Airline review: This new business class is a great improvement

The flight

LATAM flight number LA800, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, business class, Sydney to Santiago, Chile, via Auckland. Scheduled to depart at 11.25am, with pushback on time. Flight time 15 hours, 50 minutes, including a two-hour stop in Auckland. Seat 1F.

LATAM’s business class seats now offer direct aisle access for all.

Frequency

Daily.

The loyalty scheme

LATAM offers LATAM Pass, which allows passengers to earn points on LATAM flights, as well as on those with partner airlines such as Delta, Qantas, British Airways and JAL, plus when spending with booking.com and Amazon.

Checking in

This is an absolute breeze. There is a grand total of zero people queuing up at the business class check-in counter when I arrive at Sydney airport, so in no time I’m on my way through to departures, where LATAM business-class passengers have access to the Qantas lounge.

The seat

LATAM is still rolling out the upgraded business-class seats, so look out for the 1-2-1 cabin layout when booking.

LATAM is spending $US400 million ($633 million) upgrading the business class cabins across its fleet, and this 787-9 is decked out with all the new features, including VantageXL lie-flat seats, which are similar to those used by Qantas, laid out in 1-2-1 formation, all with direct aisle access. The seats each have a universal power outlet, USB charging point, an 18-inch (46-centimetre) touchscreen TV with in-seat remote control, and noise-cancelling headphones.

Baggage

Business class passengers on LATAM are allowed to check in two pieces of luggage weighing up to 23 kilograms each. They can also bring one carry-on bag weighing up to 15 kilograms.

Entertainment

Business class features 18-inch (46-centimetre) entertainment screens.

The LATAM entertainment system is called LATAM Play, and features more than 150 movies, 430 TV episodes, and 120 music albums. That selection puts it well below some of the class leaders, though there’s ample choice for one flight, and I can indulge myself by watching Dune for about the 300th time. The provided noise-cancelling headphones don’t, unfortunately, cancel much noise.

Service

The crew onboard are friendly and efficient, effortlessly switching between Spanish and English for their various passengers. There’s never any problem attracting attention when you need it.

Food

As with the seats, the food offered by LATAM has been upgraded in recent years, and on this flight there is a solid menu of international favourites paired with a good wine selection. Though it’s a shame not to see any destination-specific meal options, my pappardelle with artichokes, served alongside an Argentinian chardonnay – and later, steak with vegetables, paired with a Mendoza malbec – is excellent.

Carbon emissions

2.7 tonnes for one business class passenger. In economy, it’s 940 kilograms per passenger.

One more thing

LATAM is still rolling out the upgraded business-class cabins on its 787-9s, so before booking your tickets, ensure the aircraft flying on that date has the 1-2-1 seating formation that indicates the new cabin.

The price

From $3544, business class one way.*

The verdict

The LATAM business class experience these days is a vast improvement on the old product, and its spacious, lie-flat seats bring the carrier into line with world leaders in the class. Though LATAM still can’t quite compete with those front-runners on the likes of food and entertainment, and there’s no denying that the stopover in Auckland on this flight is less than ideal, this is a very comfortable and thoroughly enjoyable way to begin any experience in Latin America.

Our rating out of five

★★★★

The writer travelled as a guest of Prom Peru, and was upgraded by LATAM.

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