Help with LAN airlines and other Misc.
 

We are doing a hiking trip to Patagonia on Dec. 19 and were told to be at the LAN CHECK-IN COUNTER 3 HOURS prior to flight time.

Does anyone have experience flying to Chile on LAN that would explain why it is necessary
to be at the COUNTER 3 HOURS prior to flight departure? Want to be sure I do not under estimate this advice if there is a reason for it.

Also, will have a walking stick that collapses to 22" and cannot find specific info on
TSA re: packing it in carry-on luggage. It is OK in checked luggage, but because we are connecting to LAN from Southwest Airline terminal at Los Angeles International, plus the 3 hour requirement, we need to deplane QUICKLY!

Thanks for your help.

What airport are you flying from?

If I understand correctly, you will be coming from somewhere on Southwest and connecting to a LAN flight in Los Angeles which flies to Chile. If you bought both tickets through LAN and can tag your luggage all the way through (I imagine you have to go through security with it between flights anyway?) then LAN would set the connection time for you. If you bought them as two separate tickets, you need to collect your luggage and check in with LAN, probably in another area of the terminal.
Now down to the check-in time question. All international flights now recommend a three hour check-in due to the delays there can be at security. These can be very long at international airport hubs. Just before Christmas they will be worse. By December 19th there will be a huge number of passengers heading south to spend Christmas with their families.Every step takes longer. Weather delayed flights coming in from the north can set back the next stage of a flight at that time of year.
I would want an ample window between connecting flights at that time of year and I would want plenty of time if I needed to collect my luggage and check-in again with my second flight.

Hello, mlgb: We are originating in Oakland, CA to Los Angeles International. A travel company has booked our flights from Los Angeles/Chile/Los Angeles. We have independently booked Southwest's earliest flight from Oakland-LA Intl. arriving at 8:10AM and we have been advised to be at LAN counter no later than 9:20AM. Thus I am trying to maximize the amount of time to get to the LAN counter. Consequently, my other question about being able to pack a walking stick in carry-on luggage.

Huentetu: This is the first I've heard about a 3 hour check-in ... I'm still under impression that the recommended time is 2 hrs., but I certainly understand the need for more time at Christmas. I thought perhaps there was a check-in procedure for South America that required more time therefore the 3 hr. stipulation.

Do you all think I have enough time even if I have to check my luggage with Southwest because of walking stick? Arrival time is 8:10AM in L.A Terminal 1....and I need to be at LAN at 9:20AM Tom Bradley Intl. Terminal.

You will have to check your walking stick. Just went through that with my sticks for my Kili climb. (But if you're walking impaired you can take on a cane...I suppose it's impossible to whack somebody on the head with one of those)

You'll have plenty of time if you arrive at 0810 and your next flight leaves at 1220. They don't cut off the line at 3 hours, they just want you to have plenty of time to go through the lines, the checkin, security, etc. You can pre-check in online with LAN, pick your seat, etc. You do have to show your passport to them at the checkin counter though.

It shouldn't take too long to get your SW bag, hop on the bus, and get over to the TBIT, Probably about 30 minutes tops.

If you have more than one person traveling, one person could go to the TBIT and start standing in the line while the other person gets the bag with the walking sticks.

Thank you all for this info..... I had not thought of one person claiming luggage and the other
going to LAN directly. This will definitely help. Happy Holidays to all!

I flew LAN out of LAX TBIT and it isn't as bad as they make out. LAN has a standard "script" of 3 hours for international flights. You need it in Lima. At LAX 2 hours in not enough at Tom Bradley International Terminal. I use 2.5 hours as a minimum. The biggest issue to me would be flight delays from the Bay Area if the weather gets bad.

I would purchase trip insurance!

And since you are hikers, I'd just walk between terminals, especially if there is a lot of traffic around the loop.

It's an easy shuttle ride from Terminal 1 to the TBIT. The bus route is Terminals 1-2-3-4, TBIT, 5-6-7, then starts over in a loop.

When you get your luggage, just go out the doors of the baggage claim, you will be outside on the lower level. The shuttle stops right in front of you beneath the sign "Airport Shuttle" It comes every few minutes,and it will only take about 5 min to get to the TBIT.

I'm sorry but it will take more than 5 minutes to do the shuttle. It takes 5 minutes for everyone to get off and the others to get on, in my experience.

Just walk if you are running a tight connection.

This summer we flew from San Diego to LAX and then connected on LAN to Chile. You have to collect your luggage and then walk it over to the LAN counter and then check-in. As others have said it is pretty standard practice to require a 3 hours check-in time. We did it all quickly and then hug out at our gate for the remaining time. The stick will have to be checked in but if you are flying within South America on LAN they are pretty liberal in what you can bring on the plane (we had gian bottles of water blow dart guns etc.)

Be sure you have approx. $131 to pay the tax in Chile when you land. We found it was better to have it in cash since the credit card machine was down.