In this installment of Wednesday Route Highlight we will be taking a look at LATAM’s unique route between Santiago, Chile (SCL) and Easter Island (IPC) which then continues on (1x weekly) to Tahiti, French Polynesia.
As always, if you have any suggestions for a specific route that I should highlight, feel free to leave it below in the comments.
Without further ado…
Best I can tell, LATAM’s flight between Santiago (SCL) and Easter Island (IPC) operates 7-8x times weekly. Rather than being cemented and static, the schedule is rather fluid and unpredictable, with some months offering service 7x-8X per week, while others offer service 1X-2x per week. Just take December 2017-January 2018 for example:
One aspect of this route that is recognizably consistent is that once weekly the flight continues on to Tahiti, French Polynesia (PPT). Heres what the route map looks like with the continuation flight:
LATAM utilizes its new Boeing 787-9 aircraft on both of these legs, which is outfitted in a three class configuration consisting of 30 fully flat Premium Business (business class) seats, 51 space + seats, and 232 standard economy class seats.
This is an incredibly unique flight, as both Easter Island and Tahiti are notorious for being incredibly difficult to travel to as a result of their limited transportation options. Now, there is a direct flight connecting the two destinations. Originating in Chile?! Who would have thought?
To further highlight their remoteness, I will point out that LATAM is the only airline to serve Easter Island. Period. Like if you’r flying there, your either flying with LATAM, or on a private jet. Albeit not as difficult, Tahiti is no walk in the park either.
LATAM is one of only five airlines that fly to the South Pacific tropical paradise:
- Air France (Paris-CDG via Los Angeles)
- Air New Zealand (Auckland)
- Air Tahiti (Auckland, Los Angeles, Paris-CDG, Tokyo-NRT, as well as various South Pacific Islands)
- Aircalin (Noumea)
- Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu)
- LATAM (Santiago-Chile via Easter Island)
Talk about a bucket list trip… Think about going to one of the most remote places in the world to see this:
And then hopping on a quick six hour non-stop flight on one of these:
and relaxing here:
It doesn’t get much better than that.
To the Point!
This is one of the more unique routes that I know of. It involves two of the most premiere (and remote) tourist destinations on the planet, and the jumping off point is Santiago, Chile. To make it even better, LATAM operates its brand new state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which features lie flat seats in business class, power ports, and seat back entertainment for all customers.
LATAM is one of a handful of carriers that serves Tahiti, and is the sole operator to Easter Island in the South Pacific. This works out great for customers, as they can now connect to both premiere destinations in just a single flight.
Has anyone been to Easter Island or Tahiti? How did you travel there?
*Featured Image Courtesy of ch-aviation
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