ok this is my first post and trip report, please leave comments, I'll try my best with the spelling - AIM has destroyed my spelling skills!  


Alright where do I begin... well, there's a lot of back story to this specific trip, so for all who are interested in just the pictures and the report, slide down    !

BACKGROUND - Basically, every year me and my parents go down to Uruguay to visit family and for quite some time our airline of choice was AR, via EZE. We would always go in April until 2006, when we decided to go in the summer. Problem was, we could not go by AR because their summer flights stopped in MIA, and my dad wanted a speedy arrival, so we had to look for other options. VERY long story short, he made the mistake of buying tickets on RG (against my advice!!!    ) and we wound up with beautiful cancellations and delays; keep in mind we were traveling in June 2006, on the eve of their imminent demise. The ONLY good thing that came out of it was that on the return they canceled (go figure) and we were put on a UA flight back in Business, which by the way was very good!

And so, 2007 came along, and with the good experience we had on UA, we decided to fly them again. We purchased the tickets in mid March. Two weeks later... UA cancels MVD service    . After being on the phone for about two hours, I got the refund with pretty good UA customer service, and that was that. So then the options were either LA, AR, AA, or CM. Copa just had weird times, so we got rid of the option. I did not want to travel on AA, for what I've read about their service. My dad didn't want to travel on AR because of the whole Argentina-Uruguay paper mill thing thats going on (He's all for the boycott Argentine stuff lol    ). I personally wanted to travel on LA, I had read great reviews for them and they looked like a pretty good airline, but their tickets were the most expensive. Eventually I won my dad over to go with AR (couldn't get on LA), and so we had secured our trip once again. It's now late April, and on the day of my sophomore semi-formal dance (sophomore in high school) I decided to check up on the flight status, basically cause I was bored, and I run into changes. Now, the JFK-EZE flight makes a stop in MIA, but the return (in mid-July) is still nonstop. About a week later we get the call telling us about the change. Alright then, no big deal I thought. Then came the final punch in the face    - in early June, weeks before departure, I check the flight status again and now not only does the return flight stop in MIA, but it departs at 4 AM from EZE and there was going to be an approximately 14 hour wait in EZE from the MVD flight. So now my dad's furious and I'm asking myself "WHY?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!". So I repeat the drill, call, and get the tickets refunded. By this point I had to give up the fight against AA and decided I should just give them a chance. BUT... as I'm looking on Orbitz for deals I find that LA has flights for a little under $1000, around the same as AA, so ~obviously~ i went with LAN. Interesting that despite all the problems, I actually got to fly on the airline I wanted to! And so, without further delay, I present to you, ~The Trip Report~   


==============================================
~FLIGHT ONE~
LAN Airlines (Lan Chile)
LA531 - June 16, 2007
JFK - SCL (via LIM)
Boarding - 22:30 ~ Late, boarded at 23:00
Departure - 23:30 ~ Late, pullback at 23:45 and takeoff at 00:27
Boeing 767-300ER; Reg. CC-CRH
Seat: 36L
Gate: A3
===============================================

   The day came and I wanted to make sure that I was FIRST on line for check-in to secure a window seat, since I didn't manage to get a window seat on LAN's website. We pulled up to JFK T4 at around 5:30 in the afternoon, which gave me ample time to explore the modern, airy Terminal 4 (I've been in T4 so many times i practically know the layout by memory!)

T4's Departures Entrance


Inside IAT - Terminal 4




With lots of time to burn, I decided to go outside and check out Greater JFK...

eos 757 to London-Stansted, I believe


Singapore Airlines 747 - from Frankfurt and Singapore


Former TWA's Terminal 5 - you can sorta see the new terminal behind it


A healthy array of Delta liveries at Terminal 3, the new one is missing though...


LOT Polish 767 to Warsaw - Star Alliance livery; SP-LPE & PIA 777 Tail


Where DO I check in???


Check-In began at around 7, and we managed to be second on line for that window seat that I NEEDED... we went up, presented our e-tickets etc. and YES!! there was ONE window seat available, in the second to last row, 36. Of course I accepted and abandoned my parents who were seated 6 - 7 rows ahead    haha. We proceeded into the duty free area that offers pretty good food (AU BON PAIN!!!) and shopping options - here I continued with more pictures...

LAN Check In, at Row 7


Terminal 4's Duty Free Area






Wish I was there...


T4 Tarmac, viewed from the observation points within the terminal

Emirates A345 & KLM asia 747 to Dubai & Amsterdam, respectively


TAM A330 (PT-MVG) to Sao Paulo & JetBlue A320 (N645JB)


An interesting gift by the Schiphol Group




In time we passed through security, which was quick and efficient, and proceeded to Concourse A.

Same Emirates A340-500 seen before


KLM asia 747 - "Mexico City" - to Amsterdam


Kuwait Airlines 777 to Heathrow and Kuwait City


My ride to Santiago; LAN 767 CC-CRH


I WOULD have had a picture of an Air India 747 but a TSA officer, who was just sitting down watching CNN, just yelled at me "NO PICTURES!" didn't even bother to get up... oh well, moving on!

Our flight codeshared as AA7711 and LP5531


Boarding Pass JFK-SCL
SCL.jpg" width="448" height="336" border=0>

We boarded 30 minutes late, and to my disappointment, this was a -375ER without the new interior and the PTV's with LAN's amazing "in" IFE system. Luckily though, I had my precious window, so all was good! The flight looked quite full and I'd say it easily had over a 90% load. Pullbacked at 11:45PM, and then we taxied for what seemed to be an eternity... eventually we took off from Runway 13R at 27 minutes past midnight, heading to our first stop, Lima. The Capitan announced our routing which took us over Norfolk VA, Cuba, Panama, Guayaquil and then onto Lima. Cruising at FL320, we were offered dinner service. Choices were beef & rice or turkey and mashed potatoes, I opted for the beef and it did not disappoint! (sorry, no meal pictures...) The presentation was quite good, with REAL silverware. Trays were collected and the movies began, I believe it was "The Astronaut Farmer". It was a smooth flight throughout; no turbulence. Before arriving at LIM we were offered a "Snack" consisting of a hot turkey sandwich, again, scrumptious... We landed in a VERY cloudy Lima at 06:35. Passengers staying in Lima got off, a clean up crew boarded and quickly cleaned the aircraft for passengers boarding for the continuing flight to Santiago. Within an hour and a half we took off again into the cloudy Peruvian skies towards Chile. We were offered Breakfast, which consisted of a nice omelette and a slice of ham; a little dry but good. "Wild Hogs" began to play on the numerous screens throughout the cabin, but I was fixated on the rugged landscape below and the serene Pacific Ocean. Passengers seated on the left side of the aircraft got a spectacular view of the Andes, but i was on the right...   . We made a smooth landing in Santiago about 30 minutes late (delayed way back at JFK) and made our way through the long corridors of SCL. We only had an hour until boarding began for the MVD flight so I didn't have much time to explore the airport.

Dunkin' Donuts in Chile   


Flight Info Screens, LA900 to MVD at Gate 12


The good looking but rather annoying steel...umm...beams placed at the windows of SCL along with an Iberia 340 to Madrid


SCL sign



LAN 767; CC-CGN to MVD as LA900


==============================================
~FLIGHT TWO~
LAN Airlines (Lan Chile)
LA900 - June 17, 2007
SCL - MVD
Boarding - 12:26 ~ Early, boarded at 12:10
Departure - 13:10 ~ On Time
Boeing 767-300ER; Reg. CC-CGN
Seat: 32A
Gate: 12
===============================================

Boarding Pass SCL-MVD - I sat at 32A, not 32C; I just switched with my dad lol
MVD.jpg" width="448" height="336" border=0>

Boarding began at Gate 12 ten minutes early, and now this plane was a -383ER, again, no PTV but this time, it really didnt matter at all, because the crossing of the Andes would be a spectacular view that no PTV could beat. We took off on time, heading to MVD.

Wing view of tarmac


La Cordillera De Los Andes! The crossing is simply amazing, especially with this cloudless day!






Laguna Del Diamante, (Diamond Lagoon) at the feet of the Mapui volcano which we flew over.


We cruised at FL370. After we crossed the cordillera, we were offered a snack; a triple layer ham & cheese sandwich. Sounds simple but was actually pretty good.

Argentine Patagonia, and Rio De La Plata




We actually arrived 10 minutes earlier to MVD after another smooth flight on LAN. So far, very impressed!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Return~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

==============================================
~FLIGHT THREE~
LAN Airlines (Lan Chile)
LA901 - July 15, 2007
MVD - SCL
Boarding - 16:10 ~ Late; 16:50
Departure - 17:20 ~ On Time
Boeing 767-300ER; Reg. CC-CWH
Seat: 32A
Gate: 1 (MVD's lone jet bridge)
===============================================

We arrived at Carrasco Int'l early. For those who have been there, you know that upon entry into the small but comfortable airport you are greeted by the "plastic wrapping people" who offer to Saran wrap your suitcase for you. If you walk away, they'll follow you.... I think I said no about 5 or 6 times before she decided to move on to a more lucrative customer. LAN check in at MVD was quick and efficient; I had about an hour to walk around. MVD is a small airport so there isn't much to see but it serves it's purpose well. A new airport, though, designed by the Uruguayan architect Rafael Vi�oly, is being constructed for 2009 and will feature more jet bridges.

LAN Check - In


Boarding Pass MVD - SCL


MVD's Central Hall


Towards Check-In


We passed security without any trouble and passed through MVD's central duty free shop, where PS3s were being sold for $800 USD   . The upstairs area that serves Gate 1's jet bridge has a small cafe and direct access to the "Aeropuertos VIP Club".

Gate 1 area


LA900 just arrived from Santiago and soon heading back as LA901.




We boarded late but managed to depart on time. When I had checked and written down the registration, CWH sounded peculiar, as if I had heard it before. When I boarded the plane, it confirmed my suspicions that this aircraft, CC-CWH, was fresh out of the Boeing factory and had the new 777-style interiors as well as the amazing IFE/PTV system (more on that later). We took off and cruised at FL380. We were given once again a snack but this time it was a triple layer tuna sandwich which again was very good.

We landed in SCL just after dusk. We walked... and walked... towards the connecting flights section at SCL.

==============================================
~FLIGHT FOUR~
LAN Airlines (Lan Chile)
LA532 - July 15, 2007 - (this is LAN's new non-top service to New York)
SCL - JFK
Boarding - 20:31 ~ Late due to gate change; 20:40
Departure - 21:15 ~ On Time
Boeing 767-300ER; Reg. CC-CWH
Seat: 33L
Gate: 10
===============================================

Upon arriving at the connection center at SCL an airport agent tells you the gate of your connection flight as well as a little brochure for LAN's Mistral Lounge, that anyone can enter for $25 (don't remember exact but around there). We were told LAN's New York flight, LA532, was departing from Gate 19A. I thought the "A" sounded weird since most gates at SCL didn't have that added letter but I paid no attention to it. We walked towards the gate, which was small and had a Copa 737 parked there. Again, odd, but I didn't think anything of it. My dad already began with the rants that make no sense, "O well they probably canceled their flight and put us on Copa."   . Anyway, I left my stuff there and went on to walk around and truly see SCL. At the Ruby Tuesday they were broadcasting the sports report that was recapping Brazil's earlier win of the Copa America final   .

Flight Information


GATSBY Cafe, reminded me of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby


LAN's Mistral Lounge & Delta's Crown Room Club


LAN Passenger Information Center - Packed...


SCL Main Corridor


I made a pointless video wandering the busy SCL, I will post it on youtube and put a link here later.

So then as I'm walking along, I hear a "LAN vuelo 532" announcement... I glance at my watch and notice it's about 20 minutes early, wasn't expecting that. I race back to Gate 19A and half way there at Gate 17 i see my parents speaking to the gate attendant. Had i continued listening to the announcement, I would have heard that the gate was incorrectly displayed on the screens and it was actually Gate 10 (conveniently at the other end of the airport). My parents were looking for me because apparently a LAN agent had already told them it was Gate 10 before the announcement. So, we began the hike to the opposite end of SCL, to Gate 10. Shortly after arriving they began boarding. Then, to my pleasant surprise, when I checked the registration, it was CC-CWH again! SWEET! Now I'd have 10 hours to check out the IFE! Boarding was quick, and we departed on time.

Boarding Pass SCL - JFK



Now, about that IFE. Called "in", it is a fully equipped AVOD system with 30 movies, numerous tv shows, the COMPLETE first season of 24, 300 music CD's (even though out of those 300 they didn't have any from Kudai, which is probably the best group in Chile), 10+ radio channels, 14 interactive games, and of course the map feature. I stayed awake throughout the 10 hour flight stuck to the screen! I did of course take a break to eat dinner, which was capelleti with tomato sauce, again, amazing. Cabin presence throughout this flight was outstanding compared to other airlines I've flown (PU, RG, AR, UA). Flight attendants offered fruit juice and soda at various intervals while the lights were off and most slept (except me of course    ). Out of the various movies offered I chose to watch Zodiac, very good. Played games, which were quite good and later in the morning multilayer Battleship & Chess with dad (he couldn't believe the whole "multilayer on a plane" concept). Breakfast was again the omelette, very good. The flight was clam throughout, although we did shift flight levels quite a lot, we began at FL300 then climbed to 32,000 over Peru, then 34,000 and then 35,000 over North America. We landed early at JFK, where luckily the lines at immigration at T4 were civil and sane   .

Final Thoughts: Without a doubt, LAN is one impeccable airline, with great service and crew. The AVOD it offers in Y is simply amazing and I believe I can safely say the best in the Americas (please correct me if wrong, I know AC has a pretty good IFE but never flown them). LAN should be the number one choice when considering a trip to Latin America, and by what I have experienced, it is worth the $1,500. And I would like to add that on their newly configured 767s their Business Class, by what I saw when deboarding, looks like it gets outstanding service as well. So for all who plan to visit Latin America, make sure that you strongly consider LAN as one of your options, I assure you, you will not regret it.


P.S. Hope that the report was helpful and ok, as mentioned, any and all comments and criticisms welcomed, hope it came out alright - I started this at 1 in the morning after problems with the photos, finally finished at 5, so now it's time for sweet sleep    .

~ AIRBUS767