Q: Chris, you must be very excited to reconnect these two great cities again.
A: We’re extremely excited and this is a significant milestone for LATAM Airlines that enhances the connectivity between Australia and Latin America.
We did have the direct services back in 2019 which, of course, due to the pandemic, we needed to shut down. Now due to the high level of demand that we have been seeing over the last couple of months, we’ve been able to bring back the direct Sydney to Santiago services from October 28.
Q: So it was purely through demand that you decided to bring back the Sydney service now?
A: Absolutely. We did introduce the Melbourne to Santiago direct service back in September 2023 and with the high levels of demand that we’ve seen for direct connectivity between both regions, we have now been able to secure the direct Sydney service.
Q: You’ve just announced an additional flight to your Melbourne service so that route must be doing well?
A: It is performing extremely well and we’ve seen a strong response from both business and leisure travellers. The demand has been encouraging and there’s significant interest in Latin America from Victoria.
Q: For those who haven’t flown LATAM before, what kind of experience can they expect onboard?
A: Guests flying with LATAM can expect a vibrant experience that truly embodies the spirit of Latin America.
Our cabin crew are famous for their warm hospitality and friendliness, which reflects the welcoming nature of this part of the world. They are dedicated to ensuring every passenger feels safe, comfortable and well cared for throughout the journey.
The culinary offerings on our flights are a highlight of the LATAM experience. We serve South American cuisine featuring dishes that highlight the diverse flavours and ingredients of the region.
We complement the meals with a curated selection of South American wines, which are arguably the best in the world.
Q: Once Australians arrive in Chile, they’ve got the option to connect with other destinations within Latin America through the LATAM network.
A: We do offer a vast network to more than 144 destinations, both domestic and also international. We do fly into Europe, the States, Asia and obviously Asia Pacific, such as Australia and New Zealand.
Q: How do you view the state of the airline industry at the moment?
A: We are coming through a phase of recovery and transformation at the moment, and it is a very interesting time. We are living with the crisis in the Middle East and the Ukraine, and we are in a year which is full of elections around the world.
At the same time, we have seen a strong rebound of domestic travel in Australia and we can see that the interest for international travel has been growing at the same time.
Globally the industry is adapting to new challenges and opportunities with our focus at LATAM on sustainability, innovation and enhancing our past passengers’ experience. We ensure we provide a safe, reliable and sustainable option for our customers.
Q: We do love an exclusive here at Talking Travel. Do you have anything exciting in the pipeline?
A: There absolutely is. There’s nothing I can share as of now, but I can tell you that there are some very exciting things that will be communicated in the coming weeks. So stay tuned for that.
Q: We also love great travel stories. Do you have a favourite tale from all your years of travelling that you could share with us?
A: I lived in South America for 13 years and unfortunately, I didn’t do the amount of travel that I would have liked to. So being with LATAM now for the last five years I have been very lucky to travel to destinations which I possibly wouldn’t before.
Probably one of my highlights was Chiloe, which is an island in southern Chile and is absolutely amazing. It’s got beautiful churches and the culture, the food and the people absolutely makes the destination what it is. If you haven’t been to Chile, I absolutely recommend it to you.
