Chile Forum

I have never had trouble using my AA miles. I am a avid FlyerTalk reader of course. I do not see the basis for the whining because if one just did a little research, used a little savvy and applied some energy in the process, you will find AA has one of the best reputations for award redemptions.

The last full award was an AA All Partner Award where I was able to fly Business/First on AA metal SCL-MIA-LAX then on LAN's newly outfitted business 767 non-stop LAX-SCL (no LIma stop crap here)

Three times before that, I easily used my miles to upgrade to domestic first/international business from the States back to Chile (I prefer upgrades RETURNING TO CHILE ).

As an AA Gold, I have had a nearly 90% success on using my accrued domestic upgrades on segments like DCA-ORD-LAX, MIA-DCA, DCA-MIA, though on LAX-DFW only about 50%.

The AA hub-MIA/DFW-SCL routes are not that hard to score upgrades compared to other destinations.

And I will always remember the same-day, immediate availability for a SCL-MIA-LAX award to get me home ASAP after my father died.

Whining? You talkin to me?
Don't worry too much AA won't go broke they have been very successful at screwing customers and filling the cattle cars with the tiniest seats and most passengers in the industry. I haven't cared for AA for a very long time but sometimes they are the only game in town and I have to use them, I usually regret it .They are the predominant carrier in and out of SJU and most of the Caribbean and that is an almost impossible route to get free tix except in hurricane season when no one wants to come and I don't want to leave.
I had a similar experience on CO when my sister was dying, somehow when you tell them that and have to prove it the first class tickets and the rules loosen up. But that experience was almost three years ago and everything has changed. For years every third trip to Chile on Copa was free and it just isn't happening much anymore.

Tis the reason any route specific traveler become at least the lowest tier elite of the dominant carrier for those routes.

Just the way the game is played. I've had good and bad experiences with AA. I have heard of and experienced worse on others (US Airways). One's attittude when walking into the scene greatly affects one's experiences.

BTW, AA's Caribbean routes are usually staffed by the nastier bunch of FAs using the crappier planes but I've heard the clientele has in part contributed to this nastiness

eeuunikkeiexpat wrote:Intentionally only offering the highest fare buckets for Chile domestic flights and blocking access to the lower ones to outsiders so they cannot book them on the home country site when there are no legal reasons (like residency ala Argentina) to block them, IS A PLOT.

+1. Bad business practice.

eeuunikkeiexpat wrote:Also, a warning to mileage program members. Have you seen what LAN did to their FF program without warning? Lots of pissed customers that will probably be switching to AA's mileage program. Check out the thread on the FlyerTalk board.

Oh no. I have 600k km on LAN. What I just found from a quick search is that they're increasing the number of kms needed for a free ticket, but it's only a couple of weeks since they sent me an email saying just the opposite. Maybe the lowest fares aren't actually available in practice?

James.

helibel wrote:I checked and Lima is the only International air port in Peru. Chile only has three, and that is pretty limited, there are a few international flights to Bolivia out of Iquique and Punta Arenas service the Antarctic and Falkland islands, that it.
Route maps
http://www.lan.com/info_viajes/mapa_de_ ... es-pe.html

Note on Iquique: super cheap LAN flights out of Iquique to Lima, CLP$66,000 round trip! Lunkey you should look into it - maybe save a few more pesos. I'm going in October: can't pass up a deal like that!!

Another heads up is round trip Antofagasta to La Paz for less than CLP$100,000 round trip - Sky Airlines though, not LAN.

LAN is in financial trouble. Their last earnings report was nasty.

I managed to book a flight to Santiago from Temuco next Friday for 50,000 pesos, which is normally about 150,000 pesos. We also know the game however. You cross reference their site, phone center, local agent, and pick the one with the best price, then you have about 24 hours to either pay cash or put it on a Chilean credit card to get a discount.

We almost never fly Lan in Southern Chile. The price difference between them and Sky is normally really big, and none of the flights are very long. Sky is a total discount chicken bus airline, but if it takes me longer to get to the airport than the flight last, it makes no sense to pay some premium price for the same small plane. They don't really provide us say 100,000 pesos more comfort over sky. International flights it might make sense.

helibel wrote: But get out of Cuzco on the earliest possible flight, they often cancel the afternoon flights because the altitude and air pressure can make the air to thin too allow takeoff. I have been canceled twice out of Cuzco and ended up taking a bus to Arequipa.

interesting - is this at all times of the year? I'm going to be traveling in December.

I know once was in February and I think the other time was in May or June, I am away from my passport, I'll check tomorrow.I think it is all year round and happens often. If your next destination is Arequipa there is a comfortable overnight bus. No such luck if you are going to Lima. You are stuck, there is no good land option. Book the earliest flight.

eeuunikkeiexpat wrote:Intentionally only offering the highest fare buckets for Chile domestic flights and blocking access to the lower ones to outsiders so they cannot book them on the home country site when there are no legal reasons (like residency ala Argentina) to block them, IS A PLOT.

getting back to this, I'm having a similar situation. I just went to book a roundtrip flight from Lima to Cuzco, on the LAN Peru site, and I see this:

La Tarifa Base de Cabina Económica en ruta nacional es válida sólo para residentes en el Perú. En caso de que no acredite la residencia en el Perú, LAN le podrá negar el embarque o aplicar –previo al mismo- un cargo adicional de US$ 178.50.

The Economic Base Rate Cabin national route is valid only for residents in Peru. If not proving residency in Peru, LAN may be denied boarding or implement, prior thereto, an additional charge of U.S. $ 178.50.


WTF? is this a similar residency law to Argentina?

There are two or three threads on LP's Thorn Tree South America about this. Apparently it is like the Argentina restriction and many non residents are hopping mad over it and trying to organize a boycott.

BOHICA - bend over here it comes again

LAN seems to be going out of their way to piss of all their customers in all countries.

I can not remember the dates they said, but they had a full page advertising in the local Austral newspaper sunday that they would not be flying to Temuco for about 2 weeks because of repairs at the airport (which I totally believe). I am trying to find out if that means sky is our only airline, or no one is flying to Temuco during that time. I was also a little suspicious about how easily we managed to get two round trip tickets on lan with short notice from Temuco for 50,000 pesos to Santiago last week.

I smell blood. I think Lan is in trouble.

are they actually checking and implementing this charge at the airport? probably not a risk I want to take but just curious as to the feedback.

I wonder if it's worth waiting to book to see if they change their policy... is this a new policy?

Started reading about this LAN Peru deal on FlyerTalk and ThornTree about a week ago.

Just noticed this...

eeuunikkeiexpat wrote:As an AA Gold, I have had a nearly 90% success on using my accrued domestic upgrades on segments like DCA-ORD-LAX, MIA-DCA, DCA-MIA, though on LAX-DFW only about 50%.

LOL. That's probably all my colleagues flying back on AA945 with exec platinum etc. (sorry about that). I've rarely flown from Dallas to Santiago or vice versa without unexpectedly meeting someone I know. In fact I'm picking someone up from that route in the morning...

James.

From what I've heard, LAN is collecting that extra $178 at the airports before letting you board a domestic flight in Peru.

There's a lot of heated discussion on this in the forum on the Expat Peru site.

Lots of people aren't very happy about this.

....Anani