Los Angeles, California – 2013-01-03 — /travelprnews.com/ — LAN Airlines becomes the first carrier to offer international service on the 787 Dreamliner at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Starting today, the LAN 787 Dreamliner will operate nonstop service from Los Angeles to Santiago, Chile three days per week (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) with daily flights to Lima, Peru beginning in February.
LAN Airlines was the first airline in the Americas to receive the 787 and today’s service further positions the Company as a leader of the aviation industry in South America. LAN will receive a total of 32,787 aircraft over the next 10 years and has already taken delivery of three. The $4.9 billionorder represents one of the largest investments in the airline’s history.
“LAN Airlines is proud to offer US passengers the option to travel on the 787 Dreamliner from Los Angeles to South America,” said Pablo Chiozza, Vice President, USA, Canada and the Caribbean, LATAM Airlines Group. “The 787 Dreamliner is a testament to our commitment to ensuring the comfort of our passengers, minimizing our environmental footprint and doing what we do best, connecting and transporting passengers to our unparalleled network of destinations in South America.”
“We are honored LAN chose LAX for this new, historic service that will greatly enhance the passenger experience,” said Gina Marie Lindsey, Los Angeles World Airports executive director. “LAN is the first international carrier offering daily international service on a new-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliner between South America and the U.S. West Coast.”
As part of LAN’s continual innovation process and commitment to offering its passengers the best possible travel experience, the company applied the latest in design trends to the 787 cabin with a focus on a comfortable experience with the charm of South America. These have been inspired by the warm colors and textures of South America and reflect the attention to detail, reliability, and warmth that characterize LAN.
One of the new features offered in the new Premium Business class cabin is a 100 percent horizontal full flat seat with the same dimensions of our current seat that includes: an ottoman (feet support), a memory system that records the seat position chosen by the user, apart from lumbar massage. The new Economy class features reclining ergonomic seats, which have a head support with 4 positions along with bright warm colored blankets and head-sets that invoke the chromatic tonalities of South America.
The cabin configuration aboard LAN’s first 787-8 will be 217 seats in Economy and 30 seats in Premium Business. In terms of onboard entertainment, passengers traveling on the LAN Boeing 787 will enjoy new features including high-definition screens using the latest touch technology (9” in Economy and 15.4” in Premium Business) and new data ports compatible with Apple® devices, tablets, cell phones, digital cameras, and USB devices.
The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 has been designed and optimized exclusively for operation on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In October 2011, it became the first engine to power the 787 Dreamliner in service. New technologies in aerodynamics, materials and coatings were incorporated to support Boeing’s low emissions requirement.
About LATAM Airlines Group, S.A.
LATAM Airlines Group S.A. is the new name given to LAN Airlines S.A. as a result of its association with TAM S.A. LATAM Airlines Group S.A. now includes LAN Airlines and its affiliates in Peru, Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador, and LAN Cargo and its affiliates, as well as TAM S.A. and its subsidiaries TAM Linhas Aereas S.A., including its business units TAM Transportes Aereos del Mercosur S.A., TAM Airlines (Paraguay) and Multiplus S.A. This association creates one of the largest airline groups in the world in terms of network connections, providing passenger transport services to about 150 destinations in 22 countries and cargo services to about 169 destinations in 27 countries, with a fleet of 311 aircraft. In total, LATAM Airlines Group has more than 52,000 employees and its shares are traded in Santiago, as well as on the New York Stock Exchange in the form of ADRs and Sao Paulo Stock Exchange in the form of BDRs. Each airline will continue to operate under their current brands and identities. For any inquiry relating to LAN or TAM, please visit www.lan.com or www.tam.com.br, respectively. Further information can be obtained at www.latamairlinesgroup.net.
About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, offering more than 600 daily flights to 91 domestic cities and more than 1,000 weekly nonstop flights to 58 cities in 32 countries on nearly 75 air carriers. It ranks 13th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed. In 2011, LAX served more than 61 million passengers, processed over 1.8 million tons of air cargo valued at nearly $84.6 billion, and handled 603,912 aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs). LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund. For more information about LAX, please visit www.lawa.aero/lax or follow us on Twitter @LAX_Official, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/laxairport1.
###
Contact: Katherine Alvarado
(424) 646-5260