LATAM to Start Offering Premium Economy on all Narrowbody Flights

LATAM Airlines Group, Latin America’s largest airline, announced this Wednesday it would start offering a new premium class on all its Airbus A320 family operations, branded as “Premium Economy.”

LATAM will be the first major airline in South America to offer a premium product on narrowbody short-haul flights, a practice that is very common in the rest of the world.

The changes will take effect throughout LATAM’s network from March 1 in international operations and from March 16 in domestic flights. Tickets for the new class are already for sale on reservation systems.

The new class will offer a series of amenities for its customers when compared to the economy product. On the ground, priority check-in and baggage claim, free luggage dispatch, priority boarding and VIP lounge access for select international flights.

When flying, Premium Economy passengers will count with the middle seat blocked — the “Eurobusiness” standard, as popularly known — an increased seat pitch and an improved, courtesy catering service. The first three rows of each aircraft will be allocated to the new product.

Paulo Miranda, LATAM’s Vice-President for Customers, stated the Premium Economy launch is “one of the most’ powerful changes in terms of travel experience in the history of LATAM.

He added that “as part of our commitment on offering more options, flexibility and personalization to attend all kinds of travel and continuing to be the first option for customers in Latin America, Premium Economy will offer the possibility of [the passenger] choosing a superior service in all our flights.”

Besides its widebody flights in South America and select international routes with the A320s, LATAM did not offer any premium class for its passengers flying inside the subcontinent.

This meant that business class customers arriving from long-haul flights and connecting to A320-family legs through LATAM’s hubs had no option other than flying economy which, in the airline, resembles a low-cost carrier’s product.

The airline estimates 1,280 flights a day will start offering the new service from March 16, with LATAM operating around 240 aircraft of the A320 family (A319, A321, A320neo and A321).

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João Machado

João has loved aviation since he was six-years-old when he started visiting his home airport in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. As he always loved writing, in 2011, at age 10 he started his very own aviation blog. Many things have happened since then, and now he is putting all his efforts into being an airline executive in the future. João currently lives in Siena, Italy, where he studies Economics and Management at Unisi.

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