LAN Airlines

<html><div style='background-color:'><DIV class=RTE>Here is a copy of an email that I sent to LAN over a week ago and still no response so I am following up with making other passengers aware of the poor customer service this airline provides. Thank you for providing such a valuable outlet for consumers.</DIV>

<DIV class=RTE>JS Collins</DIV>

11, June 2007<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

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Mr. Ignacio Cueto Plaza

President and COO

LAN

Am&#233rico Vespucio 901

Renca

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Santiago</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Chile</st1:country-region></st1:place>

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Dear Mr. Cueto

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Where to begin? I was due to depart <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Buenos Aires</st1:place></st1:City> on LAN Argentina flight 4520 on 7 June, 2007. Due to severe fog in the area I contacted LAN’s customer service department at 17:00 to make sure that in fact EZE was open and operating a normal schedule. I was assured that it was. That was lie number one from LAN. <o:p></o:p>

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When I arrived at EZE around 19:30 I went to check in at the LAN counter and was once again assured that all flights were operating. Lie number 2 from LAN. Only after checking in did I find out that in fact EZE had not been operating a normal schedule since mid afternoon. Both your customer service and check in agents must have known that in fact LAN was not operating a normal schedule since all they had to do was refer to the departure schedule to see that ALL LAN flights departing EZE had been listed as either delayed or cancelled. <o:p></o:p>

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Upon clearing customs and checking in with the gate agent I was once again assured that the flight would depart but with a “possible” delay. Lie number 3 from LAN. Even as all earlier scheduled LAN departures had been cancelled your agents were still informing customers that we would indeed depart. Not until 22:15 were we officially informed that in fact our flight was cancelled. It was interesting to note that as other carriers cancelled flights at the adjacent gates those passengers were offered meals, beverages and telephone cards. What did LAN offer? Nothing. If I had not seen the phone cards behind the counter I would not known to ask for one. Your gate agent then instructed that our flight had been rescheduled for 12:00 the next day but we must reclaim our bags prior to departing EZE. We

were directed to exit through customs and wait at the baggage claim area until the bags were taken off the plane. While luggage from American Airlines, TAM and GOL was unloaded we waited and waited. For two hours we waited with no LAN representative in sight. There were customer service agents from the other airlines assisting passengers but not one LAN agent was there. Finally at 01:00 a LAN agent did walk by and I asked him where was the luggage? He responded that the “airport was closed and there would be no luggage” He then continued to by saying, “you have no sense to see that the airport is closed and you expect your luggage?” He then laughed and started to walk away. I told him that we were instructed by the LAN gate agent to wait for our luggage and why didn’t someone bother to tell us this a long time ago? Suddenly his perfect command of English vanished as did he. Some Spanish

speaking passengers rushed after him but to no avail. So where are we now with the lies from LAN count? But it does not matter since we still have another day to add to the total.<o:p></o:p>

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On 8 June, 2007 I arose at 08:00 and telephoned LAN’s customer service number in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Buenos Aires</st1:place></st1:City> and was told once again that ALL LAN flights were operating on a normal schedule and that my flight was due to depart at 12:00. I arrived at EZE at 09:00 only to be told to check back in one hour since there would be a delay of one hour. I did check back and was assured that the departure was firm. Yet another LAN lie. I asked the check in agent why all the flights from the morning were being listed as “delayed” or “check with agent” and was told they were just attempting to clear the backlog from yesterday and they were not certain of gate assignments. Once I cleared customs it became apparent that LAN had yet again lied to me. As the

departure time approached suddenly the gate information changed from my flight to a LAN Peru flight and not LAN agent in sight to explain what was going on. Finally two hours later an agent did announce that the new departure gate would be 13. So all the passengers made their way across to the far end of EZE only to find no one from LAN or even a plane at that gate. An hour later a LAN agent finally did arrive as did a plane. First it was announced that there would be an additional departure delay, then a possible delay of 4 to 5 hours, then LAN was not sure if we would depart since no “landing slots” were available at Miami and finally that indeed the flight was cancelled since the crew had been on hold for 5 hours and regulations forced them to release the crew. Obviously your agents either were lied to by someone above them or have a most creative method to lie to your customers. <o:p></o:p>

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Once the final notice was made that the flight was cancelled there was, as you might imagine a major confrontation between passengers and your agents. We were finally told that we would all be rebooked on the scheduled flight for that evening, which indeed we were. You agents even at long last delivered soft drinks to the gate area and passed out meal vouchers and phone cards. <o:p></o:p>

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I can certainly understand weather delays and do not have an issue with that. What I do have an issue with is an airline misleading, being dishonest and providing no customer assistance to their passengers during such an instance. I fail to see the benefit of LAN telling out and out lies to customers when the truth would have been much better and certainly saved me hours of waiting at the airport. I expect LAN to compensate me for your poor customer service such as a transportation voucher for future travel. If not then I will certainly follow up with complaints to the US Department of Transportation and the Argentine government. <o:p></o:p>

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I look forward to your prompt response.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

James S. Collins<o:p></o:p>

1901 NE 16th Terrace<o:p></o:p>

<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Fort Lauderdale</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Florida</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode w:st="on">33305</st1:PostalCode></st1:place><o:p></o:p>

954-551-4389<o:p></o:p></DIV>

From: Message Author (click here to email author)
Date: Tuesday, 19-Jun-07 15:10:11 CDT

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Hey check out this new site for complaining about LAN Airlines...

http://www.sinlan.cl

From: Message Author (click here to email author)
Date: Saturday, 27-Jun-09 02:17:38 CDT

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Complaint #: 146275

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