The draw of winter sun and a well-priced fare from Lisbon to São Paulo felt like the perfect chance for me to try LATAM 787 Business Class. My partner had flown the airline before, but I had not, so it was a good opportunity to try a new airline. São Paulo itself was never the destination. I have been before and it is a huge, hectic city I was happy to use purely as a transit point before continuing on to Buenos Aires and Uruguay for a pre-Christmas escape. From windowless seats to tough steaks, this is how the flight really went.
In this review:
Flight Details
Flight No: LA8149
From/To: Lisbon (LIS) to Sao Paulo (GRU)
Departure time: 13:50
Ticket Class: Business
Flight time: 10 hours 15 mins
Frequent Flyer Points: Credited to British Airways Club
Status Points: 0 status points but earned 6,168 Avios
Aircraft: PS-LAA
Aircraft type: Boeing 787-900
Number of classes: 2
Number of seats in flying class: 30
Seat: 5A
Position: left hand side of the aircraft, 5 rows from the front
Airport Experience
Pre-flight experience: Flying LATAM 787 Business Class technically began a few days earlier when LATAM decided to become my most enthusiastic email pen pals. Three emails and one WhatsApp message arrived in quick succession covering meals, baggage and reminder of what you’re getting flying in Business. Helpful, yes, slightly over the top? Still, the information pack explaining the Business Class perks was solid, so it didn’t feel like harassment.
The experience in Lisbon Airport itself felt like it had woken up on the wrong side of the runway. The passport scanner needed multiple tries. The boarding pass reader refused to work and the whole thing felt like an escape room nobody asked to play.
The lounge situation did not improve matters. Queues everywhere and echoes of our famous ANA lounge misadventure – read our honest review of the ANA Lounge here. When the highlight of the ground experience is successfully locating a chair, you know it has been a morning.
Boarding & Welcome
Boarding opened early, almost 90 minutes before departure, which sounded promising until the bus gate made it clear they simply needed extra time to move everyone onboard. Priority boarding, group numbers and loyalty tiers all lost meaning once we were corralled into the same bus. From there it became a tactical exercise in standing your ground near the door and trying to predict whether the left or right doors would open first.
When I made it onto the aircraft, half the Business cabin was already seated. Clearly an earlier bus had whisked them away. At least the welcome onboard was warm and I was ready to get out of the chaos of Lisbon airport. Champagne and warm nuts appeared about 30 minutes before takeoff, a distraction from my disappointment of my seat…
Seat
I was seated in 5A on the LATAM 787 Business Class, which on paper should be a great choice. It sits mid cabin, safely away from the galley and toilets, usually the sweet spot. Then I arrived and my heart sank. For someone who loves staring out of the window for half the flight, this seat had one small issue. It was missing a window.
A rookie mistake, and a surprising one for me, because I normally check seat maps like a pre flight ritual. Somehow, I managed to book a window seat that offered nothing but a solid wall. This is probably partly down to SeatGuru no longer existing. It used to have handy red, yellow and green warnings.
Window drama aside (first world problems, I know), the seat was very good. The Thompson Aero Vantage XL seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration were comfortable and spacious. Plenty of room to stretch out and decent for sleeping. The storage spaces around the seat were also very practical and had charging by the seat. It also had a massive and very responsive screen. The seat was great all round.
The condition was a bit tired with scuffs, dust and the unexpected discovery of half an eaten pill on the floor. The seat controls came in several locations too which made it a bit confusing. Still, once reclined, you could forget the oddities and relax, assuming you did not look left hoping for a view.
Which is the best seat on LATAM 787 Business Class?
The best seats on LATAM 787 Business Class are the odd numbered window seats, particularly rows 1, 3 and 7. These are the ones where the windows actually exist. The layout also puts your side table by the aisle so your seat is tucked closer to the window for better privacy. If you like scenery, sunlight or the basic thrill of knowing where the ground is, choose anything except 5A. Let my rookie mistake be your wisdom.
See the seating plan on AeroLOPA.
Onboard Experience
Service in LATAM 787 Business Class was calm and mostly smooth. The crew took meal orders early and offered a hot towel which is always a welcome cue to settle in. English was spoken well enough and the overall service style was friendly, though sometimes a little hands-off.
You’re given an amenity kit with the usual lip balm, cream, toothbrush, eye mask, ear plugs and socks.
Only two toilets served the entire Business cabin which caused queues at peak times. The bedding was lovely, genuinely soft and comfortable. The only puzzle was making up the bed. The crew could tell I was staring at the mattress topper like it was modern art, but they didn’t help and just let me figure it out. Eventually I did.
Food & Drink
Food in LATAM 787 Business Class was acceptable, helped significantly by a strong wine list. Lunch was served around one hour and fifty minutes after takeoff, which felt a little slow, and drinks were initially forgotten with no automatic top ups.
I chose the steak for the main. It was fine on flavour but on the chewy side, which is fairly typical at altitude. Dessert was tiramisu, which was a safe and enjoyable choice and probably the highlight of the meal itself. The salmon starter was the best thing on the menu.
Where LATAM did well was with the wines. The list leaned heavily into South America, with good Chilean and Argentinian bottles that felt thoughtfully chosen rather than generic. Champagne was also on offer. The Baileys I had post meal was lovely.
A simple second service followed before landing with a sandwich and a packet of crisps, very much in British Airways territory. Remember the whole reduced second meal debacle back in 2024 with British Airways caused, we’ll this is reminiscent of that.
A small observation, when I passed galley, four crew members were eating the steak we had been served, but with wooden cutlery. It was hard enough to cut the steak using silver cultery, so I commend their effort cutting that with a wooden knife.
In-flight Entertainment
The entertainment system on LATAM 787 Business Class offered a big, responsive screen but the film selection was not exactly fresh from the studio. Decent enough, but nothing that made me leap for the remote. The headphones provided were crackly and made everything sound like it had been recorded in a wind tunnel. Thankfully, my AirFly Pro and Bose noise cancelling headphones saved the day. There was no WiFi on this aircraft, which meant no scrolling and no escape from the fact that my window was still very much absent.
Arrival
Arrival from LATAM 787 Business Class was surprisingly smooth. Immigration moved quickly and bags appeared within 30 minutes. After the earlier chaos, it was refreshing to end the journey on a calm note and within an hour I was rechecked in to my flight to Buenos Aires and sitting in the LATAM Lounge ready for my next flight.
BG1 Verdict
For the fare I paid, LATAM 787 Business Class delivered a good experience. The seat was comfortable, the service was friendly and the bedding was much nicer than expected. The product has quirks, yes, and my no window situation will haunt me for years, but for value versus cost, it was absolutely worth it.
BG1 Tip
When choosing seats on LATAM 787 Business Class, always stick to the odd numbered window rows 1, 3 and 7 are the best. Do not repeat my rookie move with 5A. If you enjoy looking outside, pick a seat that actually lets you look out the window.
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