LATAM introduces Premium Economy on Latin America flights
Latin American carrier LATAM announced Wednesday that it would introduce a premium economy service on its flights operated on its Airbus A320 family of aircraft.
The premium economy seats will be located in the first three rows of the plane, and those rows will have blocked middle seats, similar to how some European airlines market business class on short-haul routes there.
"Our goal is to continue being the first choice for customers in Latin America, and today we are launching Premium Economy, one of the most radical changes in terms of travel experience in LATAM's history," Paulo Miranda, LATAM Airlines Group's chief customer officer said in a statement. "As part of our commitment to offering more options, flexibility and personalization to serve all journey types, the introduction of Premium Economy will provide the possibility to choose a superior service on all our flights."
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The new class of service begins today on the following routes:
From Santiago (Chile) to:
- São Paulo (GRU)
- Lima (LIM)
- Buenos Aires (EZE)
From Lima (Peru) to:
- São Paulo (GRU)
- Santiago (SCL)
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From São Paulo (Brazil) to:
- Lima (LIM)
- Buenos Aires (EZE)
- Santiago (SCL)
Customers with premium economy tickets will be offered priority check-in at the airport, extra baggage allowance, priority boarding and priority baggage claim on landing. They will also get access to lounges in select markets, including Santiago, São Paulo, Bogotá and Buenos Aires.
Onboard, premium economy passengers will get complimentary snacks and drinks.
LATAM said by March of this year, the new premium economy cabin will be available on all flights served by the more than 240 A320-family aircraft it operates. Those will include flights throughout Latin America and select flights beyond the region to destinations like Miami.
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