Yeee Haaah!

United have allowed us to change out TA booked tickets to Brazil to now go via Chile!

So an hour ago we booked business class tickets on Lan Chile August 11/15. We are there JonNYC .. hope your schedule clears! We are set in cement now.

And Jim_B if you are about Sunday 11th, and have time to catch up for lunch or brunch or whatever, Joh and I have an 8 hour layover in SCL before flying to Easter Island.

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~ Glen ~

Hopefully we can hook up this time around. Let me book those dates, and we can plan on something as we get closer. Look forward to meeting y'all.

Jim_B. Yes, maybe we will get together for that drink second time around? Sure hope JonNYC is able to get away from The Big Apple that weekend too.

Catching up for lunch or whatever etc on that Sunday August 11 sounds perfect if you are around then Jim. We have 8 hours between the UA incoming and Lan Chile outgoing, and Joh has never been to SCL or Chile, so we hope to get out of the airport no matter what and have a look around downtown or whatever. On the way back, we connect from Easter Island in perfect time for the very long United flights to MIA/ORD/SeaDoo4 so no chance to tour around on outward leg.

I just found an interesting trip report of a FT'er who visted Easter Island recently that will interest others I am sure:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/002887.html

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~ Glen ~

Does anyone who has been/is going have an idea of an email address for a hotel on EI, or a Santiago based TA who can book it, and who has email? Thanks.

Check www.rapanui.cl is in English and there you will find everything about the island.

Thanks chez. We have looked at that site you listed. Very useful. :-)

Well we are headed to Easter Island in less than a week's time. With the major Arlines running specials down to Santiago for well under $400 + tax, (see nearby threads here)anyone else gonna mosey down there this weekend?

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~ Glen ~

Sitting in the Lan Chile Executive lounge now at 7.55pm in Santiago. Not great news as our Easter Island flight was supposed to leave over 3 hours ago! The 767 nearly blew up on runway, so glad it happened now and not over the very remote eastern Pacific.

Still, sipping French champagne, and typing this at one of TEN free, big screen working computers, and eating real FOOD (United are you READING this!) is not too tough to take.

Joh turns the big FIVE OHH on August 12. She had planned to spend it on Easter Island and as it is a 5 hour flight with an hour or two time difference she may well be seeing it in via a business class seat in a 767. Lan Chile claim a new plane will be here "soon". The word Manana comes to mind for some reason.

Thanks to Jim_B for showing us around Santiago today so expertly in between our UA flight arriving and this alleged flight leaving.

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~ Glen ~

indeed to the near-catastrophe!!! Glad you are safe and hope there are no further flight problems!

And congrats to Joh on making the big half-century mark! (Having already passed that mark a few years back, I am allowed to say this without any FT sarcasm.)

I hope to meet you both at the SeaDoo in a week's time!

Kathy

Holy Carp!! Safe travels, OZ-- I'm sorry I didn't get to join you guys this time 'round.

...although, I'm not sorry I missed the close-brush-with-the-faulty-plane thing, now that I think about it. I hope to get down there in Oct/Nov, I'm lookin' at my tickets right now.

The lounge sounds nice though-- may it's time for you to think OneWorld?

5 hour delay. Needed to bring in another 767. Phew. Fully loaded 767 landed VERY fast in severe cross winds in pitch darkness at midnight on a very wet island runway. NOT fun! I think ATC on Easter Island is a man with a torch, as there are 2 flights per week. United lounge so hopeless in SCL we bummed our way into the Lan Chile one again.

Easter Island is a superb place to visit it really is. SeaDoo4 here we come in 20 hours flying from now!

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~ Glen ~