at EZE inform UA arrival agent that you are connecting with LAN and proceed to the gate area where your LAN flight departs. You do not need to claim your bags at EZE since UA will transfer your bags to LAN. Stay in the transit (gate area) because if you go through Inmigrations/Customs and leave the in transit area, you will loose your transit condition and you will have to pay the airport tax. Transiting to other airlines itīs absolutly normal business to UA agents and will direct you accordingly. Two hours is plenty of time for your conex.

If you are doing the opposite trip on your way back just make sure that LAN tag your bags to your final destination again (sometimes you have to insist a little bit with that) and you can check in at the UA gate where you will be asked all the securitie questions and so on and LAN will transfer your bags to UA. If you have a * Gold status you can do all that at the EZE RCC.