LATAM Airlines: Country, Safety, Seats & Reputation 2024

Ask a frequent flyer what they actually know about LATAM Airlines, and the answers usually drift to South America, a confusing logo, and one recurring question: is the seat comfortable? LATAM’s own documents start with a different priority — a safety management system aligned with ICAO standards (LATAM Airlines Group (ESG report)) and cabin air refreshed every three minutes (LATAM Trade (carrier documentation)).

Headquarters: Santiago, Chile ·
Alliance: oneworld ·
Fleet size: over 300 aircraft ·
Destinations served: over 140 in 23 countries ·
Safety rating: 7/7 from AirlineRatings.com (2024) ·
Founded: 2012 (LAN + TAM merger)

Six specs, one pattern: LATAM’s public data is strong on scale and safety, thin on seat-level detail.

What country is LATAM Airlines in?

Headquarters and primary registration

• LATAM Airlines Group is headquartered in Santiago, Chile (LATAM Airlines Group (ESG report)).
• The group was created in 2012 through the merger of Chile’s LAN and Brazil’s TAM (LATAM Trade (carrier documentation)).

That single base explains a lot of LATAM’s dual identity. The corporate center is Chilean, but the route network stretches across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, which is why travelers often see LATAM planes in São Paulo and think the airline is Brazilian.

The pattern: LATAM is a Latin America-wide airline with a Chilean legal center, and the distinction affects regulatory accountability more than it affects your boarding pass.

Is LATAM a low cost airline or a full service airline?

Services and cabin classes

• LATAM describes its economy cabin as a full-service product with onboard entertainment and snacks for short- and medium-distance flights (LATAM Airlines (cabin experience page)).
• LATAM’s trade documentation says economy service includes entertainment on every flight, complimentary meals, and complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (LATAM Trade (carrier documentation)).
• Premium Business and Economy are separate cabin classes, meaning this is not a single-class low-cost operation (LATAM Airlines (cabin experience page)).

Low-cost carriers rarely promise complimentary beverages, let alone complimentary alcohol. LATAM’s published position is closer to a legacy network airline, with basic fares that still include a real cabin service on most routes.

Baggage and fare differences

• LATAM+ seats add extra legroom, dedicated overhead bins, and faster boarding and deplaning (LATAM Trade (carrier documentation)).
• Seat selection is available on almost the entire fleet, and seats are described as ergonomic with adjustable headrests (LATAM Airlines (reserve your seats page)).

Fares differ mainly in flexibility, checked bags, and seat preference. The base ticket gets you on the plane; LATAM+ gets you a better position in the cabin.

The pattern: LATAM’s base economy includes meals and drinks, but the extra-legroom upgrade is essential for long-haul comfort.

Is LATAM a good airline according to customer reviews?

Customer satisfaction ratings

• Independent ratings put LATAM in the middle: Skytrax assigns a 3-star rating, while TripAdvisor reviews hover around 3.5–4 stars.
• Common praise centers on punctuality; common complaints center on seat comfort.

The split is visible in the product itself. LATAM’s own cabin page describes “comfort for short- and medium-distance flights”, which is a careful way of saying the hard product is not designed for travelers who need generous legroom.

Seat comfort complaints

• LATAM’s A320 economy seats are ergonomic, reclining, and fitted with adjustable headrests (LATAM Airlines (Airbus 320 page)).
• Exit-row seats vary by configuration, including rows 11, 12, and 13, which is why online advice about ‘seat 11A’ is so inconsistent (LATAM Airlines (Airbus 320 page)).
• Economics of older cabins: roughly 30–31 inches of pitch and 17-inch-wide seats in some aircraft types, tighter than many global peers.

Travelers review what they feel: if the flight is on time and the crew is friendly, the airline wins praise; if the seat pinches for nine hours, no safety rating compensates.

Why this matters: a three-star rating is not a red flag, but it is a warning to set expectations before you book a nine-hour economy seat.

The implication: traveler expectations must be calibrated to their priority—punctuality or seat space.

Which airlines have the smallest or least comfortable seats?

Seat measurements change by aircraft and cabin retrofit. LATAM’s older economy cabins come in at roughly 30–31 inches of pitch and 17 inches of seat width, which places it near the tighter end of global economy cabins. Always check the specific aircraft type before booking.

Is it safe to fly with LATAM Airlines?

Safety audits and management systems

• LATAM holds IOSA certification and received a 7/7 safety score from AirlineRatings.com for 2024.
• LATAM says its safety management system follows ICAO standards and applies a zero-tolerance policy to safety incidents (LATAM Airlines Group (ESG report)).
• The group’s flight data monitoring covers 95%+ of flights (LATAM Airlines Group (ESG report)).

Those are system-level measures: auditing, monitoring, reporting, and correction. LATAM’s 2021 internal performance indicator improved by 46% versus 2020, and the group cites IATA’s 2021 Safety Report to argue the industry-wide accident rate hit its lowest level since 2005 (LATAM Airlines Group (SMS mitigation report)).

What the incident record shows

• The most serious recent event was a fatal runway collision at Lima Airport in 2023 involving a LATAM flight.
• LATAM’s onboard safety guidance tells passengers to keep seat belts fastened throughout the flight, even when the seat belt sign is off (LATAM Airlines (official safety page)).

For most travelers, the practical read is positive: the airline’s own safety documentation, its ICAO-aligned SMS, and its audit scores all point to a carrier that takes risk management seriously. The 2023 accident is a reminder that no system is absolute.

What this means: your decision should be based on LATAM’s overall safety architecture, not on a single rating or a single incident.

The pattern: the safety infrastructure is thorough, but the incident record prevents a flawless assessment.

Which airlines are riskiest or have the worst reputation?

Global safety rankings from AirlineRatings.com list the riskiest carriers as those in developing regions with repeated incidents; LATAM is not among them. LATAM’s own reports emphasize compliance and continuous improvement, placing it in the middle tier of global safety performance.

Is LATAM affiliated with Qantas?

Codeshare agreements and joint ventures

• LATAM and Qantas are both members of the oneworld alliance (LATAM Trade (carrier documentation)).
• They codeshare on routes between Australia and South America, and they operate a joint business on the Australia–Chile corridor.
• That means oneworld frequent-flyer benefits apply across both networks, subject to fare class and earning rules.

For a traveler flying Sydney to Santiago, the practical effect is a single booking process, coordinated connections, and the ability to credit miles across the oneworld family rather than being locked into one airline’s program.

What this means: LATAM’s relationship with Qantas is real but not a merger; it is a commercial and loyalty partnership built around the oneworld umbrella.

Three columns, one pattern: LATAM and Qantas share an alliance but not a cabin strategy.

The takeaway: the oneworld partnership is operational, but the physical comfort gap between the two carriers remains significant.

One aircraft type, one pattern: the A320 is where most economy comfort decisions happen, and the details vary by row.

LATAM Airlines’ timeline since the merger

• 2012: LAN (Chile) and TAM (Brazil) merge to form LATAM Airlines Group (LATAM Trade carrier documentation).
• 2015: LATAM joins the oneworld alliance (LATAM Trade carrier documentation).
• 2020: LATAM files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US due to COVID-19.
• 2022: LATAM exits bankruptcy restructuring.
• 2023: Fatal runway collision at Lima Airport involving a LATAM flight.

The pattern: LATAM spent its first decade building scale, then spent the pandemic years shrinking debt, and now faces the harder task of rebuilding passenger trust after a fatal incident.

We prioritize safety, modernize our fleet, and comply with the regulations and norms of aviation authorities.

LATAM Airlines (official safety page)

Economy passengers get entertainment on every flight, complimentary meals, and complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

LATAM Trade (carrier documentation)

Our safety management system is aligned with ICAO standards, and flight data monitoring covers more than 95% of flights.

LATAM Airlines Group (ESG supporting document)

For a traveler deciding whether LATAM belongs on a long-haul shortlist, the evidence points in two directions: the corporate and safety architecture is genuinely strong, and the economy seat is a genuine compromise on older aircraft. The workable strategy is to pick LATAM for safety, audit scores, and oneworld integration, then pay for LATAM+ or route through an airline with wider seats.

For a passenger flying from the US or Australia into South America, the decision is clear: book LATAM if you value safety infrastructure and alliance benefits, and buy the extra-legroom seat — or choose another carrier if seat width is non-negotiable.

Frequently asked questions