This airline seat offers great legroom, but miserly food offerings

The airline: LATAM

• The flight Sydney to Santiago LA0810
• Frequency Four times weekly – Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday
• Aircraft Boeing 787-900
• Class Economy, seat 13L (a LATAM+ seat with extra legroom)
• Flight time 12 hours 45 mins, departing 12.35pm, arriving Santiago 11.20am the same day

LATAM has resumed flying from Sydney to Santiago non-stop.

Checking in

This is LATAM’s first direct Sydney to Santiago flight since the service was suspended during the pandemic, and there’s a festive atmosphere with live music courtesy of a South American three-piece band at check-in. This continues air side with the addition of fresh juices and traditional alfajores cookies offered to passengers.

Baggage

Maximum 23kg for checked luggage and 12kg for carry-on.

The loyalty scheme

LATAM Pass. The airline is not part of one of the major alliances, but has partnerships with numerous airlines, including Qantas.

The seat

Inside the economy cabin. The first six rows offer extra legroom.

The first six rows of economy class (a narrow-aisled 3-3-3 layout) are dedicated LATAM+ seats, with more than 10 centimetres of extra legroom, a generous pitch (35 inches/90cm as opposed to 31 to 32 inches in standard economy), priority boarding and exclusive baggage compartments. The 17-inch (43cm) wide seats offer limited elbow room but have a manoeuvrable headrest and come with a blanket and (rather thin) pillow. It’s well worth the additional $US99 ($152 – purchased at the time of booking) for the LATAM+ upgrade, with the extra legroom making a world of difference when it comes to potential shut-eye.

Entertainment + tech

Screens feel small, but the selection is broad.

The LATAM Play entertainment system offers a choice of more than 180 movies, 480 TV episodes and 150 music albums, including content suitable for children. The seatback screens seem smaller than the 12 inches (30cm) they are purported to be, but the system operates efficiently from gate to gate. I happily kill time watching several of the 23 new release movies (including the surprisingly entertaining The Fall Guy and the confounding Emma Stone triptych, Kinds of Kindness – bad choice). I also do some destination research with a Chilean documentary food guide, Destinos Comino. There’s a USB for phone charging, but no Wi-Fi available.

Service

What starts as charming and good-humoured service early in the flight diminishes into oblivion as it progresses, with the crew making themselves near-invisible as the lights are dimmed.

Food

My pre-ordered vegetarian meal never materialises, but there is, fortunately, a meat-free choice in the selection of three main dishes – a cheese and tomato pasta served with cornbread, cheese and crackers and a Tim Tam. The portion, however, would barely satisfy a toddler, and I remain hungry throughout the flight, with only the tiniest packet of chips offered as a snack (at 6pm Sydney time) to stave off stomach rumbles. I’m similarly disappointed by a paper cup of wine – a palatable Chilean sauvignon blanc – with no refills offered. I later discover that more snacks (and wine) are available from the galley at the back of the plane – you just have to ask. Breakfast, served just before landing, is a stock-standard omelette with mushroom and tomato, gobbled up with gusto after nine hours of fasting.

Sustainability

According to one source, avoiding this trip is as climate-friendly as being vegetarian for 7.6 years – a sobering statistic that suddenly makes my miserable vegie pasta a moot choice. The airline aims to have reduced or offset its domestic (within South America) emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.

One more thing

I rarely encounter a queue at the bathrooms (situated mid-cabin, with more at the back) – a rarity on a long-haul economy flight. However, there is one rear-facing toilet with a seat that flops down onto my back every time – most irritating.

The price

From $1851 return, with the LATAM+ seats from $US99 to $US119 extra.

The verdict

This inaugural flight to Santiago is full, an indication of the increased demand for the underappreciated South American continent. Being able to fly to such a fascinating and lively destination in less than 13 hours should give travellers pause to rethink the long-haul to Europe, with South America offering a viable alternative in terms of history, culture and gastronomy. The extra legroom seat is wonderful, but a point is lost for the miserly food and beverage offerings – BYO snacks.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer travelled as a guest of LATAM and Tierra Hotels. See latamairlines.com/au/en

*Fares are based on those available for travel three-to-four months from the time of publication and are subject to change.