I have not seen info about LanChile so I would like to report on a recent business class trip: EZE to GYE, GYE to SCL, SCL to LAX.

The outstanding thing was their baggage handling. They used priority tags that really worked. We got off near first at all stops. At GYE, there was a slight wait. However, in SCL we were through immigration and our bags were waiting for us. In LA our bags were first off and arrived shorly after we arrived. We were in our rental car a half hour after our plane landed.

Our airbus was 2-2-2 in business and the seats were about the same as AA.

The food was comparable to AA; however, they used metal for everything except the knife. (As usual, I felt so much safer with everyone using plastic knifes.)

The service on the shorter flights was about the same as AA international; however, from SCL to LAX the flight non-attendants were difficult to find.

Overall I would rate it below AA and of course, not in the league with Singapore or Qantas.

I have to disagree with most of the main points in the quoted post. In the first place, LA business class seats are MUCH more comfortable than AA: they lean further back, are softer, and do not have the hard head rest that bends your head too far forward for any normal human anatomy. The food is very different from AA, with more variety and better presentation. The LA flight attendants are also very different from AA � younger, in the first place, more attentive to passenger requests and less bossy. They are, however, also less attentive to safety issues such as baggage on the floor and seat belt fastening. All in all, I rate LA as FAR superior to AA in service, more or less on the QANTAS level, although, of course, not on a level with Singapore or Cathay.

Gotta agree more with ajnaro, and put their short haul *miles* ahead of short haul Qantas. I would certainly put their first class on par with BA, and their biz on par with *old* BA biz. I have never been on BA's bizbeds, so it's hard for me to say.

[This message has been edited by Darren (edited 03-26-2003).]

Can't speak for the LA J product, only ever travelled in Y but each time - both long haul and shorter hops - I've found the cabin attendants, food, drink and entertainment far exceeds equivalent Y products from BA and QF. To the extent that one trip on LA was pretty close to QF J, without the bigger seat and metal cutlery. There's a thing or two LA and CX could teach other OW member airlines - especially when it comes to looking after Y pax who, after all, could be tomorrow's J pax...

I flew LanChile business class about a month ago, LAX-SCL with a stop in Lima. The seats were great, I slept most all of the way except for the interruptive stops in Lima. On the way down (A340) the cabin crew of mostly young, pretty women did an A-1 job and the food was good too. On the way back (767) the FA's were rarely seen and I got sick (from the breakfast, I think).
If you are ticketed for business class, you get access to the oneworld lounges in LAX and SCL, even if you are not elite on any of the oneworld airlines.

I have a 5 part "The Comprehensive Chile" in Trip Reports (Jan and Feb postings) - with lots of Lan service notes.