LA: MIA-JNB r/t in J for ~$2,300
Feb 18, 2019, 12:54 pm
#77
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: DTW
Programs: TK E+, WY, Radisson R
Posts: 2,360
1. MIA-JNB (first LA ticket - not that I'm dying to fly with them)
JNB-INV (second ticket outbound)
INV-USA (third ticket outbound)
2. USA-INV (third ticket return)
INV-JNB (second ticket return)
JNB-MIA (first ticket return)
Feb 18, 2019, 1:50 pm
#78
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: PRG, DRS, VIE
Programs: Marriott Titanium, BA Gold, A3 Gold
Posts: 939
For sure. There were two issues: (1) involuntary changes to my itinerary that were incredibly difficult to correct due to LATAM's customer service model and (2) denied boarding for one leg of my outbound journey, which was marketed as JJ and operated as SA (between JNB-CPT).
Regarding the first issue, to avoid the subpar JJ 777 equipment I decided to route through SCL. My original itinerary was MIA-SCL-GRU-JNB-CPT for the outbound, all ticketed as "premium business." About a month before departure I received notification of an involuntary change to the SCL-GRU portion of my itinerary... a very unfavorable one at that. They added a stop in EZE and downgraded me from business to economy (ha!). Before I had a chance to call them to decline the new itinerary, I received a second notification regarding another involuntary change -- this time on the inbound flights (again routing through EZE and being downgraded to economy).
When I contacted LATAM's US helpline, it evolved into a customer service nightmare. I explained that I would not accept the multiple changes and would need a different solution. The agent was either poorly trained or totally apathetic (probably both). I had to go on Google flights and talk her through all of the available options... not sure why she wasn't able to see these flights on her end, but oh well. While fixing my outbound flights, the agent accidentally disconnected but proceeded to ticket my itinerary without fixing the inbound. As a result, the system classified my involuntary change for the return as being "fixed," which meant subsequent agents were unable to make the necessary corrections for my inbound flights. With any other airline a good agent would have been empowered to reverse this, but that doesn't seem to be the case with LATAM. All they can do is create a case number and then route you to a million different departments until, with any luck, you get through to someone who can actually help. Well, in my case, that unfortunately never happened and I was forced to start my outbound journey and hope that the inbound would be resolved by the time those flights came around. (For what it's worth, I ultimately got my inbound flights corrected, but only after spending several hours with a ticketing agent at JNB on the day of my return. She was probably the nicest and most understanding person I dealt with at LATAM, and she indicated this isn't even close to the worst of the issues they experience on a daily basis. Apparently their systems are a nightmare and even she isn't able to contact support directly... everything gets routed one level at a time.)
The second issue was even more frustrating. I should have known something was up when the agent at MIA was able check-in my companion all the way to CPT, but wasn't able to do the same for me. The solution: "speak to someone in SCL or GRU." Well, I did just that and they had the same issue of not being able to check me in for the JNB-CPT portion of the flight. Their suggestion: "speak to someone in JNB when you land." This made me nervous given the short layover, but I figured someone at SA could probably figure it out. Boy was I wrong.
Upon arriving at JNB, I immediately went to the SA ticketing desk and explained the situation. The agent pulled up the reservation and noted that I had a seat, but that LATAM had failed to fully ticket the itinerary and they wouldn't be able to print a boarding pass or let me board. I'm not familiar with the complexities of airline ticketing systems, but the SA agent explained that without a proper e-ticket number, SA wouldn't get paid by LATAM if I took the flight. Calls to LATAM were unsuccessful and it ultimately came down to either paying for a new ticket from JNB-CPT or getting stuck at JNB. Since I was traveling with someone else, I chose to purchase a new biz ticket for more than $400.
I'll spare you the details, but several months later (in JANUARY!!), LATAM finally agreed to reimburse me for my out-of-pocket expenses. I provided a bank authorization form and they told me it would take two weeks to hit my account. Guess what never hit my account?? Yep, I still haven't been reimbursed and the issue is still unresolved. I called my credit card issuer this morning to dispute the charges. Not sure what else to do at this point.
So, long story short, I will do everything I can to avoid flying LATAM and would gladly pay more to fly a different airline. LATAM business class is nothing to write home about and if something goes wrong, you're totally screwed.
Regarding the first issue, to avoid the subpar JJ 777 equipment I decided to route through SCL. My original itinerary was MIA-SCL-GRU-JNB-CPT for the outbound, all ticketed as "premium business." About a month before departure I received notification of an involuntary change to the SCL-GRU portion of my itinerary... a very unfavorable one at that. They added a stop in EZE and downgraded me from business to economy (ha!). Before I had a chance to call them to decline the new itinerary, I received a second notification regarding another involuntary change -- this time on the inbound flights (again routing through EZE and being downgraded to economy).
When I contacted LATAM's US helpline, it evolved into a customer service nightmare. I explained that I would not accept the multiple changes and would need a different solution. The agent was either poorly trained or totally apathetic (probably both). I had to go on Google flights and talk her through all of the available options... not sure why she wasn't able to see these flights on her end, but oh well. While fixing my outbound flights, the agent accidentally disconnected but proceeded to ticket my itinerary without fixing the inbound. As a result, the system classified my involuntary change for the return as being "fixed," which meant subsequent agents were unable to make the necessary corrections for my inbound flights. With any other airline a good agent would have been empowered to reverse this, but that doesn't seem to be the case with LATAM. All they can do is create a case number and then route you to a million different departments until, with any luck, you get through to someone who can actually help. Well, in my case, that unfortunately never happened and I was forced to start my outbound journey and hope that the inbound would be resolved by the time those flights came around. (For what it's worth, I ultimately got my inbound flights corrected, but only after spending several hours with a ticketing agent at JNB on the day of my return. She was probably the nicest and most understanding person I dealt with at LATAM, and she indicated this isn't even close to the worst of the issues they experience on a daily basis. Apparently their systems are a nightmare and even she isn't able to contact support directly... everything gets routed one level at a time.)
The second issue was even more frustrating. I should have known something was up when the agent at MIA was able check-in my companion all the way to CPT, but wasn't able to do the same for me. The solution: "speak to someone in SCL or GRU." Well, I did just that and they had the same issue of not being able to check me in for the JNB-CPT portion of the flight. Their suggestion: "speak to someone in JNB when you land." This made me nervous given the short layover, but I figured someone at SA could probably figure it out. Boy was I wrong.
Upon arriving at JNB, I immediately went to the SA ticketing desk and explained the situation. The agent pulled up the reservation and noted that I had a seat, but that LATAM had failed to fully ticket the itinerary and they wouldn't be able to print a boarding pass or let me board. I'm not familiar with the complexities of airline ticketing systems, but the SA agent explained that without a proper e-ticket number, SA wouldn't get paid by LATAM if I took the flight. Calls to LATAM were unsuccessful and it ultimately came down to either paying for a new ticket from JNB-CPT or getting stuck at JNB. Since I was traveling with someone else, I chose to purchase a new biz ticket for more than $400.
I'll spare you the details, but several months later (in JANUARY!!), LATAM finally agreed to reimburse me for my out-of-pocket expenses. I provided a bank authorization form and they told me it would take two weeks to hit my account. Guess what never hit my account?? Yep, I still haven't been reimbursed and the issue is still unresolved. I called my credit card issuer this morning to dispute the charges. Not sure what else to do at this point.
So, long story short, I will do everything I can to avoid flying LATAM and would gladly pay more to fly a different airline. LATAM business class is nothing to write home about and if something goes wrong, you're totally screwed.
-Change the date of the flight, without additional charge, for any date from 7 days before and 15 days after the affected flight. You will not have to pay a fine for the date change outside the specified date range, but the fair amount may vary.
-Change the route of flight without penalty for any available date, paying the fare differences that may be generated with the change.
-Request a reimbursement for the ticket and embarkation fees, not used on the trip.
But when they say " To make this change effective or confirm your itinerary, we ask that you call our Contact Center," and they tell you there is no way the can do it apart from filling another form.
Next time, definitely booking via TA.I also asked how much I would be refunded, as this was one of the options they offered, and only answer I got was "we dont know, just will out the form and you will find out from your bank account "
Feb 18, 2019, 2:18 pm
#79
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: AA Exec Plat, UA Silver, SPG/Marriott Platinum Premier, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6
I feel your pain. I was (or still am) trying to get them to rebook my flights as first flight comencing after 4 mths stopover and it is just mindblowing. Finally I got answer in form of email after about 2 weeks, which is actually legit:
-Change the date of the flight, without additional charge, for any date from 7 days before and 15 days after the affected flight. You will not have to pay a fine for the date change outside the specified date range, but the fair amount may vary.
-Change the route of flight without penalty for any available date, paying the fare differences that may be generated with the change.
-Request a reimbursement for the ticket and embarkation fees, not used on the trip.
But when they say " To make this change effective or confirm your itinerary, we ask that you call our Contact Center," and they tell you there is no way the can do it apart from filling another form. Next time, definitely booking via TA.
I also asked how much I would be refunded, as this was one of the options they offered, and only answer I got was "we dont know, just will out the form and you will find out from your bank account "
-Change the date of the flight, without additional charge, for any date from 7 days before and 15 days after the affected flight. You will not have to pay a fine for the date change outside the specified date range, but the fair amount may vary.
-Change the route of flight without penalty for any available date, paying the fare differences that may be generated with the change.
-Request a reimbursement for the ticket and embarkation fees, not used on the trip.
But when they say " To make this change effective or confirm your itinerary, we ask that you call our Contact Center," and they tell you there is no way the can do it apart from filling another form.
Next time, definitely booking via TA.I also asked how much I would be refunded, as this was one of the options they offered, and only answer I got was "we dont know, just will out the form and you will find out from your bank account "
Feb 18, 2019, 2:24 pm
#80
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: PRG, DRS, VIE
Programs: Marriott Titanium, BA Gold, A3 Gold
Posts: 939
Yes, the dreaded contact center / online form. Basically the black hole of customer service requests. I've shared my story in other FF forums and the feedback has been incredibly consistent -- LATAM is a nightmare to deal with, so you basically have to pray your original ticket doesn't require any changes (or isn't changed involuntarily). It's amazing they're able to conduct business in this manner. I would love to see USDOT slap them with some massive penalties for the way they operate.
In worst case, I will go to to bank to request charge back.
Feb 18, 2019, 3:52 pm
#81
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
Programs: DL DM, Former AA EXP now AY Plat, AC 75K, NW Plat, Former CO Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 27,040
Yes, the dreaded contact center / online form. Basically the black hole of customer service requests. I've shared my story in other FF forums and the feedback has been incredibly consistent -- LATAM is a nightmare to deal with, so you basically have to pray your original ticket doesn't require any changes (or isn't changed involuntarily). It's amazing they're able to conduct business in this manner. I would love to see USDOT slap them with some massive penalties for the way they operate.
Feb 19, 2019, 4:07 am
#82
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 2,447
Wow, never thought of that, so you mean the multiple trips to SA/UK would be like
1. MIA-JNB (first LA ticket - not that I'm dying to fly with them)
JNB-INV (second ticket outbound)
INV-USA (third ticket outbound)
2. USA-INV (third ticket return)
INV-JNB (second ticket return)
JNB-MIA (first ticket return)
1. MIA-JNB (first LA ticket - not that I'm dying to fly with them)
JNB-INV (second ticket outbound)
INV-USA (third ticket outbound)
2. USA-INV (third ticket return)
INV-JNB (second ticket return)
JNB-MIA (first ticket return)
On BA crediting you'd get 140+140+40+40+40+140+140+40+40+40+140+140 = 1080TPs. Or skip the MAD leg and run 80TPs fewer for greater comfort LHR-JNB (on A380/787/747) at 1000TP neat.
On AA I don't know the EQ system well enough to know, but I suspect it'd be good even on I/C fare tickets (the short-hauls are likely to be I/J I'd guess). Worth the $3500?
Feb 24, 2019, 6:04 am
#83
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Earth
Programs: AA - EXP 1MM, Marriott/SPG Plat, Hilton Gold, BA, DL, TWA Royal Ambassador
Posts: 309
Feb 24, 2019, 8:21 am
#84
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
If you are collecting BA TPs dont forget uou can add on jnb-cpt on BA operated by Comair for almost nothing and instead of the BA INV run embedded you might chose to do LA CPT-JNB-GRU and back for just above $1k.
Jan 25, 2020, 6:58 am
#85
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Multiple locations
Programs: AAdvantage ExPlat LT Gold, BA Silver, Aegean Star Gold
Posts: 5,037
LATAM: MIA to JNB from $2311 and up to 820 TPs!
Nice fare for travel from Miami to Johannesburg via Sao Paulo, Brazil and potentially Lima, Peru with LATAM.
British Airways flyers would find the Lima option as very attractive since you would obtain a grand total of 840 TPs on this route. AA flyers would obtain 18798 RDMs / EQMs and 3760 EQDs.
The one-stop option is not that attractive as there are long layovers in Sao Paulo and the MIA-GRU segment is on their old Boeing 777s with angled seats in a 2-3-2 configuration!! British Airways flyers would obtain 560 TPs on that route and AA flyers would obtain 17404 RDMs / EQMs and 3501 EQDs.
Sample Flights via Lima and Sao Paulo
Sample Flights via Sao Paulo
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Source: My site PremiumCabinDeals
British Airways flyers would find the Lima option as very attractive since you would obtain a grand total of 840 TPs on this route. AA flyers would obtain 18798 RDMs / EQMs and 3760 EQDs.
The one-stop option is not that attractive as there are long layovers in Sao Paulo and the MIA-GRU segment is on their old Boeing 777s with angled seats in a 2-3-2 configuration!! British Airways flyers would obtain 560 TPs on that route and AA flyers would obtain 17404 RDMs / EQMs and 3501 EQDs.
Sample Flights via Lima and Sao Paulo
Sample Flights via Sao Paulo
The following link is a blog/website/social media page in which I have a financial interest. If you click on this link, cookies will be added to your device for an extended period of time and I may gain monetary returns if you follow this link or any other link on the blog/website/social media page.
Source: My site PremiumCabinDeals
Last edited by jfkeze; Jan 25, 2020 at 8:18 am
Jan 26, 2020, 5:24 pm
#87
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
I put a group of family members on this for a trip over Christmas. About a week out I did a schedule and equipment check and they were scheduled to have aircraft w new 1-2-1 configurations the entire way. They wound up with last minute equipment swaps on all but one segment. But otherwise it worked out well, no irrops at all. They did have a major schedule change about 3 months prior to departure and thankfully we had booked through AMEX and so they were helpful in getting things fixed (including the return through JFK).
Overall they said it was good value for money and they netted about 35k AS miles each.
Overall they said it was good value for money and they netted about 35k AS miles each.
Jan 27, 2020, 12:49 am
#88
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 119
Nothing announced officially on the crediting but Delta officially completed its equity investment in LATAM a few weeks ago and code sharing is supposedly effective sometime in Q1 (by end of March). The AA codeshare eases at the end of this month and LATAM's exit from oneworld will happen last I heard in October so perhaps crediting to AA will be available until then, but Delta mileage earning probably takes effect this year as well. All speculative though, there's no solid info out there but as a convert from AS to DL and looking to make an Africa trip this year, this fare is tempting
Jan 27, 2020, 3:14 pm
#89
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 12
Nice fare for travel from Miami to Johannesburg via Sao Paulo, Brazil and potentially Lima, Peru with LATAM.
British Airways flyers would find the Lima option as very attractive since you would obtain a grand total of 840 TPs on this route. AA flyers would obtain 18798 RDMs / EQMs and 3760 EQDs.
The one-stop option is not that attractive as there are long layovers in Sao Paulo and the MIA-GRU segment is on their old Boeing 777s with angled seats in a 2-3-2 configuration!! British Airways flyers would obtain 560 TPs on that route and AA flyers would obtain 17404 RDMs / EQMs and 3501 EQDs.
Sample Flights via Lima and Sao Paulo
The following link is a blog/website/social media page in which I have a financial interest. If you click on this link, cookies will be added to your device for an extended period of time and I may gain monetary returns if you follow this link or any other link on the blog/website/social media page.
Source: My site PremiumCabinDeals
British Airways flyers would find the Lima option as very attractive since you would obtain a grand total of 840 TPs on this route. AA flyers would obtain 18798 RDMs / EQMs and 3760 EQDs.
The one-stop option is not that attractive as there are long layovers in Sao Paulo and the MIA-GRU segment is on their old Boeing 777s with angled seats in a 2-3-2 configuration!! British Airways flyers would obtain 560 TPs on that route and AA flyers would obtain 17404 RDMs / EQMs and 3501 EQDs.
Sample Flights via Lima and Sao Paulo
The following link is a blog/website/social media page in which I have a financial interest. If you click on this link, cookies will be added to your device for an extended period of time and I may gain monetary returns if you follow this link or any other link on the blog/website/social media page.
Source: My site PremiumCabinDeals
Anyway - to my knowledge, these MIA-GRU flights are actually operated by the new 1-2-1 777 configuration that LATAM has. I researched this a bit before booking, and found that the previous/scheduled flights (registration codes?) on this route have been upgraded. It appears to be reflected in expertflyer too, and my seat assignments also support my theory (I think!)
Jan 27, 2020, 6:16 pm
#90
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EP, AA AC
Posts: 4,268
I booked this flight a few weeks ago (MIA-GRU, GRU-JNB ; JNB-GRU, GRU-MIA). Wish I had known that Lima would add in so many TP's but I feel like I ran into an issue when I tried to add Lima into the mix. I also thought MIA-LIM on LA was the 2-2-2 configuration?
Anyway - to my knowledge, these MIA-GRU flights are actually operated by the new 1-2-1 777 configuration that LATAM has. I researched this a bit before booking, and found that the previous/scheduled flights (registration codes?) on this route have been upgraded. It appears to be reflected in expertflyer too, and my seat assignments also support my theory (I think!)
Anyway - to my knowledge, these MIA-GRU flights are actually operated by the new 1-2-1 777 configuration that LATAM has. I researched this a bit before booking, and found that the previous/scheduled flights (registration codes?) on this route have been upgraded. It appears to be reflected in expertflyer too, and my seat assignments also support my theory (I think!)
Safe Travels