Review of JetSmart flight from Iquique to Santiago in Economy

Going back home…

…one year older! ???

sorry for the inconvenience - at IQQ

As is usual among LCCs, JetSmart has different fares depending on your amount of baggage, the seat you select, and other options. For today's flight I chose the cheapest fare, which allows for a 10kg bolso de mano (hand bag) and lets you choose your seat even though it's not included in the fare.

Originally I chose seat 12F, but since I'll be traveling south along the coast, all I see will be water. Silly me. There's no way to change the seat once you buy your ticket, except…

…if you contact JetSmart directly. I sent them a message via Messenger - Hello, I want to change my seat for one in row A on the return flight. They reply quickly!

They say that seat 14A is available. I accept. They ask me to indicate that I accept the terms, and it's done! I have to pay an extra 2,000 CLP (2.5 USD)

The transfer picks me about 8 a.m. (they had said 7). IQQ has been turned into a building site!

The entrance looks like my local street market!

You should be given a helmet in case something falls. XD

I'd like to see what's happening all around me beyond these walls.

I can't say if this temporary hall was built on purpose…

…or if it's a section of the original hall that was isolated from the rest of the dependencies.

Whatever the case, it's been provided with…

…most of the amenities you expect at an airport hall, like ATMs, a shop…

…even a washbasin!

And a cafeteria…

Arrivals over there.

And the way out.

Someone had the idea of adding a nice touch of color to the mostly white hall.

The toilets are equipped with a water saving system. But I had to flush it three times.

And that's pretty much all you see around. There's no point in staying here much longer, so I proceed to safety check right away.

And we're airside! The shop is open here.

View on the left.

The action seems to be on the right. Let's go that way.

I don't think you can wash your hands "constantly" unless you have a portable washbasin. What a waste of water! I think they meant regularmente."

My gate.

Don't you dare saying that someone has a physical problem. It's reduced mobility now.

I'm not going to wash my hands and I'm not going to buy anything from the shop. The best thing I can do is sit here and wait.

chaotic boarding

So far, so good. IQQ has managed to do a good job in the midst of all this construction work.

JetSmart seems to be struggling, though. Nothing (and nobody) is showing where we should line up. In fact, I see one of the janitors asking one the airline staff to tell people to stop blocking the way (me among them)

There is no signage of any kind, and the only airline staff I can see around - a small lady- is overwhelmed checking the passengers' papers.

In the end I decide to go back to my seat and wait. When I stand up again the lady comes and scans my ticket and check my sanitary permits and stuff, and when I proceed to the gate, a fat guy in JetSmart uniform starts yelling at the top of his lungs "Señor! Señor! Ya lo revisaron?" Everyone is looking at me. It was very embarrassing.

I grumble my way along the jetbridge but we get stuck in the middle. Good thing, anyway…

…because I catch sight of CC-AWO, which had to perform an emergency landing at IQQ last September…

…when one of its engines failed on their way to Colombia.

Find a video of the landing HERE.

On my left, scaffolding around the building…

…and the guys from Acciona getting everything ready.

JetSmart's medals to outstanding service…

…in the battle against covid-19.

The seats are making JetSmart fall behind their two Chilean competitors, Sky and LATAM.

JetSmart flies from Santiago to Bogotá, Colombia. It's a 6-hour flight. The price would have to be very convincing to submit my back and buttocks to such torture.

The BOB menu is available for download. I'll keep it HERE, too.

I have a better view of CC-AWO from my seat. Hm. It must have been a scary experience.

The flight

Some additional information about this flight.

We say goodbye to disgraced CC-AWO…

…and my fat, yelling friend…

…once the chaotic boarding come to an end.

I never saw such dark wheel marks on a runway before.

As we take off I can see the extent…

…of the building work.

The desert around Iquique…

…is inhospitable and infinitely flat.

Only some mines here and there break the monotonous landscape.

Only when we reach…

…Copiapó

…in the valley of the same name…

…the landscape becomes rugged…

…and the different minerals…

…seem to give each hill a different color.

…from red and brown…

…to yellow and, sometimes, even a bit of green.

Some places in Peru and Argentina are famous for this, like Vinicunca, in Peru.

Meanwhile, in the cabin…

…the BOB service has started. I need my double choca moka.

Some 15 or 20 minutes before our arrival…

…we experience some strong turbulence.

So much so…

…that my neighbor gets scared to death and grasps the seat in front of him like his life depends on it. Well, now I see he's not the only one.

Here you can hear the captain ordering the crew to take their seats - Tripulación, tomar asiento. There were some children onboard, too, but their parents wisely convinced them that it was all a game, so they found the turbulence very amusing, unlike my neighbor.

That's how we made it to Santiago a bit…

…shaken, literally.

The best thing about this flight is that I'm on my way to Concepción. I didn't realize that we would make a stopover at SCL until I boarded the plane. Hah!

And this is great because I just need one more flight to recover my silver status at flight-report.com. hee hee.

So I'll take the chance to visit the restroom (as soon as they finish loading fuel)

Standard Spanish: Prohibido manipular. Sólo tripulación. / English: No tampering. Crew only. / Chilean Spanish: Open this lid and see what's in here!

As I go back to my seat the new passengers to CCP are embarking…

…and those containers are being replaced. I thought tat was for the BOB service on the next leg…

…but they didn't offer anything. Besides, it would be just a 45-minute hop.

Thanks for reading!