• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home  >  Meal of the Week • TAM Linhas Aereas  >  My “Op-Up” Dinner In TAM Business Class
Meal of the WeekTAM Linhas Aereas

My “Op-Up” Dinner In TAM Business Class

Matthew Klint Posted onSeptember 14, 2019September 14, 2019 13 Comments

Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.

Working for an airline…or group of airlines…does have its perks. Today’s Meal of the Week looks back eight years on a generous upgrade…and tasty meal.

I took a two week holiday to Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina in 2011. At the time, I was living in Frankfurt and TAM had recently joined Star Alliance, my employer. Thus, the first segment was a 12-hour transatlantic journey to Sao Paulo.

I was just a student at the time and booked an economy class ticket. But I knew the staff at TAM and they took great care of me. Business class was nearly empty and I was upgraded at the the last minute, without even asking. It seems like these sorts of days are over, but I certainly appreciated the space to spread out on the long overnight flight.

TAM is finally completing the upgrades on these 777s…some still have the seats pictured below, which are flat, but not horizontal to the ground.

After takeoff, a choice of drinks and nuts (mostly peanuts, with a few cashews) were served.

Despite being a very long flight, dinner was quickly served thereafter on a single tray. But it was a very tasty dinner, including steak with potatoes, a delicious salad with bresaola, mushrooms, artichoke, and rosemary, and best of all, some creamy mushroom soup. The warm olive bread was also wonderful.

For dessert I had cheese followed by Häagen Dazs Macadamia nut ice cream.

As a bonus, the breakfast before landing included more meat and cheese, fresh fruit, a croissant, and eggs with sausage.

CONCLUSION

I have not flown TAM since the merger with LAN and would imagine the meals you receive today look much different. But this was a nice walk down memory lane for me, both in terms of the onboard meals and especially the unexpected op-up.

Previous Article Prosecutors Say Man Scammed Delta Out Of 42 Million Miles
Next Article It’s Time For New Luggage – Recommendations Please

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • United Polaris lounge

    Reaction: My Family Tries United Polaris (Business Class)

    January 1, 2023
  • Lufthansa business class falling apart A340-600

    Review: Lufthansa A340-600 Business Class Munich – Miami

    December 4, 2022
  • Lufthansa business class falling apart broken remote 2

    Lufthansa Business Class Is Falling Apart

    December 4, 2022

13 Comments

  1. John Reply
    September 14, 2019 at 8:22 pm

    What is the point of a 2011 review? Honestly, why?

    • Matthew Reply
      September 14, 2019 at 10:26 pm

      Do you know how to read? Try reading the first paragraph…

      • Jimmy Reply
        September 15, 2019 at 6:35 am

        Thanks Matthew, I think all of us have the very same reaction after seeing meaningless comments like this one from John.

  2. colleen Reply
    September 14, 2019 at 11:01 pm

    What a great experience! Years ago the WSJ used to present a weekly wine column written by a couple. They promoted an annual “open that bottle night” as an opportunity to celebrate the wines we all tucked away for “that special night”. They published many reader summaries about that annual experience.

    Their point was that the wine “rating” was really based on the experience/memories of it – with friends/family/events.

    I think of that reading this, and wonder if this was an earlier experience for you that you’ll keep in memory forever. I know I have mine.

  3. Andrew Reply
    September 14, 2019 at 11:10 pm

    Thanks for the classic meal reviews. We sometimes forgot how things change (seats, meals, etc) as we’re always looking at it one flight at a time. Looking back on old seats especially reminds me of how good we have it sometimes compared to even just eight years ago.

  4. MeanMeosh Reply
    September 15, 2019 at 1:45 am

    Gotta love the Brazilians (and Argentinians) when you’re a meatitarian. That steak looks solid.

  5. Paolo Reply
    September 15, 2019 at 2:45 am

    Please do a post on your workout routine, so that we might better understand how you’re able to consume these truly appalling meals, year after year, without becoming a blob.

    • emercycrite Reply
      September 15, 2019 at 8:19 am

      Selfies too would be great.

  6. Carlos Assumpcao jr Reply
    September 15, 2019 at 7:52 am

    Tam airlines was the best beford the fusion with Lan..now is a terrible airline in the world….ufff

  7. Stuart Reply
    September 15, 2019 at 10:48 am

    I use Latam quite a bit back and forth to Brazil. And while the seats are a bit dated in business (new Business is slowly rolling out looks much better) the food is pretty much the same as you post from the past. Fairly decent meat offerings are the norm. Better than AA but certainly not Austrian or Turkish. Flight attendants are usually polished and very nice. Other than the seats it is a much better (and often cheaper) option to AA metal to GRU. But that is changing as we speak on the 777-300’s. Let’s hope they keep the fares reasonable as well since you can usually find $2K r/t’s in business from MIA-GRU – which is a much better value than using 300K AA points given the new dynamic pricing.

  8. Neil Reply
    September 15, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    Those were the good old days of TAM. I remember they even used to offer toffees when you boarded the airplane. Now that they merged with LAN to form LATAM, the airline is quite bad. For domestic flights, at least in Brazil, they act like a low-cost carrier as their prices are lower and their soft product is no frills (the only food or beverage that is complimentary is water and for entertainment, they have streaming and WiFi). Meanwhile, the airlines that are classified as “low cost” (Azul and Gol) offer complimentary snacks and beverages.

  9. Dave D Reply
    September 15, 2019 at 9:23 pm

    I can only you assume you encountered turbulence, else there’s no excuse for any Flight Attendant to not wipe the rim of that plate before serving that steak!

    • Matthew Reply
      September 16, 2019 at 12:38 am

      There was turbulence, though it was served that way.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for June

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 60,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Compelling: Save Up To 50% On Luxury Cruises Worldwide June 3, 2023
  • United Airlines Guam Fares
    United Airlines Clarifies Guam Fares, Sends Humanitarian Flight June 3, 2023
  • Will United Airlines Add First Class Seats To A320? June 3, 2023
  • Delta 97 Diversion
    Delta Air Lines A330-300 Diverts After Violent Passenger Breaks Free Of Restraints June 3, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • American Airlines Pins Cockpit Door
    American Airlines First Class Passenger So Angry Over Meal Choices He Pins Flight Attendant To Cockpit Door May 11, 2023
  • Cursing Fight United Airlines
    “Don’t You Ever Tell Me To Speak English!” (Fight Breaks Out On My United Airlines Flight) May 17, 2023
  • Missed VDB United Airlines
    My Foolish $1,000 Airport Lounge Visit May 16, 2023
  • Spirit Airlines Flight Leaves Early
    Spirit Airlines Passengers Enraged After Flight Leaves Early May 8, 2023

Archives

June 2023
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« May    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The @qatarairways Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Do The @qatarairways Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Doha Hamad International Airport is one of my favorite business class and @oneworld lounges in the world. It does get crowded at peak times, but the food is consistently delicious and always worth a stop. There’s even a separate café with grilled paninis made-to-order. With a second lounge now open (Al Mourjan Lounge at The Garden), hopefully the crowding won’t be as bad around midnight.
A lovely stay at the @fsdoha, one of the best hote A lovely stay at the @fsdoha, one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in.
A fabulous flight onboard @qatarairways on the A35 A fabulous flight onboard @qatarairways on the A350-1000 in Qsuite Business Class from DFW-DOH. Qatar offers the best all-around business class product in the world with a spacious suite, plenty of privacy, excellent service, and superb cuisine.
The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

Privacy Policy

© Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.