atostes

Oneworld elite traveling LATAM beware: Depending on the fare of your ticket LATAM does not allow you to select a seat, any seat, even one middle seat at the last row of the aircraft, even in case your elite status does gets validated and stamped on your boarding pass.
In other words, you get access to a seat in case you buy a higher fare, not because you have a Sapphire or other elite status.

After formally questioned by means of opening Brazilian regulatory body complain, they agreed they are wrong but do nothing. Even the false information published regarding oneworld "elite privileges" at their web site remains false.

trooper

What does LATAM say about "preferred or pre-reserved seating"? I ask because the Oneworld site itself - in listing the benefits of Sapphire says: "Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating* " Note the Asterisk?

Underneath it reads " * In accordance with the individual policy of the Oneworld airline operating the flight"

It would seem to me that means Oneworld airlines can indeed have their own policies on elite seating.....and on the LATAM site I can only find seating benefits listed for LATAMs OWN elites...and only Plat and above..

atostes

Thanks for your reply. The fact is, the moment that being an elite member in a Oneworld member does not allows you to select a seat without paying an extra, even at check-in time (note that I'm not mentioning a "privileged" seat, I'm mentioning any seat, like the middle one, last row), you may be better served going elsewhere. That's the case with LATAM. By the way, I had received a letter from LATAM recognizing they are wrong. Also, by reading the information about their elite tiers and Oneworld equivalences, sure, one should be able, as a Saphire member, to select a middle seat, last row of the aircraft, without having to pay extra money. By the way, calling them over phone will not help as one can suggest. The only way to fix that is to go to the airport the day of the flight and ask the check in agent to change the seat. Or, perhaps, in case you are lucky, during the online check in, be automatically assigned a good seat. This option would not work when check in opens because their system will start assigning seats from the back of the aircraft.

andreadbc

yes, LATAM website mentions details only for preferred seating for their own elite:
https://www.latam.com/en_us/latam-pass/favorite-seat/
BLACK or BLACK SIGNATURE - domestic and international for elite member and one companion
PLATINUM - preferred seat on domestic flights only

I understand some airlines apply different conditions for their own elite and other oneworld elite members, this doesn't seem to be all that consistent.

atostes

Dear LATAM ambassador

I'm not mentioning access to seat+. I'm mentioning access to any seat. As a Sapphire member I should not have to pay to self assign a last row, middle seat...

By the way, as I've mentioned, I've received a letter from LATAM assuming the error. Do you want, as an "ambassador", to take a deeper care of that? I can send the letter direct to you. Or, perhaps, you can follow up with LATAM fellows why the check-in system & reservation management system have not been fixed yet.

Or, still perhaps, you can get from LATAM folks a date to have fixed this issue that affects all elites, of all oneworld alliance members, except the lucky native LATAM pass members.

And by the way, yes, I should have, as a Sapphire member, to have access to even seat+ as Oneworld Sapphire member is = PLATINUM member: https://www.latam.com/en_us/about-us/oneworld/frequent-flyer-benefits.

But, knowing for some time now, to say a euphemism, the "inaccurate" communications and actions of LATAM, I'd be satisfied just by not having to pay that last row, middle seat.

Pascal Liu

Just give them a call and or visit their desks at any airport, they'll do it for you. You cannot do it on their website as it truly lacks some basic functions.