All Around Premium Business Class on LAN Airlines to Chile

March 2, 2012 at 4:58 PM | by JetSetCD | Comments (2)

Two words, or, rather, one hyphenated word: lie-flat. On a 10.5-hour direct flight overnight, how low your seat goes should be concern numero uno. The Premium Business Class cabin on LAN's Boeing 767 is made of 30 true lie-flat seats, meaning there's no angle when it's all the way down, and you're sleeping for 7 hours on the way to Chile. BOOM.

Of course that's just a small part of Biz Class on LAN, but the rest is experiential...wining, dining, catching up on 30 Rock, you know. We'll have more on the meals early next week, so for now enjoy our slew of photos, and the hard facts below.

About the seats:
· The cabin configuration of seats is 2-2-2
· The recline is up to you. The seat controls adjust everything from lumbar to lean and legrest height and length, but there a few pre-set positions, like what we'd call "comfy reading pose."
· Time to sleep? The seats are true lie-flat, with no angle. A privacy screen comes down between the seats, but it's not too substantial.
· Distance between seats: 74" (feels crazy spacious)
· Seat width is 20"
· Lie-flat bed size: 23" wide by 73" long.
· The only storage is for the magazines and menus, out of reach next to the TVs.
· 15.4" seatback TV screen controlled by remote. Noise canceling headphones provided.
· On-demand entertainment with "30 films (6 premieres and 24 blockbusters), 52 channels with series, 350 CDs and 14 games (only on indicated flights)."
· The amenity kit is a unisex Bulgari dopp with socks, eyemask, earplugs, pen, pocket mirror, comb, shoehorn, toothbrush, toothpaste, Bulgari hand cream, Bulgari face moisturizer and Neutrogena chapstick.

About the in-flight meals:
· In-flight meal service is a course presentation, meaning a hot towel followed by a progression of dishes. Your food only comes all at once if you chose the expedited option to get to sleep faster. The silverware is metal, glasses and plates are china and it's all on white linen.
· Your breakfast order is taken before you head to sleep. There's the option of a course presentation or a quickie meal as well, with the quickie only waking you up 40 minutes before landing.
· Wines have their own menu, with full descriptions from South America's only Master Sommelier, Hector Vergara. Flight attendants are educated on the wines and pairings, and will do a proper tasting presentation when you chose one (or two, or three).

What seats we think are best:
Without a doubt it's 1A or 1L. You'll want a window because you can shove your Bulgari amenity kit and magazines down the side (the biz seats have no personal storage as we mentioned) and also for the Andes views, but if you get the first row, there's no one reclining in front of you, making it easy-peasy to walk around your seatmate's feet while they're sleeping and head to the bathroom. If you choose a window in any other row, you'll be doing the straddle-of-shame, which is when your seatmates is in full lie-flat position, asleep, and you've got to do a giant step over their legs, hoping not to fall on them as you finally hop out into the aisle.

Want to fly in Biz on LAN from New York to Chile? The route averages $5,000 including taxes & fees, though sales bring it down around $3,500 every so often. Go here to see our review of Economy Class, too!

Disclosure: We flew in business class thanks to LAN, but all photos and opinions are completely our own.

[Photos: Cynthia Drescher for Jaunted]

Comments (2)

Return to » All Around Premium Business Class on LAN Airlines to Chile

I have to disagree with the best seats -- I think 2A or 2L are the best on LAN's 767s. The seats are fixed-back shells, so if the person in front of you reclines, they stay within their shell and you don't notice. I sat in both 1L and 2A last month and I think there's actually a little bit less legroom in Row 1. I know it's airplane faux pas to grab the seat in front of you when getting over an aisle passenger, but you can actually grab the shell of the row in front without bothering the person sitting in it. Can't do so in Row 1 with the wall in front of you. Row 3 and Row 5 are fine, you'll just be served later than Row 2 for meals. Row 4 has a window missing, so avoid! Also, there actually are personal storage spaces, but not in row 1. There's a small storage space for shoes and personal items in the bottom of the seat in front of you. The bulkhead doesn't get this. So another minus for Row 1.

@Amol Forgot about that little shoe cubby in the shell seat! Yes, while that is there, it was so out of reach for keeping anything other than shoes (or the dopp) inside. You can also only get into it while the seat isn't in bed position. The fixed shell backs of the seats are so nice. Yes, you can grab on to get over your sleeping neighbor, but we didn't have to do any leaning to walk around the feet of our sleeping seatmate in row 1. (We sat in row 6 as well).

Jaunted

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