Australians and New Zealanders hoping to fly to South America may be forced to get a refund after LATAM Airlines announced the cancellation of flights to the Chilean capital Santiago in March.
LATAM posted an on it's website explaining that "due to operational needs, flight cancellations involving Sydney (SYD) and Auckland (AKL) airports would be extended from 1st of March to 28th of March 2022”.
For many, the news represents another disappointing chapter with the airline, following almost two years of travel restrictions between both regions, a lack of flights to Latin America and overpriced plane tickets.
In its announcement, LATAM informed passengers they could fly with Delta or Qatar airlines, due to their agreement with both carriers.
But the news angered hundreds of customers who purchased tickets directly with LATAM. Many posted messages on social media complaining about flight cancellations, lack of information, delays in refunds and the hours they had wasted waiting on the phone to speak with an airline representative.
Highlights:
- LATAM Airlines, one of the main operators in the Southern Hemisphere, says that the round-trip direct flights from Sydney to Santiago, with a stopover in Auckland, have been cancelled due to the number of "COVID-19 cases and governments' decisions in each country".
- The announcement, accompanied by an apology, was published on the airline's social media channels.
- LATAM operates three weekly roundtrip flights on the Sydney-Auckland-Santiago route.
- This change in schedule has meant LATAM had to cancel 13 flights between Sydney and Santiago in March 2022. Approximately 2,000 customers with bookings from Sydney to Santiago have been impacted.
Sydney-based travel agent Luis Cuadros told that the cancellations in March were hugely frustrating.
"I wasn't expecting it because we had issued a large number of tickets", he said.
Frustrated, Andrea Ximena Santibáñez posted a question for the airline on a LATAM social media account; “Why do they keep selling tickets if they are going to cancel the flights? They make money by selling tickets and then they don't honour their commitment ”.
Another customer, Roxana Janet Cona, posted a complaint on that same Facebook thread after her ticket was cancelled with no explanation.
"Shame on you LATAM Airlines doing that in such hard times when you know people are desperate to go see their families! I'm still waiting for my full refund," the message read.
Other customers, like Jose O'Connor posted: “You’ve been selling tickets just to increase your cash flow and you have been cancelling the flights since then. It’s the second time my flights have been cancelled and now I’ve had to wait a third time for my flight. Everyone, do yourselves a favour and don't fly with these guys. Go via the US and save yourselves the stress and, most importantly, avoid being scammed.”
A number of Brazilians in Australia purchased tickets in November when LATAM announced that it would be resuming flights between South America and Australia.
Source: Facebook/LATAM
Juliane Ludsher, from the Gold Coast, told that while checking her flight details, she noticed that a "section" of the trip, which was the main connection between Santiago and Sydney, had been cancelled. She had purchased the ticket for her in-laws to come to Australia from Brazil.
Ms Ludsher said she had not been informed about any changes to her ticket and was surprised to see that the cancellation was between Santiago and Sydney, while domestic flights from João Pessoa to São Paulo in Brazil and Sydney to the Gold Coast in Australia were still offered by the airline.
LATAM cancela vuelos de Australia y Nueva Zelanda a Chile pese a emisión de billetes
"I booked it all through an online booking agency and now I want my money back because they want me to pay for the domestic flights, but the main route was cancelled. In total they want me to pay AUD $3,100 for a LATAM flight that was cancelled."
Only one direct connection to Latin America
LATAM Airlines is the only company that currently flies directly to Latin America, given that the national airlines of Australia and New Zealand have not resumed trips to the region, Mr Cuadros explains.
Many Latin Americans who do not have Australian citizenship, and are Australian residents or temporary visa holders, have to travel through the United States or the Middle East and Europe to reach their destinations, turning their trips to Latin America into complex and expensive endeavours.
For those who do not hold an Australian passport, travelling via the United States is problematic, as it means applying for US transit or tourist visas which is an expensive process that requires time, and visas are often denied, Mr Cuadros said.
LATAM argues that flights have been cancelled due to the number of "COVID-19 cases and the governments' decisions in each country".
Rafael Walker, director of LATAM Customer Service, said the company is working tirelessly to minimise the impact of the Omicron wave on the company's flights, although it is not clear if this decision is linked to the cancellation of flights between Australia and Chile.
“Unfortunately, in recent days we have seen an increase in the number of infections on some of our flights. I would like to apologise for the inconvenience, but we assure you that we are working day and night to minimise the impact of this new wave," Mr Walker said.
Sandra Boavida, the owner of a travel agency in Melbourne, predicts that there will be no flights on the Sydney-Auckland-Santiago route until June.
Posts pelo facebook com brasileiros na Austrália em busca de mais informações Source: Facebook
She explained that there are various reasons why a number of carriers are cancelling routes that fly through New Zealand, a country that maintains its borders closed to tourists, possibly until October 2022.
"Because of COVID-19, New Zealand is closed to tourism, including some transit flights, which cut the route", Ms Boavida said.
Unlike Australia, which will open its doors to tourism on February 21, the New Zealand government has signalled an October opening date.
"Everything is hanging on the decisions of the governments and the situation of the pandemic in each country, but for now the alternative is to find another route. The situation is constantly changing", Ms Boavida warned.
Juliane Ludsher, de Gold Coast, disse que descobriu que um ‘trecho’ da viagem que comprou para os sogros virem do Brasil para a Austrália ida e volta foram canc Source: Supplied
"Currently, the New Zealand border is closed to almost all travellers to help stop the spread of COVID-19," she said.
However, a LATAM spokesperson in Australia told SBS Portuguese that the airlines would resume the flight service from Sydney via Auckland to Santiago on March 29, 2022.
"These services will operate three times a week and LATAM intends to increase the services to five weekly flights from July 1, 2022".
Go through the Middle East and Europe
According to travel agent Luis Cuadros, the safest bet right now is to travel through the Middle East and Europe. This route can cost between AUD $2,900 and $5,100, and takes up to 40 hours, with a stopover in Venezuela, the nearest destination.
Paula Camila Cheron Raper, who bought tickets to fly from Sydney to Sao Paulo in May 2022, said she had trouble booking the trip for her family of two adults and two young children.
LATAM cancela vuelos de Australia y Nueva Zelanda a Chile pese a emisión de billetes. Quejas de clientes en Facebook
She's still unsure if they're going to be able to board their flight.
She says she spent more than ten hours on the phone with the company, made complaints, and posted open letters on social media, but only received a response from LATAM via Twitter explaining that the flights are dependent on the governmental decisions in each country.
"I intend to change my route, go through Dubai or Doha, I am very stressed with all this, I'm also taking measures to ensure the company treats us better," she said.
