LAN Argentina deserves points for consistency

I feel like Buenos Aires didn't live up to the hype, at least on our trip there.

I guess I should have lowered my expectations, but I think the city itself, not the country, is over rated.

I flew Lan Argetina from Buenos Aires to Mendoza and was very happy I did. Seeing Aerolina Argentina cancel flights at will, LAN was a hands down no brainer for travel for inner Argentina travel. We had a great crew on both the inbound and outbound flights, so can't speak to other opinion on MIA-EZE.

BA had a great culture, but going to Mendoza is a must as it broke up the trip some. We were starting to get a little bored on our 5th day, but would not say it didnt live up to the Hype in my opinion.

I bet the flight attendant kept poking you to get a feel for your body 😉 Basically, she thought you were hot!

How Aerolineas Argentinas has changed... I remember flying them internal flights in Argentina about 10 years ago and I was treated well on every single flight (in total we took 5). Nice flight attendants, good food, every flight on time(ish) - I don't consider 15 minutes later than schedule late -, I really liked my experience with them. And that was in coach.

Okay, when someone refused to turn off his cell phone, the FA gave him hell: after all it's still Latin America ;).

Ehhhh... never mind my previous comment. I'm so used to you being negative about Aerolineas Argentinas that I automatically assumed you were talking about them :). That's a good first comment on a blog :(.

(short side note: even though it was my first comment, the last weeks I've been reading 238 pages - very interesting blog!)

LAN Chile is much better.

Ehh all the LANs are hit-or-miss when it comes to soft product. Usually miss. But I can definitely perceive an improvement in service when I interact with LAN staff fully in Spanish. I'm sure they appreciate the effort from Americans, even if it's in broken Spanish.

Is there any way to tell which LAN subsidiary will operate my flights booked with AA? Mine is 7700 and 7701 in May.

@ minnesotan -- That would be LAN Chile.

Two quick questions:
1. Were there seat covers other than the duvet to sleep on? Doesn't seem to be, but just to confirm...
2. I don't see any pajamas in the amenity kit, but I saw socks. Were slippers included too?
Thanks, as always, Lucky!

I'm surprised that you thought the seats were really comfortable - I haven't flown LAN business class myself, but those seats don't look as comfy as you describe!

@ D -- Nope, just the duvet and pillow. There were no slippers, unfortunately.

@ SANspotter -- I mean the seats weren't super comfortable compared to reverse herringbone seats, but given that they're fully flat they're still much better than what's on offer from most airlines to Buenos Aires.

Are you going to do a post on what you loved about BA? Other than Tierra Santa, of course. 😀

@ Robert Hanson -- I will with the trip report, absolutely.

The service sounds par for the course on LAN Chile as well, both in English and Spanish. Glad you enjoyed the seat, though I found it disconcertingly narrow. Felt tighter than the 20" advertised - and you already noted the limited shoulder space.

Thanks to idiotic authorities granting LAN+TAM merger and thinking no anti-trust will result, Oneworld will soon control like 95+% of long-haul MIA-SouthAmerica seats ... they have exactly ZERO incentive to be remotely competitive.

The only ones screwed are S.A. based passengers. They deserve what they get.

That seat does not look appealing at all. I think American offers better product ( did I say that? ).

Gosh, the shape of that omelette - eek!

@Jackie: As an S.A.-based passenger, I'm intrigued to find out what you mean by "(we) deserve what (we) get."

@ jorge -- The seat is similar to American in terms of width but is fully flat and has more pitch. While it might not look comfortable, I think there's no argument that it's better than American's angled flat seat.

@ Simon: I am so glad some one else eeked. The whole presentation... as Lucky say: Flat, flat, flat and a bonus of good bedding!! Some airlines I still say no to meals/food on board regardless of first or bussiness but my theory for food is it's the airport of departure that makes the difference more than the airline?

I wish I could witness a flight attendant repetitively poking you to wake you up

This is HILLARIOUS!

While I agree that the LAN flight you were on had a strangely old-school Business Class lounge, it would have been informative had you shown photos of the other classes.

My husband and I are based in Ecuador. While I have no experience with flying Business or First Class with LAN Ecuador, their Coach product is superior to most of the airlines based in the U.S. And after your review and photos of the new American Coach configuration, it sure looks cramped and tight compared to the LAN Ecuador Coach setup.

Hi... I want to know on what date do you took the Flight from Miami to buenos aires.
Was the Flight number 4521?
Thank you!

@ Lu -- I took the flight on April 11.