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View Full Version : London/Santiago (Chile) advice please


Hartington
16th Apr 2006, 18:13
My wife and I are contemplating a round the world trip early next year (nothing like planning in advance!).

We will be using a business class oneworld RTW ticket and, on many routes, we are therefore limited to just one carrier. However, the first leg will be London to Santiago and there we have a number of alternatives.

Before we start, I should say that I have a soft spot for BA and that my experiences with US based carriers have not been very positive (not specifically negative, just not particularly wonderful) whatever class I’ve used. I am not averse to trying a few new carriers along the way.

So which would you use, and why?

1) London/Madrid/Santiago. BA or IB to Madrid then IB or LA onwards. Leave early evening from London and around midnight from Madrid.
2) London/Sao Paulo/Santiago. BA then onwards by LA. Longish wait in Sao Paulo but we’ve done that before on the way to Iguasu. An LA A320 SAO/SCL anyone know what the config is? Is there a lounge we can use at Sao Paulo?
3) London/Miami (overnight(s), probably more than just 1 night)/Santiago. BA or AA LON/MIA then AA or LA MIA/SCL. I’ve never been to the Everglades and the possibility is what makes me wonder about this route.

The LAN website suggests their business class is not quite lie flat on most routes (e.g. MAD/SCL) but does say that they are introducing “Premium Business” with lie flat seats on the 767-300s that operate to North America (including Miami). Any experiences?

malagajohn
16th Apr 2006, 21:14
Lan's service is pretty good compared to both BA and Iberia

Iberia are also putting new beds into the 340S and I'm not sure of the exact situation right now

On service alone I'd chose LAN

phreegreens
17th Apr 2006, 12:13
Or BA LHR-EZE (Buenos Aires International), break in BA then internal to BRC (Bariloche) from AEP (Buenos Aires Internal) which is in the incredible Argentinian Lake District, on the Chilean border, stay at the http://www.llaollao.com and then pick up LAN at BCE onto Santiago..

Just a thought.. :ok:

Hartington
17th Apr 2006, 14:49
But time dictates! Anyway, having been to Argentina once I have plans for a return that include Bariloche and the far South of both Argentina and Chile!

I shall file the accomodation suggestion for then.

I did contemplate BA to EZE connecting to LAN but that got a bit silly time wise.

Hartington
17th Apr 2006, 14:52
PS, if anyone wants to suggest an hotel in SCL, IPC or PPT (looking at the Mandarin currently) then please feel free. Not generally into 4* and above. 3* usually works for us (so why am I contemplating the Mandarin in PPT?!).

CHIVILCOY
22nd Apr 2006, 14:40
Air France carried on to Santiago last time I flew with them to EZE and I have always experienced a pleasant flight in economy and great service in business.
Personally I would avoid Iberia and my first choice would be BA.

DCSLAD
10th May 2006, 00:06
Did this myself a few weeks back out on IB and back on LA. I would thoroughly recommend IB - excellent new flat beds and good service. The Lan seats in business are just that and not very comfortable to boot.

apaddyinuk
10th May 2006, 00:14
Despite working for BA I would certainly recommend Lan, I have flown with them before and I found the service excellent.
I would strongly advise avoiding MIA at all costs. The transit system is a total nightmare...bare in mind that Iberia have had major problems of late with its MIA hub!

WHBM
10th May 2006, 12:20
I genuinely have little difficulty with getting through Miami, particularly if terminating there (as the poster says they will) rather than connecting, which is where the Iberia and other problems seem to have focused on). Yes Miami's non-English speaking community that work at the airport can be annoying, but it's overall a pleasant city.

Stay in a hotel on Miami Beach oceanfront rather at the airport/than in the city. It's a 25-minute cab ride.

Everglades are great. Rent a car, get a good map, and drive down through them.