LATAM is one of the biggest airlines in Latin America, and one of the best options to fly directly between South America and Europe or the United States. We have flown business class a number of times with many different airlines, but we almost always use points. This time we were points poor, so were debating whether flying business class with LATAM would be worth the money.
Having never flown with them before, we weren’t sure what to expect, but after finding a pretty good deal between Lima and Madrid, we decided to take the plunge.
In this guide we’re covering exactly what the experience was like, from the seat, to the food, lounge, service and whether we thought it was worth it.
Our route and ticket price
What we paid for our flight
Just to be clear from the get go, we paid full price for this flight - though we did get a good fare, which obviously makes a difference when it comes to whether it was worth it.
We booked direct through LATAM and paid USD $1,447 per person for our one-way flight between Lima and Madrid. Whilst this was a little more than flying with Avianca, it was cheaper than all other airlines flying to Europe at that time. We’d read some less than enthusiastic reports on business class on Avianca, so decided to give LATAM a go.
The route we took - LA2484
We flew on flight LA2484 from Lima to Madrid, which is an overnight flight that departed at 22:55 from Lima and arrived in Madrid at 17:20 the following day - a total flight time of 11 hours.
We’d read that this is one of the older planes in the LATAM fleet - a Boeing 787 Dreamliner - which therefore had a slightly less luxurious fit out than the newer planes do. The seat configuration was 2-2-2.
What’s included in the ticket
A positive of booking with LATAM as opposed to some other airlines (we’re looking at you British Airways) is that things like seat selection is included in the price (BA wanted $119 for selecting a seat from Cancun to London in business class!).
As well as seat selection, you get 2 x 23kg bags, a carry on bag weighing up to 16kg and a personal item. Luggage is also designated as priority, so it’s first off the plane at the other end.
The price included a lounge pass at Lima airport.
Our experience flying business class with LATAM
Cabin layout & space
The cabin for our flight from Lima to Madrid was in a 2-2-2 layout, which is certainly better than British Airways flights from Cancun to London (which has a 2-4-2 layout) but not as good as Iberia or the newer LATAM flights which have a 1-2-1 layout.
The layout, coupled with the fact that there are only 30 seats in the cabin, give it a good sense of space. Despite not being market leading, we felt like there was a lot of room, especially as we were in seats 5J and 5L, which were towards the back of the cabin.
The layout also meant that the window seat had 2-3 very large windows, which is great if like us, you love to look out the window as you fly.
The toilets didn’t feel much different to those in economy, but they were always clean and there was never a queue.
Layout & Space: 8/10 - a solid layout, but not market leading
The seat
So this is the big question: what are the seats like? Well the big tick is that they fully recline to make a horizontal lie flat bed. They were comparable to other lie-flat beds we’ve been on with better airlines, such as Emirates.
The seats are wide and comfortable, and I didn’t have any problems stretching out fully and I’m 5 ft 11. Another thing we really liked is that the seat does not go under the chair in front when fully reclined, which adds to the feeling of spaciousness.
As you’d expect, the other seats in front don’t recline into your space as they would in economy and premium economy, which is another big tick.
A negative for some people is that there is zero privacy in this form of LATAM’s business class. There are no screens between the seats, or on the side next to the aisle. This is less of a problem if you are sitting next to someone you know, but may be a little strange if you are travelling on your own and are seated next to a stranger.
You are given a mattress topper that goes over the seat to make it more comfortable when it’s fully reclined (it’s not quite a mattress, but it does make a big difference), as well as a pillow and thin duvet before take off. You can set this up yourself, or get help from the cabin crew.
Seat score: 9/10 - exactly what you want when paying for business class. Only improvement would be privacy screens.
Food, drink & service
Let’s start with the service, which wasn’t bad, but wasn’t brilliant. The cabin crew are friendly and do respond to requests, but aren’t very proactive.
It was the first time that we weren’t greeted with a drink upon taking our seats in the cabin when flying in business class (it may sound picky to bring this up, but it is seen as standard elsewhere).
We did get a drink just over an hour into the flight though - sparkling wine or orange juice and nuts - so it’s not a big deal unless you’re gasping for a drink! They offered to top up the glass several times afterwards too.
The drinks menu on LATAM is pretty extensive and they enlisted Latin America’s only Master Sommelier Hector Vergara, which was a nice touch. The wines are selected to match the dishes on the menu and they were very good.
We found the food to be pretty mixed. The presentation was nice, with white table cloths, crockery and no sign of cheap disposable containers, and the cabin crew brought round a selection of ‘fresh’ bread to complement the meals (although it didn’t actually taste that fresh!).
On our flight we had two services - dinner was served two hours into the flight (which was 1am body clock time, but as the flight was leaving at 11pm I don’t know what else they could do) and breakfast, which was served about two hours before landing.
You can see the dinner menu below.
I went for the beef, which had a pretty overpowering taste that wasn’t pleasant and the beef was so overcooked that it was pretty leathery. Cat’s pasta was a lot better, but still pretty avergae.
The breakfast got a thumbs down from both of us. Maybe it was a mistake to go for the omelette, which was pretty bland and tasteless. It was all a step up from economy and premium economy, but we’ve experienced a lot better in business class on other airlines. It wasn’t even close to Qatar, Cathay Pacific or Qantas for example.
Food, drink & service: 6/10 - not bad, but not brilliant
In-flight entertainment
The first thing you notice about the inflight entertainment when you sit down is that the screens are strangely positioned below eye level when you’re sat upright. At first it feels bizarre, but you realise that it is designed for when the seat is partially reclined or fully flat.
The screen is pretty big and is set on the back of the seat in-front of you, which initially feels far away. It can also make selecting your movie quite difficult as the icons were pretty small!
The positive (and most important thing) is that selection on the in-flight entertainment was good, with a large selection of movies, tv shows and games to choose from. We had no issues with passing the time on our 11 hour flight.
All business class seats are given partially noise cancelling headphones that are a step up from anything you get in economy.
Whilst the quality isn’t bad, it isn’t great either. If you have a good set of headphones, it’s worth buying a cheap airline adapter from Amazon and using them instead.
In-flight entertainment score: 9/10 - good selection, big screen and decent headphones. Couldn’t complain.
The lounge and airport experience
Our flight with LATAM included access to the Sumaq VIP lounge at Lima airport.
The lounge is a decent size and comes with a lot of the amenities you’d expect, including a buffet, showers, work areas, a few beds (which were all full on our visit) and plenty of comfortable seats with charging ports next to them.
The positives are that it’s a great place to get some work done as it is relatively quiet and well equipped. The lounge wi-fi isn’t the fastest, but it was good enough if you don’t need to download or upload large files.
Having the ability to have a shower and grab a coffee between flights is always a welcome part of the lounge experience.
However, the Sumaq Lounge had a lot of shortfalls compared to other airport lounges. Firstly, the buffet was pretty limited in options, especially for vegetarians, and the food was below average.
Sumaq is also the only lounge we’ve ever been to that charges for alcohol, which came as a big surprise. Normally lounge access (especially one that was charging over $100 for non-business class passengers) includes this.
Finally, there’s a weird approach to getting a shower at the lounge, where you have to register with the front desk to get a time slot for a shower….. they didn’t tell you this at check in either, so we only found out when we had limited time to go. We did manage to get a shower, but only just. We’d recommend booking your time slot as soon as you arrive.
Lounge Score: 6/10 - a nice addition, but not as good as most lounges we’ve been to.
The overall experience
Positives
Great value for the price we got - which was only a little more than some economy routes from Lima
The seat - fully reclining, very comfortable and spacious with mattress topper
Cabin layout is great and felt very spacious. Only 30 seats meant you didn’t have to wait long for food service or anything else
Good drinks selection and great wines
Good in-flight entertainment options, big screen and headphones that work well enough
Lounge Pass included
Negatives
The service could improve
The food is hit and miss, but more miss
Not the best for solo travellers or those wanting privacy screens
Whilst the lounge pass is included, it isn’t the best lounge
Is it worth it?
Whether LATAM Business Class is worth it depends on the ticket price you get. We found it to be 100% worth it for the $1,447 USD we paid and would leap at that deal if it came up again. For us, the lie-flat bed is by far the most important aspect of flying in business class and LATAM’s lie-flat bed was perfect. Not only did it recline completely, it was spacious and comfortable.
However, it isn’t perfect. Those looking for a 5* service in all aspects may feel a little let down, as it doesn’t compare to airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways. We’d say that LATAM is a great mid-range choice for business class, so if you get a mid-range price or better, then you should absolutely go for it.
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