Quick take: LATAM’s new business class is one of the best ways to fly between North and South America. Just be sure your jet is equipped with the airline’s latest seats.
Pros
- Roomy seats with high-end finishes
- Good food and wine courtesy of a South American celebrity chef and a master sommelier
- Available on an ever-growing number of aircraft
Cons
- Older planes without some next-generation features
- Seat controls are extra sensitive
- Can be tough to find award availability
For many years, LATAM was an airline in transition, created out of the merger of two South American giants, LAN and TAM. That meant its business-class seats — old-school chair-style fixtures in 2-2-2 and 2-3-2 patterns that reclined into lie-flat beds — became outdated quickly.
But back in 2019, the airline revealed designs for a new business-class seat that was a huge step forward. These customized Thompson Vantage XL seats would be configured in a 1-2-1 pattern with plenty of privacy and personal space for each passenger.
The downside was that it would take the airline a few years to retrofit them onto its aircraft. It started with the Boeing 777s based in Brazil and its aging 767 fleet, primarily based in Peru. The airline’s 787s are a mix of old- and new-style seats.
I recently had the opportunity to fly LATAM’s new business class on a Boeing 767 from Lima’s Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Here’s what the experience was like and what other LATAM business-class passengers can expect.
How much does it cost to book LATAM business class?
The price of a LATAM business-class ticket will depend on your specific route and dates, as well as whether you’re flying one-way or round-trip. It will also depend on whether you want to pay in cash or use miles.
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I found an incredible deal for just $713.50 one-way from Bogota, Colombia, to Los Angeles via Lima in business class. On the long-haul leg from Lima to Los Angeles, I was in business class on a reconfigured 767.
Generally, round-trip business-class tickets between Los Angeles and Lima start between $2,630 and $3,700 depending on the direction, and one-way flights aren’t usually cheaper than half of a round-trip.
Occasionally, the airline opens a decent amount of business-class award space to partners, including Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines, though this can be spotty. If you do find partner saver award availability, expect to pay 45,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles or 95,000 Delta SkyMiles each way, plus around $30 to $130 per leg, depending on the direction.
Checking into and boarding LATAM business class
LATAM business-class passengers can enjoy the following priority services at the airport.
| Priority check-in | Yes |
|---|---|
| Lounge access | Yes, LATAM and partner lounges |
| Does the airline participate in TSA PreCheck? | Yes |
| Priority boarding | First, after preboarding |
My itinerary originated with an early-morning flight from Bogota to Lima. I was able to access the LATAM VIP lounge in Bogota, where I took advantage of free Wi-Fi (and coffee). Then I mostly snoozed through the three-hour flight between the South American capitals.
Upon landing in Lima, I went through another security checkpoint and ambled through the international terminal to the airline’s flagship Sumaq Lounge near Gate 17.
Upon my arrival around 8:30 a.m., the lounge was fairly empty. By the time I left at 11 a.m. for my Los Angeles flight, there was a substantial line of passengers waiting to get in.
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The lounge had all the typical facilities you might expect, including bathrooms and showers, a staffed bar, a buffet and plenty of living room-style seating areas plus some workstations.
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I headed to one of the half-dozen or so chaises in the quiet room for a nap. Then I took advantage of the free Wi-Fi to get some work done and grazed through the finger sandwiches available at the buffet.
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The breakfast foods, like scrambled eggs and other snacks, were decent, but if you want a full meal, I would suggest patronizing one of the restaurants in the terminal.
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Around 75 minutes before my flight, I made my way to the gate, which was a two-minute walk away, and lined up for early boarding. Business-class passengers board after those in wheelchairs and others who need extra time, but I was the first person in the premium cabin itself.
How comfortable was LATAM business class?
LATAM’s Boeing 767-300s have just 20 business-class seats aboard, all in a single section at the front of the aircraft just behind the boarding door.
The seats are laid out in a 1-2-1 pattern in five rows of four seats each. One of the seats in the back row is typically reserved as a crew rest station on longer flights and is blocked off with privacy curtains.
| Number of seats | 20 |
|---|---|
| Cabin layout | 1-2-1 |
| Seat recline | 78 inches, fully flat |
| Seat width | Chair: 20-24 inches |
| Screen size | 16 inches |
If these seats look familiar, it’s because they are Thompson Vantage XL fixtures, much like you’ll find on Qantas and SAS and in Delta One Suites. LATAM’s seats have attractive gray upholstery with burgundy leather headrests and shells with a rippling wave texture.
However, these have been customized in numerous ways other ways, too. Most notably, the center seats are alternatively closer together or farther apart, rather than consistently staggered from one another by wider armrests.
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This means the center seats in rows 1, 3 and 5 are closer together in what’s known as a “honeymoon” style. They have substantial privacy screens between them in case they are occupied by solo travelers, though.
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The center seats in rows 2 and 4 are separated by two wide armrests, lending them plenty of personal real estate.
| Best seats for solo travelers | Rows 1, 3, 5; A and L |
|---|---|
| Best seats for couples | Rows 1, 3, 5; E and F |
The seats on the sides of the aircraft, meanwhile, are alternately closer to the window or the aisle, so their privacy varies. Those in even rows have narrow armrests separating them from the aisle, while those in odd rows have wide armrests and seat shells providing them with an extra cocoonlike layer of privacy.
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There are overhead bins running along both the sides and center of the cabin, so each passenger has plenty of storage space. However, since this is an older aircraft, the bins are not as spacious as you’ll find on the latest-generation jets.
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Unfortunately, there are no individual air nozzles, but the crew on my flight kept the cabin cool and comfortable throughout.
After settling into my seat, 3L, I started checking out its features. It measured 20 inches across at the hips between armrests, one of which could be lowered to provide 4 extra inches of maneuverability.
As for overall space, I measured 37 inches of width between the side of my seat shell on the aisle and my window. There were 36 inches of space between my seatback and my entertainment screen, which was affixed to the preceding seatback.
The wider armrest on my seat’s aisle side was a whopping 13 inches across. It had an attractive marbleized black granite surface.
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The bifold tray table, which measured 19 inches across by 12 inches deep, swung out of the armrest and could slide forward and backward for ergonomic comfort. (This helps passengers more easily get into and out of the seat during meal service.)
The wide armrest housed an illuminated panel with seat controls, including preset positions for takeoff and landing, lounging and lie-flat mode, a button for ambient lighting and a do-not-disturb indicator. (The latter did not illuminate anything on the seat itself, but the flight crew monitored it.)
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The armrest also held a compartment with a remote control for the entertainment screen, though I ended up just using the touchscreen function.
Just under this was another set of buttons controlling the seat with the same preset positions. It was ultrasensitive, and if I so much as brushed my arm on it, my seat would start to move.
There was also a universal power point and a USB-A port.
Up top, I found an open shelf to stow the provided headphones and amenity kit and a bottle of water. It also fit my 16-inch MacBook Pro snugly (after we reached cruising altitude) so I could set it aside during meal service or while sleeping.
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Speaking of sleeping, there was a bed set waiting at my seat upon boarding. It included a padded, fitted seat cover plus a lightweight blanket and a full-size pillow, all wrapped in reusable cotton bags.
The seat reclined into a lie-flat bed in just over 30 seconds. It was about 78 inches long including a footwell that was 14 inches wide at its mouth and 12 inches high. That was fine for me, but if you have large feet, you might have trouble finding a comfortable position.
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Overall, I had a restful snooze after the main meal and then lounged in bed mode watching a movie until the prelanding meal service.
LATAM’s 767-300s have two lavatories at the front of the aircraft for business-class passengers and crew. Though they did not have touchless faucets or toilets, the crew kept them spick-and-span throughout the flight. Apart from Alize Te Verde liquid hand soap, there were no special amenities to mention.
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Amenities in LATAM business class
In addition to the bedding, my seat was provisioned with a small bottle of water, a pair of slippers and a small, reusable amenity kit decorated with a colorful piece of work by Brazilian artist Bettina Vaz Guimaraes. It contained the following:
- A toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Ear plugs
- Socks
- An eye mask
- Feito Brasil’s jabuticaba berry-infused lip balm, hand cream and a towelette
Though basic, the amenities were of good quality. I enjoyed trying out the specialty skincare products since the 767 does not have the humidity or pressurization benefits of newer jets like the Dreamliner.
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The airline gave each passenger a set of noise-canceling headphones. They were basic, but they did a decent job of drowning out most of the noise from the airplane and fellow passengers. I would have used my own noise-canceling headphones, but the entertainment system did not have Bluetooth connectivity.
The entertainment system monitor was 16 inches across diagonally, and it was easy to navigate thanks to the touchscreen functionality. There were parental controls available as well as accessibility settings to adjust screen magnification, subtitles, text size and contrast.
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The system included a sizable selection of content including recently released movies like “Kung Fu Panda 4” and “All of Us Strangers,” plus various Spanish- and Portuguese-language films like “Una Flor en el Barro” and “Retratos Fantasmas.”
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The TV menu included selections from Max, Paramount+ and Disney, among other options, including shows like “The Regime,” “House of the Dragon” and “High School Musical: The Series.”
There were games, music and even meditation sessions, but I mostly kept my monitor on the moving map to keep track of the flight’s progress.
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LATAM’s 767s are not equipped with Wi-Fi, which can be a substantial drawback. It was fine for my Saturday afternoon flight since I could work offline as needed, but it’s something to consider if you hope to stay connected during your trip.
How was the food in LATAM business class?
The crew members did not offer predeparture beverages — probably because all passengers boarded through the forward doors, meaning there was a lot of foot traffic in the cabin. However, they did come through and take meal orders before pushback; they also asked whether passengers wanted the second prelanding meal or just to rest until descent.
The options on my flight — listed in Spanish, Portuguese and English — included:
- An appetizer of prosciutto with manchego cheese and pesto served with a fresh salad
- Grilled tenderloin with pepper sauce, ullucos, potatoes and roasted carrots
- Tagliatelle with tomato and olive sauce
- Mixed green salad with Parmesan, Peruvian ground cherries, cucumber, tomato and sauteed zucchini
- The signature plate from the airline’s Lima-based partner chef, Francesca Ferreyros: slow-cooked beef with arracacia (a type of root vegetable) gnocchi and fried quinoa
- Ice cream
- Coffee mousse with chocolate sauce, almond praline and meringue
- Fresh seasonal fruit
- A selection of cheeses
The wine list was curated by Hector Vergara — the only accredited master sommelier in South America — who has been working with the airline for over three decades. On my flight, his selections included:
- Vollereaux Brut Reserve Champagne
- Perla Negra red blend from Vina Casa Donoso in Chile’s Maule Valley
- Vina Undurraga pinot noir from Chile’s Leyda Valley
- Bodega Garzon albarino from Uruguay
- Vina Ventisquero Kalfu Kuda sauvignon blanc from Chile’s Leyda Valley
The airline also served a selection of other alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages including:
- Absolut vodka
- Chivas Regal 12-year whisky
- Bombay Sapphire gin
- A variety of juices
- Sparkling and mineral water
- Soft drinks
- Coffee
- Tea
Twenty minutes after takeoff, the two flight attendants serving business class came through the cabin offering trays with glasses of Champagne and water (though you could request other beverages as well), plus ramekins of nuts.
About 30 minutes after that, they served the meal, which came on a single tray. Though this might not feel as premium as when airlines course it out, that service flow wasn’t surprising given the flight time (and especially considering the number of overnight flights LATAM operates). It allowed me to eat and get back to work quickly.
I had the starter salad with prosciutto and the chef’s special of slow-cooked beef with gnocchi and quinoa, which was tender and tasty. The coffee mousse was sweet and smooth, though I only had a few bites since I didn’t want to overload on sugar before a nap.
I had a glass of the Uruguayan albarino, which was a nice wine for a flight, in particular, thanks to its crisp acidity. I sipped on the Chilean pinot noir to finish.
About 90 minutes before landing, the second meal service commenced with a choice of the following:
- Roast beef sandwich with sun-dried tomatoes, lettuce, cream cheese and mustard on focaccia
- Cream cheese sandwich with pesto, herbed tomatoes and Edam cheese
- Fudge brownie with toffee sauce and chocolate
- Fresh seasonal fruit
I had ordered the roast beef sandwich at the start of the flight. It was cutely wrapped in a piece of faux newspaper. Though hot and savory, it fell apart pretty quickly, and the meat had large veins of fat in it. I only had a few bites of the sandwich and the chewy fudge brownie before turning back to my movie. My flight landed in the evening around dinnertime, so I figured I’d eat on the ground to reacclimate to my home time zone.
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Though not restaurant-quality, the food on LATAM was memorable. The crew could not have been more proactive about serving and clearing trays, refilling drinks and generally ensuring that passengers had everything they needed.
Would you recommend LATAM business class?
After waiting years to fly LATAM’s new business class, the experience did not disappoint.
The seats were spacious and well-designed with high-end touches like granite countertops and responsive touchscreen entertainment systems.
In my opinion, these are the three main drawbacks:
- Although all the airline’s 767s and 777s have new seats, the 787s are a mixed bag.
- Award availability can be scarce.
- If you get an older plane like the 767, it’s missing some key features like Wi-Fi connectivity.
That said, with a little advanced research on your particular flight, you certainly won’t have a hard time making the most of the inflight experience and enjoying the good food, drinks and friendly service.
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