Latam Airlines brings back non-stop Sydney to Santiago flights

Chileans can’t get enough of Sydney. Or perhaps it’s the other way around, with Australians unable to resist Santiago. Either way, travellers will soon be able to satisfy their appetite with Latam Airlines adding non-stop Sydney-Santigo flights to the mix from October 28.

Jetting off four times weekly, the restored connection joins the airline’s existing Sydney to Santiago via Auckland service, which has been flying high since March 2022.

From October 28, the new 12-15 hour non-stop hop takes wing as follows:

• LA810 departs Sydney every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 12:10pm, arriving in Santiago at 11am the same day.
• LA809 jets off from Santiago each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 1:40am, touching down in Sydney at 6:30am the following morning.

Chris Ellis, Latam Airlines Country Manager for Oceania, hails the restored connection as a “significant milestone for Latam Airlines”, one spurred by significant travel demand.

“From October, passengers can choose from daily direct services between Australia and Chile, including four direct flights from Sydney and three from Melbourne every week, in addition to our flights via Auckland. That’s a wealth of options for our customers.”

Latam’s non-stop flights will save around four hours flight time versus the service via Auckland, which jets off daily on the following schedule:

• LA800 sees wheels up from Sydney at 11:25am, lands in Auckland at 4:35pm and then carries on at 6:35pm for a final arrival in Santiago at 1:40pm local time.
• LA 801 departs Santiago at 12:40am daily, arriving in Auckland at 5:10am before continuing to Sydney at 7:45am, with an arrival time of 9:30am.

Of course, Latam Airlines isn’t the only airline flying non-stop on the route, with codeshare partner Qantas operating its own QF27/QF28 service four times per week. 

All Australian departures take wing on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is laid out in a two class configuration with Premium Business class seats ahead of economy.

Those perched at the pointy end of LATAM’s Dreamliner will enjoy a comfortable lie-flat business class, though it’s worth noting it will be the older-style seat in a less-than-ideal 2-2-2 layout. That means no direct aisle access for every passenger.

In Santiago, travellers will find a city brimming with artistic and cultural delights, from the historic Plaza de Armas main square – home to impressive monuments such as the Metropolitan Cathedral – to the bohemian Bellavista neighbourhood.