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WHEN Chile’s LAN Airlines and Brazil’s TAM Airlines finally merge in Apr, the pair will offer passengers access to more than 115 destinations in 23 countries, positioning them among the 10 largest airline groups in the world. The combined group, to be known as LATAM, also has to choose which airline alliance they will belong to – LAN is currently with oneworld, while TAM is a Star Alliance partner. LAN starts codesharing on 26 Mar with Qantas when the flag-carrier begins a thrice-weekly B747 nonstop service from Sydney to Santiago (TD yest). LAN will still offer a daily A340 service on the same route, with a stopover in Auckland. “The increase in services is timely because South America is the next big thing,” says Johanna Raeder, LAN’s marketing manager Australia/NZ. “With ten flights a week from Sydney to Santiago, South America has never been closer,” she said. LAN brought to Australia 20 South American tourist operators, joined by tourist boards from Chile, Peru and Brazil who this week conducted workshops in Melbourne and Sydney. “South America is an experience, it offers exciting new adventures from Peru’s capital Lima where a gastronomic revolution is going on, to Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the world, the Amazon and spectacular Iguasso Falls”, Raeder said. Pictured from left are: Johanna Raeder, LAN; Alexandre Jung, Iguassu Convention & Visitors Bureau and Manuela Nielsen, GTI Tourism (representing Peru). |
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