#27 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings.
217 reviews
I've been in Santiago for some days, after some "emotional turbulence" triggered by a quarrel with my mother. But the storm is slowly dissipating now.
This winter has been particularly cold and rainy in my city, and I need sun rays!! So I'm planning to spend some days in Caldera. I visited this town some years ago, and I fell in love with it.
Caldera is in the middle of the desert. And desert means sun. Lots of it. Doesn't it??
Even dark days have a bright side. It's been ages since I last saw the mountains this white!
A couple of days later… blue skies?? I can hardly believe i am in Santiago! Where's the smog?!
I was a bit lazy this morning. Arriving at SCL at 10:55 for a 11:30 flight…?? Hm… I have a strange feeling about it. A feeling like… I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!!!
So you will forgive the absence of photos of my racing across the main hall, my sweating while queuing for safety check, and my darting from there to the gate while grabbing my stuff with one hand and my pants with the other because I didn't want to waste time putting my belt back on.
Phew! I made it right on time!
But I wasn't the very last passenger to board.
I have some time to get familiar with LATAM's "product."
I'd say LATAM's seats and those of its rival, Sky, are competing neck to neck.
Both can be reclined and are provided with USB ports. Legroom is similar for LATAM and Sky.
Oh, look. A group of students in white sweatshirts are going on their gira de estudios - study trip - a trip traditionally made by secondary school classes. The "study" part is just in the name. An excuse for partying and getting drunk with your friends (and teachers) for a whole week.
Something that LATAM is definitely ahead of its competitors is the entertainment department.
Also, the headrests can be adjusted to your height and even folded in order to keep your head from leaning onto your neighbor's shoulder.
Not everyone got the memo, though.
We race along the runway at 11:40. Too bad I have an aisle seat today. I didn't want to pay extra for a seat this time. I have taken lots of photos of the mountains in previous reports.
Even so, the sight of Pachamama down there is still mesmerizing when we make a U-turn towards the north.
There's snow all around, on the distant Andes, beyond Santiago…
…and on the lower hills this side of the valley.
Here's the path we followed today.
The consuming machinery gets in motion just minutes after takeoff.
LATAM is the only Chilean airline with a free onboard service, and no BOB. Mercado Latam seems to be officially defunct.
You can choose from cold and hot beverages. The nuts come by default.
Sustainability. A necessary destination. Good for LATAM and their paper cups! Now, as for the polystyrene cup… I wonder about its destination.
Nearing the end of the flight I hear some quarreling among passengers from across the aisle. At first I think it's some of the students having an argument. Then I realize it's a couple of adults. Minutes later, this FA is lecturing one of them about the importance of activating the plane mode on his device. He finishes by saying So I'm asking you, in the kindest way, to activate the plane mode or turn your cellphone off. Actually, you can tell by the tone of his voice that he is very angry. I'd activate the plane mode if I were that passenger!
I close my eyes and relax for the rest of the flight. I concentrate in the balmy sun that is waiting for me in Caldera. Ahhh… so invigorating after so much cold and rain down in Valdivia.
Soon we are descending through thick clouds…
…that completely cover the Mars-like landscape of the Atacama desert!
Por la miéchica! It's freezing cold out here!
Did I miss something at the Geography lessons at school? It should be sunny around here!
At least I'm treated to a nice walk around the apron.
It looks like…
…I'm not the only one who was expecting warmer weather.
Sweatshirts on.
It might be a funny situation…
…but CPO seems to have been built with rainless weather in mind.
My cousin Cecilia - who lives in Iquique, also in the desert - tells me that it's getting rainier and rainier in Atacama. So who knows, one day a jetbridge might become necessary to board that LATAM…
…or its competitor over there.
But I guess this would pose quite a challenge…
…considering the distance from the building to the apron, wouldn't it?
As I mentioned in my previous report on CPO, I find it quite shocking that the architects took so much trouble to allow as little sunlight as possible into this building.
Coming from a bright exterior you can hardly see anything when you get inside.
They even had to install those ugly lamps that have nothing to do with the rest of the design.
Whatever. Now, how do I get to Caldera? This is the first time I'm going there directly from the airport. There are taxis and transfer service, but the Panamerican Highway is over there, just a few meters from the terminal. So I'll walk and try my luck. It must be much cheaper to take a bus coming from Copiapó towards the coast.
Last view of CPO.
I cross the parking lot and a large open space beyond it. Here's another funny thing about CPO - this art installation displaying the names of figures of speech.
Its relationship with the airport, the message that's being conveyed, and even its artistic value are beyond my comprehension. Then again, I am quite an ignorant person.
In less than five minutes I make it to the crossing over the highway…
…and that's it. CPO is easy to reach on foot from the highway, much like my local Pichoy airport. Two people are there waiting for transportation. About 10 minutes later a bus comes, and in 20 minutes more we arrive in…
Caldera is a quiet little fishing town.
There's peace all around - though it may be different in summer. The colorful fishing boats…
…rock softly on the cold water.
Remember that the ocean in Chile is usually cold. Don't be fooled by a run down Caribbean-beach-style umbrella.
But the town itself is pretty…
…which is quite a feat in my country, where cities are usually badly kept.
I chose Caldera because it's known for its scallops, so I go straight to a restaurant (the pink building in the first photo of this bonus) and order the pastel de ostión - scallop pie. I'm very disappointed.
Just a couple of whole scallops, some cheese, and lots - LOTS - of bread. And when I ask for the bill I realize that the VAT is not included in the prices of the menu!! That's not usual at all in Chile. I feel scammed.
Later, I stop by a nice street cart selling empanadas. Emapanadas can be filled with anything you can think of, from beef to lentils (as in vegan empanadas) They sell empanadas de ostión y queso here. Along with mango juice… yummy!!! Much better that that tasteless pastel de ostión. And far less expensive!! I'm actually a fan of street food.
The beach town of Bahía Inglesa is barely five minutes south of Caldera. Colectivos (shared taxis) run continually between both towns. (Note: Colectivo refers to a bus in Argentina. Just in case) There's this little, picturesque beach…
…with these beautiful rocks frequented…
…by seagulls and pelicans…
…but if you keep walking south…
…along this path…
…bordered by… tomatoes!!??…
…you come to this long, wide beach.
I walked along the shore for a moment, and even lay on the sand for some minutes when the clouds got a bit thinner, but then I recalled something I read about a lady who was struck by lightning when she was in an open space under a cloudy sky, and I suddenly saw myself turned into a crisp on the sand and got so restless that I had to leave. haha Silly me. Anyway, it was too cold to sunbathe (or cloudbathe, if you like!)
And on the way back to the town… it started to rain!!! All the locals ran to take cover, as if the few drops were radioactive or something like that.
The weather stayed the same all the time I was there. I didn't see the sun a single day in the desert. Some holidays on the beach!!!
On the bright side, this rain is prelude to the desierto florido, when the desert gets covered with flowers from seeds that were dormant for years!
Source: https://www.terram.cl/2015/10/desierto-florido-en-atacama-se-extendera-hasta-noviembre
Thanks for reading!
LATAM spearheads the commercial aviation industry in Chile. It keeps a hybrid model by selling a series of services like baggage allowance or seat selection apart from the basic ticket price, but is the only one to offer an onboard entertainment system or a snack service free of charge. No BOB service, though, so you have to make do with what you're given.
14 Comments
I like Latam, the cabin is nice, and actually looks very much like the NEK seats founds on Lufthansa (minus the headrest).
Incredible the story about the airplane mode.
LOL ahaha
Thanks for the bonus, shame it wasn't sunny.
I discovered a new city in Chile thanks to you. It looks like it is very easy to travel in Chile by plane.
The cabin looks OK for a short flight, and it is nice that LATAM Chile provides some catering without additional charges.
Great! I'm glad to hear that. Just don't waste your time and money visiting Copiapó itself. It's a horrendous place. I guess it started as a mining camp, and has not improved much since then. It's a very ugly and dusty place. Caldera and Bahía Inglesa, on the other hand, were a nice surprise for me when I visited them for the first time. I will keep coming back. In better weather, though! hahah
Now that you mention it, it is, indeed! Same thing in other countries in the "neighborhood", like Perú or Bolivia. Argentina is different, though. Flying is still very expensive there.
Thanks for stopping by, AK! Have a nice day!
I really like the look of LATAM's new-ish cabins. Streaming IFE, reclining seats with adjustable headrests, USB ports for every passenger, and free snacks and drinks is definitely setting LATAM apart as the full-service carrier. I is nice to see that they haven't sunk back into the LCC direction in which they were headed for short-haul in pre-Covid times. I haven't flown LATAM in 5 years so I'm really looking forward to flying them again in a few weeks. Will be fun to test out Premium Economy, which didn't exist last time I flew LATAM!
So much snow so low in the mountains around Santiago looks beautiful! I remember seeing that it even snowed in Santiago proper this winter. Lucky you to get rain on your sun holiday in the North! But like you said it makes for a beautiful flowering desert! What a unique experience for one of the driest places on earth.
I can't wait to read those reports!!
Indeed. I wonder if they would have made the same decisions if the pandemic had never happened. As the saying goes, "no hay mal que por bien no venga!" Ha
Nos vemos!!!
I can't complain. On the contrary, the arrival of LCCs has brought a lot innovation to commercial aviation down here - better cabins, better BOB service, point to point routes (which didn't exist in Chile before LCCs), you name it. Things would be quite dull if we still had our traditional legacy airlines like Latam or Aerolíneas Argentinas only.
Your flight map is impressive! It's high time you ventured south!!
Thanks for dropping by!! :D
With global warming, enjoy it while it lasts!
How does the LATAM Play work? Does it use a 3rd party app (pre-installed before the flight) or directly accessed through the in-flight WiFi?
It’s probably hard to do both a snack/drink service and BOB service on a flight of this length with the congestion in the aisle. I think the free onboard service is definitely the better option and a crew friendly enough to give you 2 drinks is good.
CPO is quite a strange airport with the apron so far from the terminal. Would be a security nightmare in the US. Thanks again for sharing!
Veeeery good question. I have no idea! haha I have to apologize. I keep forgetting to test Latam Play every single time I fly with them. Some reporter I am! haha. I'll keep it in mind for a future report.
I must agree. I think Latam's is the most professional crew of the three main Chilean airlines. Very friendly. Very proper. As for Sky and JetSmart, this seems to be a bit of a lottery, though Sky has made huge improvements in this regard.
Thank you very much for your comment, NGO85! I really appreciate it!
I enjoy reading your reports and your fun adventures. That first photo of Santiago with the snowy Andes is awesome!
Saludos!
Thank you Chibcha! That's very kind of you.
The difference between latam and other airlines becomes more evident in long international flight, I suppose. In domestic flights latam is ok if you don't feel like having anything other than a bag of chips for a snack. Otherwise, I prefer Sky's beef sandwiches! Hahha
I have never flown Avianca, but from the reports I have read here... I think I feel the same.
Thanks for stopping by, Chibcha!!
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