Carrier adds to Europe services

Airline focus: LanChile by Linsey McNeil

Carrier adds to Europe services

New products introduced to attract corporate travellers

Branching out: LanChile will continue to target the leisure market to Chile, while introducing business-class products

LanChile is targeting the UK corporate travel market for the first time following the launch of its first and business-class products, and the introduction of non-stop flights between Europe and Santiago in Chile.

From December 1 the airline will offer a non-stop daily service from Madrid to Santiago.

Currently, all its flights stop at Sïo Paulo in Brazil. Dropping the Sïo Paulo stopover will shave an hour off the flying time from Madrid to Chile.

The Chilean national carrier has just taken delivery of the first of seven A340 aircraft, which will be used to operate non-stop flights from Madrid to Santiago.

The aircraft have been fitted in a new three-class design, incorporating five fully reclining sleeper seats in first-class, 36 seats in business and 228 in economy.

LanChile believes its new premium-class products, coupled with the shorter journey time from Europe and Oneworld alliance membership, will make its service more attractive to business travellers.

LanChile UK sales manager Christine Berger said: “Most of our traffic from the UK is leisure, because we have only really had a leisure product in the past, but that has completely changed.

“We now have a very good product for the corporate traveller and we plan to start hitting the corporate market in a big way.”

New menus and wine lists have been selected for both first and business-class and a new in-flight entertainment system has been installed throughout the aircraft. Additional innovations aimed at business travellers include personal satellite telephones and computer connections.

LanChile believes British Airways’ decision to drop its direct flights from the UK last August will help it attract the corporate market.

BA’s service now stops in Buenos Aires, where passengers bound for Santiago transfer to LanChile’s regional flight which connects the two cities.

“I don’t think BA is really promoting this service because the connection from Buenos Aires to Santiago is not that convenient for UK passengers,” said Berger.

“LanChile only operates a Boeing 737 on that route, which quickly fills up, so passengers sometimes have to wait a while for a seat.”

LanChile’s main competition on flights from Europe is from Iberia. As they are now both members of Oneworld, there is a possibility they may begin codesharing on the route. Berger said LanChile would continue to court the leisure market, which is constantly expanding.

“We work with all the UK tour operators that sell Chile and new operators are coming on board all the time,” she said.

“There are a lot of specialists entering the South America market and they are very good sources of business for us.”

Many UK tour operators make use of LanChile’s domestic and regional flights, which have also been revamped.

In October LanChile took delivery of the first of 20 new A320-200s to replace its 737-200s on short-distance and regional routes.

lanchile in-flight service on A340 aircraft

First Class:

&#42 Five fully reclining sleeper seats.

&#42 Two dedicated flightattendants for every five passengers.

&#42 In-flight menu created by chefs from Argentina, Peru and Chile.

&#42 In-flight entertainment includes choice of 12 films, 11 video games and 20 music CDs.

Business Class:

&#42 36 seats with a 56″ pitch and 150 degree recline, adjustable headrest and lumbar supports.

&#42 Individual telephones and computer connections.

In-flight menu created by chefs from Peru, Argentina and Chile.

&#42 In-flight entertainment includes choice of 12 films, 11 video games and 20 music CDs.

Economy class:

&#42 228 seats with footrests, adjustable headrests and built-in lumbar support.

&#42 Individual screens for each passenger, offering eight film channels, 11 video games and music channels.

&#42 Satellite telephones and individual power points for laptop computers.

First Class:

&#42 Five fully reclining sleeper seats.

&#42 Two dedicated flightattendants for every five passengers.

&#42 In-flight menu created by chefs from Argentina, Peru and Chile.

&#42 In-flight entertainment includes choice of 12 films, 11 video games and 20 music CDs.

Business Class:

&#42 36 seats with a 56″ pitch and 150 degree recline, adjustable headrest and lumbar supports.

&#42 Individual telephones and computer connections.

In-flight menu created by chefs from Peru, Argentina and Chile.

&#42 In-flight entertainment includes choice of 12 films, 11 video games and 20 music CDs.

Economy class:

&#42 228 seats with footrests, adjustable headrests and built-in lumbar support.

&#42 Individual screens for each passenger, offering eight film channels, 11 video games and music channels.

&#42 Satellite telephones and individual power points for laptop computers.

Oneworld alliance

Total journey time from the UK has been slashed even further by LanChile’s decision to join the Oneworld alliance.

Membership means it is able to offer a greater choice of connecting flights from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester to Madrid.

Prior to signing up with Oneworld, LanChile was restricted to offering only British Airways’ flights from the UK to Madrid, which didn’t always offer the most convenient connections for its onward service to Chile.

“Now that we can work with Iberia we are able to cut the connection time in Madrid by up to three hours for some passengers,” said LanChile UK sales manager Christine Berger.

UK passengers travelling to Chile via Madrid using a combination of Iberia or British Airways and LanChile flights will be offered through check-in facilities, and frequent flyers will receive LanChile air miles for the whole of their journey.

Passengers travelling in first and business class can also access Iberia or BA’s VIP lounges.

Choice: connecting flights will be cut by as much as three hours

Iberia: will work with LanChile under the Oneworld alliance