ctynan

Hi all,

This Friday I'm flying JFK -> SCL -> PUQ, on LAN booked via AA. My layover is just shy of five hours, so I'm wondering what the possibilities will be for lounge access.

I have OneWorld Emerald (with BA), will it be possible for me to get access to the LAN lounge in the international terminal after my arrival, even though my connecting flight is domestic? Or am I stuck with only being able to use the one lounge in the domestic terminal.

Thanks in advance.

Eastbay1K

This

IanWorthington

There isn't a OW lounge in domestic, only a private lounge which by all accounts is not worth paying for, and barely worth it if you carry the right CC to get in free.

iahphx

Some related questions. I have a hazy memory of a LAN domestic lounge at SCL. Apparently my memory is wrong, or it's closed. I do have a Priority Pass card that lists the Salones VIP Pacific Club in the domestic terminal. Is there any food there? I'm staying at an airport hotel the night before (no breakfast) and was planning on getting something to eat before my domestic flight. My recollection is that LAN doesn't serve much food on domestic flights in coach.

On my return, I'll be transiting from a domestic flight to a coach flight. There are lots of Priority Pass lounges in the int'l terminal at SCL, but I'm assuming the new LAN lounge is the best? I can get in with my OW status.

BTW, my recollection is hazy: do I have to be re-screened by security to go from a Chile domestic flight to an int'l flight at SCL?

Eastbay1K

(1) For as long as at least late 2001, there hasn't been any sort of LAN domestic lounge.

(2) You need to exit Chile, and then are rescreened.

zpaul

IMO, correct.

ctynan

Thanks for the all the replies here, appreciate it!

LAX_Esq

I have a similar question, and I'm bumping this year-old thread to see if the answer is any different now.

Going MIA-SCL on AA and then SCL-PUQ on LAN, all in Y. I'm OW Sapphire.

Is there any way to get any sort of lounge access at SCL?

Eastbay1K

The only lounge is the Pacific Club on the domestic side, either Priority Pass, a few local credit cards, or pay per use.

LAX_Esq

Thanks so much for quick reply. I assume there's no sneaky but legal way to get access to the AC / LAN lounge on arrival?

This is very last minute -- we voluntarily rerouted ourselves from LAX-MIA-EZE-SCL-PUQ to LAX-MIA-SCL-PUQ because space just popped up on MIA-SCL. We arrive at 8:58am into SCL and depart at 6:30pm.

With no lounge, we might as well make a day of it in Santiago. We're not otherwise going to see the city. How much time are we really likely to have by the time we get out and into the city and need to be back? Our bags will be checked through, so we don't have to wait for them at immigration. Any suggestions for what to do?

Eastbay1K

Your bags will be checked through, but as it is your first port of entry in Chile, you will have to go through all formalities and re-drop them after customs inspection. 9 am is a very busy time for North America arrivals, but I'd expect that you'll be done, with luggage, before 10am. If you are back in the airport by 515pm, you'll be fine.

LAX_Esq

Ah, we have to re-drop baggage. Thanks for the explanation.

I've been doing some research and reading and I think we'd want to walk around the Plaza de Armas, Mercado Central / La Vega, Cerro San Cristobal, and Barrio Bellavista on this day. Will that be okay or too rushed?

There are two of us. What's the most efficient way of getting in/out, short of a private taxi? A taxi seems quite pricy at $30-50 each way. I see that buses like Centropuerto don't drop you off anywhere near any of the sites we'd be going, so taking a bus to the metro seems like a time waster. Are these shared shuttles (like Transvip) worth it?

zpaul

Since time will be against you, I really would recommend the taxi even though it's the most expensive option, but the shared vans are a good value. Keep in mind you don't have control over whether you're first or last off, and you'll need to make a reservation for the return trip. They tend to schedule pick-up very early, so that will reduce the time you have to visit the city. Depending upon where you end up, you may want to take a taxi back to the airport anyway.

Hit Plaza de Armas, walk to Mercado Central and La Vega, from there you'll want to take a taxi to Cerro San Cristobal. Once you're done there, Bellavista is right there for you to wander through and to enjoy a good meal, pisco sour, and/or wine.

I don't know your travel style, but in this case I personally would:

• Not plan more than 20-30 minutes for Plaza de Armas, unless you want to visit the Cathedral.
• Nix La Vega. I will admit that I'm there at least once a week so I may be jaded, but even when I was new to Stgo I never understood the draw as a tourist - it's a big, covered farmer's market.
• Not eat at Mercado Central and wait until later. If you're hungry, get a seafood empanada or something, but not a full meal - you'll get better food in Bellavista.

Just my two pesos! Enjoy your trip!

LAX_Esq

Thanks so much for these tips. We do like seeing exotic food / people watching (and photography), so that's why La Vega appealed to me.

Plaza de Armas doesn't seem like it needs that much time; I agree.

Are views from the Cerro going to be better in the morning or the afternoon? I'm wondering if we should go there first.... And why not take the funicular?

zpaul

I don't think you'll find much "exotic" food at La Vega (but again, maybe I've just been here too long), but definitely good for people watching!

You'll want to take the funicular up to the top of Cerro San Cristobal, but a taxi to the park. It's walkable from La Vega but too long to make sense on such a short schedulev - that's what I was referring to. Depending on the amount of pollution the day you're here, you may want to get there early - the pollution is worst in the winter but can still be bad in the summer months (Dec - Feb, of course!).