Skift Take
After changing its fare structure to compete with low-cost carriers and earmarking $400 million to improve its cabins, Latam’s rollout of premium economy on domestic and regional routes makes sense. It puts the carrier in a position to offer higher-end services without the added complexity of a major business cabin reconfiguration.
Chile-based airline Latam has entered 2020 on the heels of several big changes, including Delta Air Lines’ landmark $1.9 billion investment in the carrier and the news that longtime CEO Enrique Cueto will step down on March 31. But another development tucked a bit further from view is a new milestone in the carrier’s long-term strategy to improve its customer service.
Latam will add premium economy class starting March 16 across its nearly 1,300 domestic and regional short-haul routes in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. This move adds a higher-end option on Airbus A320 family aircraft that only offer economy class today.
The carrier will offer premium economy class in the first three rows of the aircraft, with middle seat blocked off for added space. It will create a new class differentiated by features such as curtains, seat trim and dedicated bins. “Today we have a single cabin on domestic flights, and we’ll have now in effect two different cabins available,” Latam’s Chief Customer Officer Paulo Miranda said in an interview.
The biggest differentiator between Latam’s new premium economy class over
