Flying to South America? take advantage of LATAM Status Match and get unlimited upgrades and more
Since TFC readers are always very interested in Status Match proposals, I decided to write about [...]
Since TFC readers are always very interested in the Status Match proposals I decided to write about a very popular offer and especially that it has been "live" for several months. I'm talking about the proposal launched by the LATAM airline.
Who is LATAM
In this article:
LATAM no longer belongs to an alliance, so those who hold an Elite card in the LATAM Pass program can then take advantage of the status benefits when flying with the company and When flying with partner companies, starting with Delta.
LATAM does not have a specific main airport, as it is an airline formed by the merger of LAN Airlines and TAM Linhas Aéreas. The airline's operations are spread over several hubs in South America. Some of LATAM's main hubs include:
- São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU): São Paulo, Brazil
- El Dorado International Airport (BOG): Bogota, Colombia
- Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM): Lima, Peru
- Santiago-Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL): Santiago, Chile
LATAM currently connects Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa to São Paulo in Brazil from where passengers can take advantage of connections to the international network.
The benefits of status
As mentioned, it does not participate in any alliance, but having many partner companies, having this status could greatly simplify travel for interested passengers.
All status holders, with a priority based on the level held, will receive free class upgrades for flights in South America, A benefit that alone is worth the time it takes to apply for status match. Of course, there is no shortage of typical benefits such as priority boarding, choice of free seats, and lounge access.
The most interesting benefit, however, is reserved for those who get the "promotion" to the LATAM Pass Black level. who receive the opportunity to get 8 upgrades outside of South America, this means for example on the Milan Sao Paolo being able to request to be "promoted" for free in Business for 8 intercontinental routes.
By requesting now the status match, an operation that takes just under 3 minutes you will gain status for over 12 months, elite status that can, eventually, be used to obtain and take advantage of other similar promotions offered by other frequent flyer programs.
No challenge, here are the rules
Not everyone can participate in this promotion, fortunately residents of Italy have access to the proposal at the price of 98$. In addition to Italians, this price also applies to residents of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland.
Based on the status held LATAM will correspond to the level equivalent to Gold, Gold Plus, Platinum and Black status. There is no chance to climb to Black Signature, which is the most exclusive level and requires flying at least 120 legs or accumulating 160k qualifying points.
There are plenty of loyalty programs targeted by this status match proposal. There is Volare by ITA Airrways, but there are Flying Blue (with Platinum you get Black), British Airways (with Gold you get Black level), more unfortunate Lufthansa Senators who have to settle for Platinum. There are then many other programs.
This is a really interesting proposal, because with less than 100$ you will get a status valid until March 2025. Given that there is no published expiration date and therefore the proposal could disappear from one moment to the next my advice is to take advantage of it right away. Because even flying once will save you money because of the benefits, but if you are planning domestic flights to South America then it is a real boon to be able to take advantage of the unlimited upgrades in business.
