Review of LATAM flight Sao Paulo Johannesburg in Business

Airline LATAM
Flight 8058
Class Business
Seat 1A
Aircraft Airbus A350-900
Flight time 09:00
Take-off 02 Mar 20, 17:55
Arrival at 03 Mar 20, 07:40
LA   #35 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 212 reviews
Tulakpohvezdach
Published on 9th May 2020

sao paulo guarulhos (GRU)


There are two different airports Sao Paulo - Congonhas for domestic flights and Guarulhos (GRU) for all those who want to fly far away as well as many domestic hops. Guarulhos is a mixed bag where you can have great experience as well as very bad.
I ended up landing an hour late from Rio de Janeiro (SDU) because we had to offload some passengers because of the runway lenght restriction during the rain (luckily it was not me).
In GRU I went from T2 (domestic) to T3. I walk very fast so it took me only about five minutes but you should count approximately 15 minutes to transfer between domestic and international flight, even in transit area.
At the time you get to the departure area of T3, the things goo much better. It is brighter there, cleaner and the VIP LATAM check-in was just in front of the escalator. The process was smooth and quickly as I was served immediatelly.
Security and Immigration has no priority lane which is not the best but reality in many airports.


LATAM VIP lounge


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Located right after security, the LATAM VIP Lounge is well known to me. Last time I stayed there I called for hot food options (https://flight-report.com/en/report/35548/LATAM-LA8114-Sao-Paulo-GRU-Barcelona-BCN). And so was done! During the lunch time and well after that there were a few options of south american typicals like beans and meat etc.
The wide selection of wines was on offer as well as a great selection of salates and other food. What I missed was some kind of attended bar where I could order a flat white, have some drinks but this is not the case here



Wine area which I really love


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And a huge seating area. You can print all you need or find yourselves in the bar…



…or have a short nap in the dark room


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And do not to forget to take a shower before your flight!


All in all I find LATAM GRU VIP Lounge to be very good. You have a lot of space here, it is quiet with great food and drink selection and many showers which you do not have to wait for.
In terms of food there are decent options and you will not be hungry at here. It seems LATAM chose the golden middle way of the service for their premium customers. They offer well ballanced experience but nothing more. It is really not Air Canada Signature Suite, right?


LATAM Business class


Boarding started right on time and was well organised in terms of south american region. I still have no idea why business class is boarding group 2 but let it be. Yellow fever vaccination was checked and we were on board!


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The service on this flight was great and the crew were a little shy but very helpful. I was seated in 1K and the passenger next to me was very rude to me and also to crew. So as the boarding completed was announced, I moved to 1A, where both seats remained unoccupied.
Upon boarding you ccan find everything you will need during your flight on your seat - menu, amenity kit, very comfy slippers, medium quality headphones and also pillow, very nice blanket and a mattrass pad. I have to say once again that I love the quility of bed accessories of LATAM as they are one of the best in the skies!


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Champagne as a welcome drink was served along with cold nuts. The crew introduced themselves and took the meal orders.


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Push back was done in time, very attractive safety video was played and here are a few airport spotting photos from the journey to the runway



The cabin showed its age. This was nearly 4 years old aircraft and it was visible. LATAM introduced some time ago the whole new business class concept of 1-2-1 configuration which they have already implemented in all of their 777 fleet but they decided not to refit also 787 and A350, only those delivered in next years will feature the new product. That is a mistake in my eye…


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The breakfast menu was available but as always was never taken. The service protocol should be better followed…


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The dinner was on my table quite quickly and was very good. LATAM has a great catering in my point of view, at least much better than Lufthansa Business Class as the 5-star carrier….


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Cabin crew were always helpful and nice but I have a feeling they are much warmer to Brasilians than the others… But all in all the experience was very good, the lights were dimmed and we went to bed where also the matrass pads were provided along with one of the best blankets in the skies which I highlighted in my previous LATAM reviews.


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Breakfast was simple and very good, again LATAM showed their catering doing the best for the company.


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Verdict

LATAM

6.4/10
Cabin6.5
Cabin crew7.5
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering6.5

LATAM VIP Lounge

7.8/10
Comfort8.0
Meal/catering7.5
Entertainment/wifi7.5
Services8.0

Sao Paulo - GRU

5.6/10
Efficiency7.0
Access1.0
Services7.5
Cleanliness7.0

Johannesburg - JNB

6.2/10
Efficiency7.0
Access5.0
Services6.5
Cleanliness6.5

Conclusion

Where the hard product is a step behind, the soft product is many miles ahead of the other carriers. I can only recommend LATAM Business Class on their A350s and newly refurbished B777s!

Related

3 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 553790 by
    richynjoye 4 Comments
    This 2-2-2 configuration is hard to enjoy, especially if your neighbour is someone rude or doesn't behave. LATAM should really re-think their strategic post-COVID and get the 1-2-1 configuration on their 777 and 350 and not just 767. I often fly (well, pre-COVID) the 350 DOH-BCN, operated by QR, and it's really not a good hard product anymore. Fortunately you enjoyed and the soft product delivered.
  • Comment 553881 by
    airberlin GOLD 1873 Comments
    Thanks for sharing. I’m like LATAM product both hard and soft. I was however with a colleague and not next to an unknown neighbour... the bed is one of the best in the industry. Your rating is orange which seems to tell that the offer was not the best. Your comments are way better though. Looking forward to reading your next report :)
  • Comment 554078 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Nice to see a report on the LATAM A350! While these seats don't allow for direct aisle access, they are very comfortable and spacious in my experience. The dinner looks very good, though the breakfast seems a bit basic for a 9h flight. Overall looks like a nice experience! I look forward to seeing the first report on their new 777 Business class as it looks like most of them have been retrofitted....except they're not flying because of Covid, of course.

    Thanks for sharing!

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