LAN Chile - I cannot say much about them because, while they might not be the best airline out there, they certainly aren't the worst. Flying from Auckland to Santiago, Chile, LAN is the only direct option you have, that is unless you want to take a dab with Aerolinas Argentinas via Buenos Aires. Yeah right! LAN it was.
LAN's likeliness is perhaps consistent of any airline that finds itself in a position of exclusivity i.e. the only airline that connects you to the destination you want. Given that position, you easily tend to operate in the philosophy of its either my way, or the highway and LAN is one that adheres to this philosophy. They get you from point A to B, albeit at times with a certain degree and level of chaos, but they eventually get you to your destination. Lets just say amongst the other South American airlines that service the Oceania region, LAN operates in true South American style; you fly when they say you fly.
I couldn't have asked for a much authentic start to my Chilean sojourn. I was expected to fly out from Auckland at 16:10 Friday, however on arriving at the airport, I was told, the flight was rescheduled and would now depart 5 hours later. Ole! Apparently the flight from Sydney to Auckland got held up and like the domino, my flight got delayed. It was also the day of the Rugby World Cup opening (good timing huh) and I would expect some passengers on the flight from Sydney travelling to Auckland to attend the opening ceremony if not the game. I can only hope the ground staff in Sydney did a bang up job in quelling the passengers frustrations especially if they were going to miss out on the opening festivities due to the flight delay.
For me, oh well, it wasn't too bad. I still had enough time to change and get ready for the wedding on Saturday in Santiago, even with the delays. I hoped to get some shut eye on the flight over anyway, so the delay at that point didn't concern me much, except for the fact that I had to spend longer than expected at the airport, even if it was at the Qantas lounge. Even the boarding process was interesting. As we assembled to board, we were told, it would be delayed by a few minutes as the plane was stuck on the tarmac and was waiting for engineers to tow it to the gate. I had to laugh at their predicament as it was definitely something that I had not heard before. It certainly put a smile on my face before boarding.
Service wise, it was standard. The one thing that did stand out was that South American fliers are much reserved when it comes to drinking on the plane. Apart from the standard drink or two with your meals, no one really indulges much. Or perhaps it was just the passengers on my flight who were mostly travelling with families. Either way, suited me fine as experience from travelling over the years has taught me, alcohol and fights don't go well...well not until the next day.
Santiago was only 11 hours away.
LAN's likeliness is perhaps consistent of any airline that finds itself in a position of exclusivity i.e. the only airline that connects you to the destination you want. Given that position, you easily tend to operate in the philosophy of its either my way, or the highway and LAN is one that adheres to this philosophy. They get you from point A to B, albeit at times with a certain degree and level of chaos, but they eventually get you to your destination. Lets just say amongst the other South American airlines that service the Oceania region, LAN operates in true South American style; you fly when they say you fly.
I couldn't have asked for a much authentic start to my Chilean sojourn. I was expected to fly out from Auckland at 16:10 Friday, however on arriving at the airport, I was told, the flight was rescheduled and would now depart 5 hours later. Ole! Apparently the flight from Sydney to Auckland got held up and like the domino, my flight got delayed. It was also the day of the Rugby World Cup opening (good timing huh) and I would expect some passengers on the flight from Sydney travelling to Auckland to attend the opening ceremony if not the game. I can only hope the ground staff in Sydney did a bang up job in quelling the passengers frustrations especially if they were going to miss out on the opening festivities due to the flight delay.
For me, oh well, it wasn't too bad. I still had enough time to change and get ready for the wedding on Saturday in Santiago, even with the delays. I hoped to get some shut eye on the flight over anyway, so the delay at that point didn't concern me much, except for the fact that I had to spend longer than expected at the airport, even if it was at the Qantas lounge. Even the boarding process was interesting. As we assembled to board, we were told, it would be delayed by a few minutes as the plane was stuck on the tarmac and was waiting for engineers to tow it to the gate. I had to laugh at their predicament as it was definitely something that I had not heard before. It certainly put a smile on my face before boarding.
Service wise, it was standard. The one thing that did stand out was that South American fliers are much reserved when it comes to drinking on the plane. Apart from the standard drink or two with your meals, no one really indulges much. Or perhaps it was just the passengers on my flight who were mostly travelling with families. Either way, suited me fine as experience from travelling over the years has taught me, alcohol and fights don't go well...well not until the next day.
Santiago was only 11 hours away.
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