Review: LATAM 767 Business Class — Great Value, Disappointing Service

I recently flew LATAM business class on their Boeing 767 aircraft from Lima to New York JFK, a whole 8 hours in a lie-flat seat. That’s the nicest thing I can say about the flight, because while I had high-ish expectations of South America’s premier carrier, it honestly fell far short and made me prefer North American airlines for flights down south.

I booked the trip as a one-way journey with Virgin Atlantic for just 50,000 points with $84.05 USD in taxes and fees. I transferred the Virgin Atlantic points from Amex US Membership Rewards with a 40% transfer bonus, bringing the price down to a phenomenal 36,000 MR.

If you don’t have access to US credit cards, you can book this flight with Avios instead; I think Finnair has the best pricing at 75,500 Avios, and you’ll have to chat to book.

LA 2468
Boeing 767-300
Lima (LIM) to New York (JFK)
Duration: 8h 0m 
Seat: 5A (Window)

Check-In and Lounge

Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) completed its renovation in mid-July, so the airport is gleaming and beautiful, while LATAM has a dedicated Signature Check-In facility. Unfortunately, I couldn’t access the facility with my business class ticket, as LATAM limits access to LATAM Pass Black or Black Signature members and Delta Medallion Platinum or Diamond members.

LATAMA check-in and lounge

I did spend about 10 minutes at the check-in counter explaining to the agent that I don’t need a visa or an I-94 to enter the United States with a Canadian passport, and the agent had to speak to two colleagues and a supervisor before manually overriding the system to issue me a boarding pass.

The business class lounge, though, only opened in August 2025 and is fantastic. I regretfully only had 15 minutes to grab a bite. The buffet consists of small, individually plated dishes; the bar is the main highlight, and there’s a wide variety of seating areas, including dining tables, couches, and work areas.

Buffet food is served as small plates

The bar looked particularly welcoming

The highlight is the relaxation area consisting of recliners and then six private beds on a first-come, first-serve basis. Note that the private beds don’t have closing doors, but I’m very impressed that LATAM offers this amenity.

Relaxation area in LATAM lounge

Bedrooms in the LATAM lounge

The beds are private, but not enclosed

Cabin and Seat

LATAM’s Boeing 767 business class cabin consists of 5 rows in a 1-2-1 forward-facing configuration. The window seats alternate between being closer to the window or the aisle. The middle seats consist of “honeymoon” seats and seats next to the aisle with both tables in between.

The colours and cabin are sleek

I do think the cabin has a jazzy look and creates a great first impression, with the red and gold being nice contrasts. As is my preference when there’s no door, I chose a window seat closer to the window for greater privacy on this red-eye flight. However, for lighting reasons, I definitely don’t recommend sitting in row 5 for a red-eye, though (more on this later).

The entertainment display is large, crisp and responsive. The main surface and storage areas wrap around your elbow near the back of the seat, with space to tuck away a few items and a small storage drawer. The seat controls are here, too. While in a convenient spot, I found myself changing my recline a few times during the flight when my elbow would bump into it.

The reading light is just above, on the edge of the seat privacy shell.

LATAM business class IFE and storage panel

There is an AC adaptor and USB-A charging port located at the front of the “shelf”.

LATAM business class drawer and charging ports

Unfortunately, LATAM did not equip its B767s with individual air nozzles, but I found the temperature to be comfortable throughout the flight.

LATAM 767 business class is not equipped with individual air nozzles

Bed & Amenities

In bed mode, the seat is serviceable, but not the most comfortable. I found it quite narrow, and the majority of my lower half was in the footwell. As such, my knees would bang into the side of the seat if I tried to sleep on my side.

The included bedding was excellent though, with a mattress pad, a plush pillow, and a very comfortable blanket. The flight attendant offered to put the mattress cover on right after boarding. I appreciated the slippers as well.

The seat was narrow, but the provided bedding was fantastic

One highlight of the flight was actually the amenity kit (rarely the case), which came in multiple colours. LATAM based each kit on a different natural landscape in South America, and I had a choice among the light blue, dark blue, and dark red kits. I selected the light blue for its connection to Bolivia’s salt flats, which I was fortunate enough to visit in early 2025. It’s a place so beautiful it literally took my breath away.

LATAM business class amenity kit

LATAM business class amenity kit

The eye mask and socks were blue, but I’m not sure whether they always match the chosen amenity kit’s colour.

Dining and Service Onboard

Upon boarding, our pre-departure beverage options were water or sparkling wine. I chose the water but was disappointed that there wasn’t a juice option, since orange juice is a standard offering. It was served with a ramekin of cold nuts.

LATAM business class pre-departure beverage

Then, the food. For the main meal, I had the smoked trout appetizer (only option) and the Amazonian canga chicken (signature dish).

LATAM meal service — dinner

Here is where things took a turn for the worse. When the meal service started, I tried to order the BelliNO mocktail and then “light fruit juice”, but neither was available.

Then the food tasted fine (nothing special), but the speed of service was… strange. I don’t want to say it was slow because the appetizer and main came quickly, but then I waited 25 minutes before using the call button to ask the flight attendant to clear my tray. Keep in mind, everyone else’s meal service was long complete.

When she arrived, the cabin lights were already off, and the only desserts left were chocolate ice cream or chocolate pudding. I’m not a fan of chocolate desserts, and since there were no more fruit plates available, I skipped dessert altogether.

Breakfast was unremarkable, except I had the exact same service flow issue: I had to press the call button to get the flight attendant to take away my breakfast. This was after we were well into the descent to New York JFK, following multiple pilot announcements to prepare for landing. It really felt like if I didn’t use the call button, the plane would land with my plates and breakfast utensils on the extended tray table.

LATAM meal service — breakfast

More Service Issues

Before bed, I noticed the crew had served everyone else a chocolate. It doesn’t seem like they intentionally forgot about me, but the entire service flow was off, with everyone already asleep while I was still waiting for the crew to clear my main dish.

When I tried to go to sleep, I discovered the woes of sitting in the last row (row 5). For some reason, the economy-class ceiling lights were still on, and one of the forward-most ceiling lights sits in business class. It was impossible to sleep with a glaring white light, and it was already 2:45 AM at this point (the flight had taken off at midnight). When I asked the flight attendant when they would turn off the cabin lights, she — without speaking a word — opened my amenity kit, reached inside, and handed me the sleeping mask. Errr, not what I asked, but okay.

It’s hard to sleep with a glaring white light

As a matter of fact, the crew’s command of English was significantly worse than I had expected and service interactions were stilted and awkward. The impression I got was that the entire crew was kind and well-intentioned, but the service itself needed (way) more polish.

Takeaway

LATAM business class was disappointing, especially because the bones of a good experience are there. The cabin looks great, the bedding is excellent, the amenity kit is unusually memorable, and the lounge in Lima is very impressive.

Unfortunately, the onboard experience didn’t live up to the hard product. The seat is narrow for sleeping, the food was forgettable, and service was easily the weakest part of the flight. Having to repeatedly use the call button just to get finished meals cleared, combined with the strange interaction over the cabin lighting and generally disjointed service flow, isn’t what I expect in international business class.

Obviously, amazing airlines aren’t the reason to travel to South America, but I would still seek out a North American carrier when the option exists. Do as I say and not as I do, though: I have another LATAM flight next February from Buenos Aires to Miami. That one is on the 787 with the brand-new “Mini-Suites” business class, and perhaps LATAM Chile will leave me with a different impression than LATAM Peru.

All that said, I’d absolutely book an 8-hour lie-flat journey in LATAM business class again for 50,000 Virgin Atlantic points and minimal taxes and fees, or just 36,000 MR with a 40% bonus.