New Business Class Seat Coming To LATAM Dreamliners! YAY!
Intro
This might be some of the most exciting news I have read all week...
LATAM currently offers one of my top 10 best business class products in the sky on a few of their dream liners. Having flown them twice in business class from Sao Paulo to Santiago and Santiago to Los Angeles, there was always one issue with the airline. The fact that all of their 787-8's and some of their 787-9's are in a 2-2-2 configuration.
Well, LATAM is now planning to renovate those existing planes with a brand-new seat!
The Details
LATAM will be installing the Recaro R7 seat beginning in the second quarter of 2025. The first planes to be re-configured look to be the old 787-8, while then eventually heading over to the 787-9. The Recaro R7 seat is a solid all-around product that features closing doors and direct aisle access for all customers!
LATAM plans to complete the retrofit by the end of 2026, although I wouldn't be surprised if this is pushed into 2027 since retrofitting 24 aircraft in such a short period is a tedious task.
My Thoughts
On another bad news front, the 787-8's currently feature 30 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. However, once these retrofits are complete, there will be only 20 seats per Dreamliner up at the pointy end of the plane. Similar to the American Airlines 787-8's😒. This represents a 33% reduction in Business Class seats, making upgrades and award availability harder to clear. The good news is that the 787-9 will keep the same number😁.
I love LATAM as an airline, and its economy class is fabulous. With that being said, I am excited to see the airline's one downside being fixed. No more old business products in a 2-2-2 configuration. Instead, business class customers can get onto a plane knowing that they will have direct aisle access from every seat.
My last thought is that LATAM might do a little bit better on their 787-8's with only 20 seats in business class. High yield routes which they fly are typically operated by their 777's and 787-9's. Oftentimes, the 787-8's will operate less dense routes and on the hub-to-hubs, so more economy seats might turn over a better profit for the airline.
Final Thoughts
LATAM has just introduced their new business class product, which will be available on 24 aircraft over the next two years. The aircraft, in effect, will entail all 787-8's and the previously non-renovated 787-9's. Expect the Reacaro R7 seat to come to the fleet starting in the middle of next year and end up finishing sometime in 2026. This is terrific news!
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