My 12.5-hour nonstop flight from São Paulo to Los Angeles was a mixed bag, with excellent service and a comfortable seat onboard, but unremarkable food and no Wi-Fi.
LATAM 787-9 Business Class – My First Impressions
Boarding the Dreamliner aircraft that would take me to Los Angeles, I resolved not to let the seating snafu cloud my judgement of the carrier’s onboard product. After all, the flight attendants onboard had nothing to do with the seating snafu beforehand.
I was warmly greeted while boarding, which was a nice start, and found my seat, 6D, an aisle seat in the center section. I really liked the cabin design: the seats looked (and were indeed) comfortable and I liked the faux marble consoles between seats and the mood lighting.
Shortly after boarding, I was offered a welcome beverage called a BelliNO (a mocktail resembling a Bellini that was very refreshing) and salted cashews served in a ramekin…a very nice start. Glancing at the menu, I saw a very nice wine list and cocktail menu…impressive.
I was then offered a choice among several amenity kits (the contents were the same…just different colored bags).
Unfortunately, we encountered a mechanical delay that kept us on the ground for 90 minutes past departure time…by this point it was after midnight and I was so tired I dozed off. But we were all awakened for takeoff and I felt refreshed, like after a power nap.
Dinner service did not began until an hour after takeoff, which felt too drawn out, even for such a long flight (though the captain announced confidently that he would shave off an hour of the delay enroute). The appetizer included prosciutto with mozzarella…there was no choice…plus a green salad. It was fine, though rather skimpy.
For my main course, it was a tough decision between the fish (grilled pirarucú loin with moqueca sauce) or beef (grilled tenderloin with chimichurri demi-glaze). Since this was a flight departing Brazil, I ordered the steak…big mistake. It was a nice size-cut and the dish was nicely presented, but it was cooked very well done…such a shame.
A cheese plate followed, but the highlight of the entire meal was the pistachio ice cream from an upscale gelato company called Bacio di Latte Casa…very, very good.
And then I went to bed. I slept well and was grateful that this aircraft had individual air vents…they are always appreciated though they were honestly difficult to reach even for 6’1” me from my seat (I had to stretch).
About two hours before landing, breakfast was served…a very forgettable plain omelet and even more forgettable croissant (though the pão de queijo [cheese bread] was nice). The menu included a page dedicated to coffee and I enjoyed both the filter coffee and espresso…well-done on that.
Service was professional and friendly onboard, which I appreciated after the less than stellar service on the ground. But one glaring item missing from the flight was Wi-Fi. I find it unbelievable that LATAM chose to equip its modern aircraft without Wi-Fi. A 12+ hour intercontinental flight is long time to go disconnected (as nice in some ways as it was).
Despite the 90-minute takeoff delay, we landed only about 30 minutes late in LA and I was soon through passport control and on my way to my car.
The onboard experience on LATAM included a comfortable seat and friendly service, though the beef tenderloin was a huge miss and an insult to Brazil! I also find it strange there is no Wi-Fi onboard. Would I fly LATAM again? Certainly. But I also won’t go out of my way to fly it.
More details on the menu, IFE, amenity kit, and seat in my full review.
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