Points Advice on Brisbane to Santiago

[amqld]

Just wondering if anyone can advice me re Brisbane to Santiago(Chile) segment in Feb/March 2020, using FF as first part of my OneWorld RTW business class ticket, before I booking this week. Do any flights out of Sydney fly direct to Santiago with Business class seats available ( I've looked and cant find any ) and does Qantas ever fly there or only the LATAM airlines? I have found flights on the 26 Feb & 4 March via Auckland QF119 and LA800 with available business class & tax of $124.80. Is this the best option flight wise and tax cost ? Also opinions of flying with the LATAM airline please? Is there better options/airlines to get to Chile or even Argentina/Brazil as alternative? I'm reasonably flexible but want to enjoy my business class experience & not waste on coughpy airline. Hope I've posted in the correct section. Thanks

 

[Steady]

@juddles may know a bit about this topic

 

[p--and--t]

If you check the QF website for scheduling for Feb next year you will see that QF flies direct SYD-SCL five times per week (not Mon or Thu). QF27

It is not a oneworld RTW ticket. It is a 280K oneworld redemption - there is no requirement to fly around the world.

From my experience, QF is a superior experience to LA

I cannot provide any useful advice as to availability of J award availability other than my preferred search engine would be the BA site.

My understanding is that @juddles would be the most qualified on AFF to provide advice on that sector.

 

[p--and--t]

Flights Out: Sydney To Santiago - Thursday 6 February 2020
Book

Depart(Local Time)	Arrive(Local Time)	Mon 03	Tue 04	Wed 05	Thu 06Date selected	Fri 07	Sat 08	Sun 09	Flight No.	Stops
11:10	13:25				Date selected				QF321	1
12:50	11:10	-			-				QF27	0

 

[sudoer]

Do any flights out of Sydney fly direct to Santiago with Business class seats available ( I've looked and cant find any ) and does Qantas ever fly there or only the LATAM airlines?

Qantas does fly SYD-SCL direct and LATAM have just announced they'll start flying direct before the end of the year.

Executive Traveller formerly AusBT | Travel News, Reviews & More

The global destination for business travellers and premium frequent flyers: news, reviews and expert guides to help you travel better.

www.ausbt.com.au

I have found flights on the 26 Feb & 4 March via Auckland QF119 and LA800 with available business class & tax of $124.80. Is this the best option flight wise and tax cost ?

Those taxes are very cheap. If the dates work for you I'd recommend booking.

 

[Kiwifruit]

Having flown both, I preferred LATAM J product on 787 as compared to QF J product on 747. I also prefer transiting via AKL rather than SYD so my vote goes for the LATAM option you have found availability for.

 

[amqld]

Having flown both, I preferred LATAM J product on 787 as compared to QF J product on 747. I also prefer transiting via AKL rather than SYD so my vote goes for the LATAM option you have found availability for.

Thanks will grab this flight while still available, I was just a bit concerned about negative reviews re LATAM

Qantas does fly SYD-SCL direct and LATAM have just announced they'll start flying direct before the end of the year.

Executive Traveller formerly AusBT | Travel News, Reviews & More

The global destination for business travellers and premium frequent flyers: news, reviews and expert guides to help you travel better.

www.ausbt.com.au

Those taxes are very cheap. If the dates work for you I'd recommend booking.

Yes I thought they were very reasonable also.

Qantas does fly SYD-SCL direct and LATAM have just announced they'll start flying direct before the end of the year.

Executive Traveller formerly AusBT | Travel News, Reviews & More

The global destination for business travellers and premium frequent flyers: news, reviews and expert guides to help you travel better.

www.ausbt.com.au

Those taxes are very cheap. If the dates work for you I'd recommend booking.

Thanks , will book this week. I was more worried about negative reviews with LATAM. It seems they can be either very good or very bad....hopefully flying business class will solve this.

Having flown both, I preferred LATAM J product on 787 as compared to QF J product on 747. I also prefer transiting via AKL rather than SYD so my vote goes for the LATAM option you have found availability for.

So you found the LATAM service better than QANTAS in business class?

If you check the QF website for scheduling for Feb next year you will see that QF flies direct SYD-SCL five times per week (not Mon or Thu). QF27

It is not a oneworld RTW ticket. It is a 280K oneworld redemption - there is no requirement to fly around the world.

From my experience, QF is a superior experience to LA

I cannot provide any useful advice as to availability of J award availability other than my preferred search engine would be the BA site.

My understanding is that @juddles would be the most qualified on AFF to provide advice on that sector.

Thanks for the info, I wanted to fly later in February, while I could find Economy flights direct, I couldn't find any Business class. Will recheck again though.

Having flown both, I preferred LATAM J product on 787 as compared to QF J product on 747. I also prefer transiting via AKL rather than SYD so my vote goes for the LATAM option you have found availability for.

Thats good to know, as had read some pretty bad reviews flying with LATAM.

 

[Kiwifruit]

Found the service on both airlines to be pretty good and of a similar standard (although not as good as some of the Asian & Middle Eastern airlines); for food I would say Qantas is marginally better than LATAM; where LATAM has the edge over Qantas is the "lie flat" seat as the seats on the 747 flown by Qantas tend to droop and I found it difficult to get a good sleep whereas with LATAM they are fully flat and I had a better sleep.

Also as mentioned earlier, the LATAM option has the advantage of transiting in Auckland within the same terminal; whereas flying via Sydney requires a change of terminal.

 

[juddles]

@juddles may know a bit about this topic

....

My understanding is that @juddles would be the most qualified on AFF to provide advice on that sector.

amqld, sorry I did not reply sooner.

As per above and as you have discovered, QF flies direct SYD-SCL, while LATAM flies via AKL (or direct MEL-SCL). And thanks @sbor90 - I had not yet seen that LATAM will start SYD-SCL direct

Everyone will have their own opinions, and with the QF vs LATAM services on these trans-pac routes, each has their strengths and weaknesses. They really are about exactly the same overall, due to both having pros and cons. It appears you have already booked, so my info is just extra to contemplate.

I also fly from BNE, but I now always choose to go QF via SYD. The main reason for this is that I am a stupidly tall person, and the lie-flat beds on the LATAM 787's are just a nightmare for me - they are simply too short. But that would not be an issue for normal people

If you are 6' or under, then the LATAM product is great. The staff (including in J) can be a bit distant, but this is simply because they are not the best at English and so tend to spend more time with the spanish-speaking pax. But they are still usually very friendly. Food and drinks on par with QF, and usually excellent red wines if you are into that. I also think that when heading off to a foreign country it is nice to start getting immersed in that on the flight - so hopefully you will have a pisco sour as the pre-takeoff drink.

Another reason I choose to fly via SYD is that you are in a widebody aircraft all the way, whereas most BNE-AKL is on a 737 (there are the odd A330 flights too), and I have access to the Flounge in SYD. But these are really trivial overall.

Anyway, hope you enjoy your trip, and if you spending time in Chile (or Colombia ) I can give you some advice!

Cheers,
juddles