Review of LATAM flight from Santiago to Valdivia in Economy

So much suffering nowadays. Wars, famine, natural disasters… you name it.

Few things could bring even more misery to the world at this point.

Like yet another SCL - ZAL report. 😅

But it's worth it! 😂 There are some changes at SCL and LATAM that are worth reporting.

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I've been flying to Valdivia about once a month ever since I moved north last year. Mom and sis are happy about that. It would break my heart to tell them that my real motivation is seeing Rucio, my cat, and Klaus, my dog. 🤭

Anyways, for a change, I'm taking the train to Santiago today. Trains are not our favorite means of transport in Chile. Roads are good and buses are comfortable, so we prefer these. Only some trains are modern and fast. Most are rather old, like this one.

The train arrives at the Estación Central, in Santiago. From there, I take the Metro to Universidad de Santiago station, from where I emerge at the TurBus Station and take the bus to the airport.

Quite a busy day at SCL. This building here used to be the entire terminal before they built Terminal 2. This end of the building was used for international flights, and the far end was used for domestic flights. Now this whole building is the domestic terminal T1, and access to security check is right here on the left.

I see that Cruz Verde drugstore relocated here, where there used to be a little supermarket. Of course. They used to be located at the other end. I suppose the other end is a food court now. I'll have to check in the future.

I join the queue for safety check. I had never seen such a long line before! So many people traveling on a Monday!

But SCL is quite efficient in this regard. I have never been stuck for long at the queue for security check at SCL. In fact, this is how the line is moving forward today:

So you see, it's like going for a walk.

It took me from 10:36 to 10:41 to get here…

…and other five minutes inside to get to the scanners.

Once airside…

…surprise surprise! My 13:00 p.m. flight is not listed!

No idea what could be happening… or where to go! I guess I'll just ask the first LATAM gate staff I find.

I have the impression that this area after security check used to be the old duty free.

Now it's a large distribution area more or less midway between gates A and B.

Roughly, gates A used to be the old international gates, and gates B are located in what used to be the old domestic terminal, at the other end of the building. Those in the middle were used for domestic or international flights, as needed.

I walk all the way from security check (red dot) to the farthest gate A (green dot) where a LATAM staff member tells me that my gate is 8B (blue dot) 🤦‍♂️ Can anyone please end my misery?

So I leave concourse A…

…and go for a long…

…long…

…incredibly long walk that includes detours…

…down a boarding way, and up again…

…to concourse B.

I finally make it to the blue dot. As you see, a very good reason for arriving at SCL with lots of time is the sheer distances that you might have to walk, especially for international flights. The airport is efficient, but things might suddenly go wrong if you have baggage to drop or your gate changes.

This side at least has the advantage of being next to the only active runway (I think the other one is closed temporarily) which allows for some planespotting. It would be nice if these windows weren't so filthy, though!

A Patagonian Sierra Finch! Ahh…memories of my trip to Punta Arenas. These birdies are so cute! They feel at ease among humans.

As boarding time nears, a gate staff comes pulling a funny looking wheeled contraption consisting of a screen and two loudspeakers. The recorded voice of a lady calls passengers by groups in Spanish and English, as the process is displayed on the screen.

Kudos to LATAM. The recorded voice is nice and clear (those loudspeakers have good bass!) and the additional visual support is welcome.

As we board, I wonder if…

…the legroom will be as lousy as ever. Well, the answer is Yes. This is the same legroom that I had on my flight to Bolivia and that prevented me from finding a good position to rest.

I have the impression that they're trying to squeeze you into upgrading to Premium Eco. I'm 170cm tall, and I can't stretch my legs without smashing my kneecaps against the seatback. Well, it might be the standard these days.

The USB ports are functional…

…and so is LATAM Play. I didn't watch any movies now, but I was able to connect and send WhatsApp messages for free. Text only. Too slow for images.

You get free messaging if you are registered with LATAM Pass. There's also a very simple flight map. Quoting Seven of Nine - "Crude, but effective." 😂

While fuel loading proceeds…

…I cross my fingers that the seats next to me will remain free. By the way, I didn't buy the window seat this time. I was assigned it for free! Thanks, LATAM! I knew you would read my previous report ❤️

And they do stay free! Weeee!!

Pushback.

This is how flightradar24.com saw our flight.

SCL has two runways, but only this one has been in use for some time.

Luckily, we don't have to wait for another plane landing, so we quickly take off with a view of T1…

…and the new T2…

…and the cargo area.

No idea what this can be. I do know that the area around SCL is a sort of business district.

As soon as we fly past Cerros de Chena…

…we turn right to the west…

…above the hills of the Cordillera de la Costa…

…and then left, so that we fly with a view on the coast and the Pacific ocean.

I think this is the best view I've been able to get of lake Rapel, the largest artificial lake in Chile, and a favorite among local fishers. They catch pejerreyes, I think. Tasty, but I remember my mother used to hate it when my father went fishing because she spent hours removing the scales, entrails, etc.

Minutes later, the onboard service starts. LATAM opted to keep this service instead of an oboard menu. Gone are the days of Mercado Latam 😅 I have no marketing qualifications, but I still wonder if a BOB menu or pre-ordered stuff would be better than this.

Regardless, my advice is that you bring something for the road. That packet contains exactly 23 pieces (22 on my flight back) of salty pop corn. Enough for watching a… TikTok short, perhaps?

After this corny experience, I see that we're flying above Concepción…

…so I relax for the rest of the flight…

…and very soon we are landing…

…into ZAL.

…which is facing problems of its own.

For some unknown reason, we have to wait some minutes until this plane is pushed back and the jetbridge is available.

I wonder why. A shortage of staff perhaps? There have been some strikes as of late, but I'm not well informed.

The thing is, I have seen two planes parked at the same time at ZAL before, one of them boarding/deboarding using stairs. 🤷‍♂️

Whatever.

I am lucky to deboard through the rear door…

…and enjoy some views…

…of CC-BFD…

…which has always been in LATAM.

No baggage to claim…

…so I go straight outside, where my mother and my sister are waiting for me in the car.

I'd like to say I enjoyed my stay with them, but relations are strained between them and I ended up having to mediate. Funny twist of events after I was the one sent away for being the family's black sheep! 😂

Thanks for reading!