Lima Connection Time
 

LAN just rescheduled my flight from Santiago to San Francisco connecting in Lima.

The connection time went from 110 minutes to 40 minutes (arriving at 23:55 departing at 00:35). I am traveling in Business so should be able to get off the plane quickly. Is this going to be enough time?

There is a flight departing SCL at 21:00 and arriving in LIM at 22:50 but LAN is not showing any availability for an award ticket on that flight. The award was booked with British Airlines miles. Do you think there is any chance of getting LAN to put me on that flight instead?

Thanks!
Mike

Ha! I suspect there are many of us that got bit by LAN's retiming of many of their flights. (What's up with that, BTW? This was no small change. Of my 6 flights, five moved, and most by an hour or more!)

I, too, have a BA booking on 600. Unfortunately, my connection didn't just shrink, it evaporated: 530 LIM-JFK now leaves at the same moment 600 arrives. I called BA, and they told me the only option was to cancel as there were no award seats on any earlier SCL-LIM flights (in particular 530, to which you also refer). I called LA and they told me to pound sand, a.k.a call BA. I'd be delighted to hear if anyone gets a better resolution, though!

In your case, I wouldn't sweat the 40 min connection in LIM---should be fine as long as your inbound is on time. If not, you can just ride 600 all the way to LAX and hop up to SFO in the morning.

As an aside, anyone know if LA is likely to reinstate 603/604, the SCL-LAX nonstops for the winter season?

Should be enough since all you have to do is get off the plane go through the transit area and then to your new gate. Lan should give you your Sfo BP in Santiago.

How far out in the distance is this flight? I got hit with that for January but am not touching anything yet, because LAN currently isn't even selling that connection, and therefore, there is no decent connection, and I know that there will be more schedule changes.

My flight is for next January as well. Let's hope they do make some more schedule adjustments.

Eastbay, when you say you know there will be more schedule changes, are you assuming or do you have some inside knowledge?

I have flown LAN over the New Year's Holiday season since late 2001 each and every year, usually booking several months' out and have failed to have a trip without a schedule change. Sometimes several of them. The one we're talking about here already had another change on a different segment of an hour (but not material to getting anywhere on time).

Are you on 530 (or 5530) to 2608? Check again - I just did. It is now back to close to what it was before! Perfecto! But sit tight, more schedule changes await!

I am on LA600 to LA2608. It's strange though...it was originally supposed to leave SCL at 20:10 and arrive LIM at 22:55. Now it leaves at 22:05 and arrives at 23:55. So it leaves 1 hour 55 min later but arrives only one hour later.

I would like to get on LA530 or even stay on LA600 and go to LAX instead of SFO, but there are no award seats available on either of those.

For anyone who read what was here before - oops, it was the other direction, and I still have the problem!

No more problem! (But fear not, I'm sure there will be several more schedule changes by Dec/Jan!)

San Francisco 12:05 Lima 00:10 LA 2609
Lima 01:15 Santiago de Chile 06:35 LA 601

There might even be time for a quickie (drink, that is) in the lounge!

EastBay1K: You mentioned that you would be on the inaugural flight SFO-LIM.

The flight actually continues on to GRU on the same plane. Would you happen to know if a passenger has to disembark at LIM or can we stay on the plane straight to GRU?

If it remains the same aircraft, you should be able to remain on the plane. I have been on the LAX (LIM) SCL (and reverse) flight countless times and only had to leave the plane twice - once because of equipment change, and once because of "every flight to the US needed to have the plane inspected, empty, prior to departure to the US."

On second thought - I bet there is a crew change (which you don't have on the above-described route) so maybe you do.

In case anyone else cares, SCL/LAX nonstop is back on the schedule as 602/603 on Mondays and Fridays. I just swapped from 600 to 602, which also took care of the misconnect caused by the previous schedule changes.

You will have to deplane in LIM. I was just on MIA-LIM/LIM-GRU last week and the SFO-LIM passengers all had to deplane for the LIM-GRU flight. They were offered priority boarding for the LIM-GRU flight since that flight was a continuation of the SFO-LIM-GRU flight.

On my return: GRU-LIM/LIM-MIA, we arrived at Gate 22 which was also the departure gate for LIM-MIA; all passengers were required to deplane and go through the International Connections route at LIM which involves an x-ray carry-on inspection to reenter the secured zone of LIM.