Press Release - LAN Airlines Statement

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http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050311/115502_1.html

Source: LAN Airlines

LAN Airlines Statement
Friday March 11, 4:10 pm ET


MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 11, 2005--LAN Airlines, in conjunction with Argentine investors, has initiated negotiations to acquire an airline in Argentina - with an approved air operator certificate - in order to operate domestic and international passenger, mail and cargo services.
The airline will use the name of LAN ARGENTINA and will be part of the LAN airline alliance.

Upon the approval by local authorities of the required traffic rights, LAN ARGENTINA will propose to the government the incorporation of all of the LAFSA employees.

LAN is pleased to have the opportunity to further contribute to the aviation of Argentina and region, and reaffirms its commitment to excellence with the highest standards of safety and service.

The LAN service alliance participating airlines LAN Airlines (NYSE:LFL - News), LAN PERU and LAN ECUADOR offer a united spirit of reliability and charm that provides passengers the highest level of service and safety with the complete travel experience throughout the skies of the Americas.

The LAN alliance's vast route network reaches a large number of destinations throughout the world, including the Americas, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific. The alliance offers non-stop and direct flights from North America to Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela with service from 30 North American cities, including daily flights from its Miami, New York and Los Angeles gateways. Passengers traveling with any of the LAN service alliance participating airlines may accumulate frequent flier kilometers in LANPASS. Additionally, passengers traveling with LAN AIRLINES or LAN PERU may also accumulate frequent flier miles in American Airlines' AAdvantage or any of the oneworld(TM) member frequent flyer programs.

For additional information, contact LAN toll-free at 1 (866) I-FLY-LAN. Visit LAN's website at http://www.lan.com

[Panama Jack]

Press Release Source: LAN Airlines S.A.


LAN Airlines Monthly Statistics Report for February 2005
Friday March 11, 4:05 pm ET


SANTIAGO, Chile--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 11, 2005--LAN Airlines S.A. and its related companies, ("LAN" or "the Company") (NYSE: LFL/IPSA: LAN) one of the leading airline groups in Latin America, reported its preliminary monthly and accumulated traffic statistics and punctuality indicators for February 2005.
System passenger traffic for February increased 14.3%, as capacity rose of 12.6%. As a result, the Company's load factor increased 1.1 points to 75.9%.

International passenger traffic for February increased 18.8%, while capacity increased 18.2%. Accordingly, the international passenger load factor for the month increased 0.4 points to 76.9%. Traffic increased due to improved demand in Latin America, the impact of new regional routes launched in 2004, and growth in Peru.

Domestic passenger traffic for February decreased 3.8% as capacity decreased 7.5%. As a consequence, the domestic load factor for the month increased 2.7 points to 71.2%. Domestic capacity decreased due to itinerary adjustments.

Cargo traffic, as measured in RTKs, improved 13.9% while capacity increased 14.6%. Consequently, the cargo load factor decreased 0.4 points to 66.1%. Cargo traffic grew, despite limited growth on southbound traffic, mainly due to strong export traffic out of Latin American countries.

In February, 87.9% of the Company's total flights left on time, based on a fifteen-minute standard (all departures leaving within fifteen minutes of scheduled departure time are considered as "on-time"). This represented a 3.8-point decrease compared to February 2004.

About LAN

LAN Airlines ("LAN") is one of the leading airlines groups in Latin America. The LAN Alliance includes LAN Airlines, LanPeru and LanEcuador. Through its own operations and code-share arrangements, the LAN Alliance serves 15 destinations in Chile, eleven destinations in Peru, two in Ecuador, 27 destinations in Latin America, 25 in North America, ten destinations in Europe and four in the South Pacific. Currently, the LAN Alliance operates 56 passenger aircraft and seven dedicated freighters.

LAN is a member of oneworld (TM), the most international of the global airline alliances. It has bilateral commercial agreements with oneworld partners American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia and Qantas and also with Alaska Airlines, AeroMexico, Mexicana, TAM and Lufthansa Cargo. For more information visit www.lan.com or www.oneworldalliance.com.



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Contact:
LAN Airlines S.A.
Chile:
Alejandro de la Fuente or Andres Bianchi
(56-2)565-3944/3947
[email protected]
or
i-advize Corporate Communications, Inc.
New York:
Maria Barona/Melanie Carpenter, 212-406-3690
[email protected]