South American giant LATAM is launching a new business class experience on board its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.
The airline announced Tuesday that it will install a new Business Class product on its Boeing 787s. The airline will also debut a new economy class seat on these planes.
The new business class product, a customized version of the Recaro R7 premium seat, will feature sliding doors and direct aisle access for every passenger, making LATAM the first airline in South America to offer fully enclosed suites.
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Other improvements to the new product include USB-C charging ports, Bluetooth support for connecting wireless headphones to the in-car entertainment system, and more storage areas.
Seating will be arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, with window seats alternating between being closest to the aisle and closest to the window.
Middle seats will alternate between a honeymoon-style arrangement and one that separates the two passengers by a larger table. There will be retractable privacy dividers between all middle seats.
If this product looks familiar, it’s because it’s already installed on a handful of airlines. Recaro previously called it the CL6720 seat and you’ll find it installed on select aircraft operated by Air China and Iberia. (The CL6720 is an upgraded version of the CL6710 seat, which is operated by Azul, TAP and The Alinter alia.)
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LATAM plans to retrofit 10 of its Boeing 787-8s and 14 of its 787-9 Dreamliners with the new product. The retrofits are expected to begin early next year, with the first 787-8 returning to service on March 1, 2025. The retrofitted 787-8s are designed exclusively for the Chilean domestic market, while the 787-9s operate in Chile, Brazil and Peru, according to LATAM. The entire project will be completed by mid-2026, with each retrofit taking between one and three months, depending on the improvements.
from LATAM Existing enterprise-class experience The Boeing 787 is a hit or miss. Some planes feature the airline’s newest commercial product (the Thompson Vantage XL seat), while others have an antiquated 2-2-2 configuration with older seats.
With this upgrade, all of the airline’s Dreamliners should feature a newly updated business product. LATAM will likely not reconfigure its other long-haul aircraft, as those it already has Introducing the Thompson Vantage XL seat.
In the economy cabin, LATAM will debut a new ergonomically designed seat that is supposed to provide more space and comfort. The seats will be upholstered with up to 70% recycled leather and will also feature Bluetooth connectivity.
While the modifications will undoubtedly improve the premium experience (and provide more consistency in the future), they come at the expense of capacity at the pointy end of the plane.
Currently, all of the airline’s Dreamliners have 30 seats in Business Class. Following the modernization, the 787-8 will have just 20 seats spread across five rows.
The larger 787-9 will retain 30 seats, but finding award space on the 787-8 will likely be more difficult than ever.
“With a design that reflects the unique essence of the LATAM Group and attention to the finest details, our new cabins have been created to offer a world-class travel experience. The new Premium Business seats mark a major step forward, combining comfort, privacy and elegance. These renovations position LATAM as a leader in the industry, providing our passengers with an unprecedented level of comfort and an exclusive flight experience,” said Paulo Miranda, Vice President of Clients, in a statement.
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