LATAM LA800 Premium Business Class Review (28/07)

Latam 787-8 at Auckland International Airport

After completing the first leg of my journey to Hawaii, it was time for me to take a rest break in Sydney. The ever so vibrant nature of the Kingsford Smith international airport was just the perfect destination for international flight transfers. Sydney Airport, being the largest and busiest airport in the Oceania region is certainly one of the most welcoming too.

Back to my journey, it was time to fly to Auckland from Sydney. Carried by one of my all-time favourite flight codes, Latam flight LA800 is here to impress.

Check-in & the Lounge

One World Priority Check-in Lane

Arriving 3 hours before departure the queue was non-existent at the priority lane, it only took me a few minutes to check-in to my favourite seat (Seat 2A). Then I was able to pass security within ten minutes all thanks to express pass, this way I could gracefully buy some duty-free without any time concerns.

Express Path Expedite Lane

Soon it was time to spend the next 2 hours in the QF Business Lounge. The lounge itself had been recently renovated with new seatings, new amenities, and a revamped dining experience. Since then it has collected numerous positive reviews online and I was certainly not gonna miss out on all the action.

Egg Benedict with James Boag's

It was quite lucky for me to be early, only a few minutes after I've arrived the initially empty lounge became a packed show.

I noticed freshly grilled food was available, a great change as I quickly sat down and ordered my morning tea. I had a nice serving of egg benedict, freshly cooked bacon under a beautifully poached egg topped with creamy hollandaise sauce, of course, without having the need to leave out a nice bottle of beer to complete my perfect holiday morning tea.

Self-Service Bar

What surprised me most was the vast improvement on the self-service bar, a huge selection of beers, wines and spirits were made available as opposed to the limited variety the predecessor had to offer last year. After changing the seatings, the lounge is now more spacious for the sake of the ever-increasing travellers.

Modern Minimalism is now a QF trend

Boarding

I was so impressed by the lounge that I actually overstayed my welcome, well not quite literally. I was actually enjoying my Shiraz when I heard the final boarding call for LA800. After [Expunged], I finally arrived at the gate where I forgot to use my prescripted Spanish greeting (What a shame!).

787-8 Cockpit

Instead of the 787-9 Dreamliner, the aircraft in service that day was its younger sibling, the 787-8 Dreamliner. Despite its size, what you get is still the most advanced jet today.

It retained the classic Latam Y+ class Premium business cabin in the 787-9, which we all know and love.

Spacious cabin in a 2-2-2 layout

Just like the 787-9, it was spacious with everything you'd expect in a business class. Power outlet, seat massage, fully flat seats, full entertainment systems, complimentary noise cancelling headphones and many more ergonomic features that would make just about any travellers smile. 

Everything worked smoothly with no faults as the cabin maintenance was great. The seats and the floors were kept extremely neat and tidy.

Fully flat seat.

I did not use the complimentary headphones as I have brought my own pair of noise-cancelling headphones, a headphone jack adaptor was not necessary for you to use your own headphones for the onboard entertainment systems as a standard 3.5mm jack was present.

The already quiet 787 was almost silent with my B&O H9 headphones which I used throughout the flight.

The entertainment system had many of the latest blockbusters which could easily keep you occupied through any long-haul flights not to mention the short Sydney to Auckland flight.

Time to relax and put your feet up for some movies.

Dining

Lunch

Lunch was served about an hour into the flight. 

I chose spinach and feta quiche with roasted asparagus for my meal option. The food was well-prepared but I think the meal combination was a bit too bland for my taste as it was semi-vegetarian and a bit too 'healthy' for me.

A wide selection of Chilean wines and alcohols were available and I chose one of the most popular sparkling wines in Chile, the Caballo Loco Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru. It was rather refreshing with a hint of apple and citrus fruits coupled with a dry/clean finish.

The dessert was a chocolate cake with a dash of mango/passionfruit conserve, it was absolutely one of the best desserts I've ever had in flight, the melt in your mouth texture along with a touch of tropical fruitiness took me above and beyond.

Overall the mains were actually quite mediocre in my opinion for a premium business class flight. However, the superb dessert and beverages were enough to put a smile on my face and review this as a positive dining experience.

Conclusion

Having to retain Latam's high level of service on the LA800 route along with the QF business lounge upgrade in Sydney, this flight was even more enjoyable than the same flight I've made flown early April. In my opinion, this is currently one of the best Trans-Tasman flights we have today as the Airline did extend a long-haul level of service and state of mind to this short-haul flight.