AEP-SCL AR1282
B737-800 Y
LV-FQC
Delayed.
This was supposed to be a 1.5 hour transit, but AR had already sent an email pushing back the departure from 1220, to 1310. At 1300 there were staff at the gate but no real movement to indicate anything was happening, and there was a GOL aircraft at the assigned gate. At least it had boarded. The inbound AR aircraft had arrived about 40 minutes late and was somewhere on the airfield, so I guess it was going to be a bus boarding. It was also raining.
I wasn't too concerned by the delay, even though I had a separate ticket onward connection SCL-LSC on LA, domestically in Chile, as I'd left well over four hours between those tickets.
Unfortunately, the rain became rain, lightning and thunder.
That meant a ground stop.
This same view continued for about an hour, with the recently pushed back GOL 737 (heading to Rio) just sitting there idling away. There were two buses waiting at the gate which I took as a good sign for our flight, but after the hour ground stop they both then disappeared.
More waiting.
Nervous shuffling commences.
Eventually boarding was called at 1435 and buses reappeared. The AEP process appears to be single-file gate procedures so that slowed everything down even further. Once onboard (I was group 4 boarding, out of 5 groups) we were still waiting whilst others faffed about in the aisle and these poor folks got to stand out in the rain.
FR24 shows we departed at 1505 and arrived SCL at 1703. My onward flight was 1843, so I was only
somewhat concerned.
During the flight we were treated to amazing views crossing the Andes.
@offshore171 I can see why you had 'complications' with the snow in Portillo as it was a staggering amount of snow. You could see the evidence of avalanches in multiple places.
On approach to SCL we passed through a couple of decent rain showers. I didn't see it until the next day but there was flash flooding and some really distressing scenes in parts of Santiago due to this rain.
Landed. Right, check FR24 and my onward flight is on time. We're at international terminal 2 and I confirm my domestic flight is departing from terminal 1.
Mildly concerned.
Long taxi, but at least it is to an airbridge gate.
More concerned. I might need to run to immigration.
Wow, it's a long way to get to immigration. Fast walking and running.
Concerned.
Damn it. There's a three-line snake at immigration for foreign passports. I spy a booth off to the left for 'special pax' with images of elderly, pregnant etc. There's no one there so I run up to it and the bored lady makes me wait ten seconds before deigning to wave me over. I apologise for only speaking English and then tell her I have a tight onwards connection. She processes me through, but not in any great hurry. I thank her and look for baggage claim. Run in that direction.
Still concerned.
Get to the carousel and am the first pax from the flight there. Also scope out oversize delivery location. Nothing happens for 15 minutes.
Very concerned.
I'm now at the stage of going to Manage my Booking on the LATAM site to see what the fare conditions are, and future flight options. At least being in Y+ meant I could do same day changes up to check-in closing. When does domestic check-in close for LA domestic at SCL? Quick scan searches and AI give the unhelpful 45 minutes to 60 minutes answer. It'll be USD90 fare difference to push my flight back two hours to the last flight of the evening. It's about T-63 minutes and I'm hovering a finger over the [CHANGE] button. The carousel beeps... aarrggghhhh.
Stuff it - roll the dice. Close phone case and watch bags come out and my suitcase is about somewhere after the first third. Across to oversize belt and wait there, including peeking behind the curtains. COME ON! COME ON!
Swearing.
Eventually my golf bag comes up and running whilst pulling two wheeled pieces of luggage commences. Damn, customs want everything, from everyone, x-rayed. Fortunately there's no line so bags through the machine, grab them on the other side and set off looking for signs to Terminal 1 (Naçional - Domestic). When I find it the sign reckons 12 minutes beside the walking people symbol. I run across the courtyard between terminals in 4, then up a lift to departures and the LATAM desks. I have no idea what the time is, but it's got to be close to 1800. Spot Premium desks and there's staff but no line of pax, so rush over and hand over passport.
Panting. Sweating.
BOARDING PASS printed! Bags are both tagged with only a question about not carrying banned items in checked luggage and that is that!
Nigeria has). I reckon there were ten local flags to every Bolivian national flag I saw.
Natures cruel trick that if you seek the shade of the trees that’s where the main squadrons of mozzies are waiting: cook in the sun or itch and catch diseases? 
The main thing I hate is that I’m wearing white UV protection sleeves on my arms and every time I hit a mozzie on them it leaves a black splodge, or worse a a black and blood filled splodge.
and the people in Rockhampton also sited similarly)
