- Introduction
- American Airlines Admirals Club New York JFK
- LAN Business Class: New York to Lima
- LAN Economy Class: Lima to Cusco
- Machu Picchu
- LAN Economy Class: Cusco to Lima
- Radisson Decapolis Miraflores
- SUMAQ Lounge Lima
- LAN Business Class Lima to Easter Island
- Easter Island
- LAN Business Class: Easter Island to Santiago
- Santiago
- LAN Neruda Lounge Santiago
- LAN Business Class: Santiago to Lima
- LAN Business Class: Lima to New York
- Yotel New York City
- American Airlines Transcontinental Business Class: New York to Los Angeles
LAN 531
New York (JFK) – Lima (LIM)
Depart: 10:15pm
Arrive: 6:00am
Duration: 7h45m
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER
Seat: 2A (Premium Business – Window)
I had waited to board the flight since I was preoccupied with the Super Bowl (and its exciting finish). By the time I boarded, the cabin was full. I took Seat 2A … LAN’s business class cabins on the 767 have either 3 or 5 rows in them. All of my flights had 5. I think row 2 is the best, since you get a little bit more space than the bulkhead row 1, but also get served before rows behind you, which can be great on 8-hour overnight flights down south. LAN has begun to refresh the business class on newer aircraft, including the 787 and some 767s, but both old and new business class configurations are in a 2-2-2 format. Most people would want a middle aisle seat, though I’m a window seat-o-phile so I stuck with that.
Shortly after boarding, I was handed an amenity kit, as well as champagne and nuts. The amenity kit was by Bulgari, though it seems that LAN refreshed their amenity kits to Salvatore Ferragamo kits when they introduced the 787.
After takeoff, the seat belt sign was turned off almost immediately and stayed that way for several hours, even through turbulence that would jump-seat an American flight crew. It’s the little things that make me enjoy flying international carriers more. Orders for dinner were taken promptly afterward.
Sitting in row 2, I was one of the first to be asked. The options were an Express or Full/Traditional dinner. I chose the Full. These were the menu options, with my selections pictured:
DINNER
Salad greens with seasonal vegetables
Appetizer
Fresh Mozzarella with cherry tomatoes, olives and pesto
Master Sommelier suggestion: Casa Lapostolle / Sauvignon Blanc 2011 / Viña Casa Lapostolle / Rapel Valley
Artichoke soup with hazel nuts sour cream
Entrée
Pan seared salmon with morel shallot sauce, accompanied with roasted potatoes and tomatoes
Master Sommelier suggestion: Don David / Torrontes 2011 / Bodega El Esteco / Cafayate, Salta
Grilled filet of beef with golden polenta and eggplant tapenade
Master Sommelier suggestion: Payen / Syrah 2008 / Viña Tabali / Pirque, Limari Valley
Steamed shrimp salad, hearts of palm, smoken bacon chips with apples and assorted lettuce
Master Sommelier suggestion: Casa Lapostolle / Sauvignon Blanc 2011 / Viña Casa Lapostolle / Rapel Valley
Special cheese selection
Dessert
Tiramisu
Häagen Dazs ice cream
Fresh seasonal fruit
EXPRESS DINNER
Choose this alternative if you want more time to rest
-Select one of the options of appetizers and main entrées
-Salad
-Cheese Plate
-Select your dessert
SNACK SANDWICH
Fresh seasonal fruit
Prosciutto sandwich with Provolone cheese, asparagus and tomato pesto
Mixed seasonal berries cheesecake
BREAKFAST
You can choose between two options:
Cold Express Breakfast, to maximize your rest this option will be served 40 minutes before landing
Full Breakfast, select your option completing the preorder card that will be collected by the flight attendant
CHAMPAGNE
Maison Louis Roederer / Champagne Louis Roederer / Brut Premier / Reims, France
VINOS / WINES
Viña Tabalí / Payen Syrah / 2008 / Valle del Limarí / Chile
Bodega Renacer / Punto Final Malbec / 2007 / Pedriel, Luján de Cuyo / Mendoza, Argentina
Viña Undurraga / Founder’s Collection / Cabernet Sauvignon / 2007 / Valle del Maipo / Chile
Bodega El Esteco / Don David Torrontés / 2011 / Cafayate / Salta, Argentina
Viña Casa Lapostolle / Sauvignon Blanc / 2011 / Valle de Rapel / Chile
OPORTO / PORT
Croft Oporto / Late Bottled Vintage / 2005 / Vila Nova de Gaia Portugal
I chose to stick with the sommelier’s suggestions for each course, and liked both wines, more so the Casa Lapostolle. The mozzarella starter was tasty, and the main course salmon was tender and delicious. The tiramisu was heavenly (not pictured: dark chocolate pieces to go with it). I capped off the meal with some tea.
There was an option to have a breakfast before landing, but I chose to skip that. When I was in the galley waiting for the lavatory, I saw on the manifest that every single passenger had decided the same thing. Given our early arrival, I guess everyone wanted to sleep as much as possible. Turns out only 2 of us got down in Lima … my guess is everyone who continued onward to Santiago had breakfast on that portion of the flight.
As for the seat — it is incredibly comfortable, except while in the locked upright position. The cabin is rather elegant, with simple wood paneling at the front and back contrasting with the softer purple/lavender seating. While other business classes now have 1-2-1 setups on 767s (like Delta), the 2-2-2 setup does not feel too cramped. The aisles are a bit narrow, but you won’t be spending much time in those. When I was seated with a friend on a later segment, I was able to easily step over the flat-bed from the window seat to the aisle, although it does help to be a little young and spry.
The in-flight entertainment comes with a rather large screen, although it isn’t the highest of resolutions. There are plenty of options for movies, TV shows, and music, including a decent selection of English titles. In addition to the resolution, my system in particular was rather slow to respond to inputs via the controller and was somewhat frustrating. I blame this on Apple. I’m too used to instant input feedback.
The controller itself is designed well. At first, I thought the mini screen had input functionality, but it simply shows if you are in “scrolling mode” or if the system is disabled due to PA announcements. My favorite function of the controller is a button that gives direct access to the moving map, something I think more airlines should put in.
The tray table is rather small, and an annoying part of it is that it overlaps with the large cocktail table between the two seats. You can either stick the table underneath the cocktail table, but then the table is slanted and not sturdy; or, prop the table a bit over the cocktail table, but then you lose space there. Given the size of the table, you need the cocktail table to place drinks. I think it’s something that could have been planned a bit better in the design.
The cocktail table is rather large, but also slick, so be careful about keeping things on there for takeoff and landing (on a later flight, my camera was on there for landing, and had it not been for my friend catching it, it would have fallen to the floor upon reverse thrust).
Other functions of the seat include a privacy divider between the two seats, as well as power outlets underneath. Except for the bulkhead seats, every seat has a storage place at the bottom of the seat in front. Most seats will have pillows and duvets stored there pre-flight; during flight, I stored anything from shoes to laptop to camera to amenity kit while in bed mode. It really is spacious. The headphones are placed in a little slot underneath the cocktail table.
I had a good sleep, almost 5 hours worth, before being woken about 15 minutes before landing. Good thing I chose to skip breakfast. We landed amidst a foggy morning in Lima and quickly found a gate in the international area. The LAN priority tag didn’t work, as it took about 15 minutes to see my bag once the carousel started. Off to immigration and customs, where my push of the button was unlucky, and I got the red light to go have my bag scanned. No worries, took only about 30 seconds extra to pass through. I exited the transit area and made my way to the check-in counters for the leg to Cuzco.
