LATAM Airlines Group will invest $400 million in upgrading the cabins on more than 200 aircraft, or about two-thirds of its fleet.
The three-year reconfiguration will cover more than 150 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, nine Boeing 777s and 10 Boeing 767s, says LATAM. New deliveries of Airbus A350-1000s and Boeing 787-9s will receive the interiors as well.
The first aircraft with the new cabin, a 767 operated by LATAM Airlines Peru, will debut by end-2018. LATAM Airlines Brazil will be the next LATAM affiliate to receive the new interiors, followed by LATAM Airlines Chile from the second half of 2019.
The new cabin interior on the 767s and 777s will feature business class seats with direct aisle access that recline into a lie-flat bed. Economy class seats will offer larger individual seat-back screens and USB power outlets. LATAM will also sell economy plus seats, branded LATAM+, in economy, which come with additional legroom, priority check-in and boarding.
On the A320 family aircraft, LATAM will offer wi-fi connectivity and expanded in-flight entertainment options and new seats with USB power outlets. It will also sell LATAM+ seats on these aircraft, which operate on domestic flights and on routes within Latin America.
«The transformation of our cabins will enable us to offer an industry-leading onboard experience and better serve each passenger with more options, flexibility and personalisation,» says LATAM.
The airline last unveiled a cabin reconfiguration in 2014, before it took delivery of its first 787-9s and A350s, to standardise cabin interiors after the 2012 merger between LAN and TAM to form present-day LATAM.
A LATAM spokesperson tells FlightGlobal that the airline is now focusing on upgrading only two-thirds of its fleet with the new seats, as it is prioritising its short-haul and older long-haul aircraft. The entire fleet will eventually receive the new interiors, he indicates…
