LATAM’s Chief Experience Officer discusses new cabins, lounges and A321XLRs

Not only is LATAM Airlines Group the largest airline group in South America, but it has also been making a number of investments aimed at positioning itself as a contender to become one of the world’s best.  

The Latin American carrier has ordered new aircraft to cover the different market segments in which it operates, from A321XLRs to complement its existing widebody fleet to Embraer E195s aimed at boosting connectivity within the region. 

But the key to these ambitions is also a sweeping overhaul of the passenger experience. This spans from new premium cabins and the roll out of Wi-Fi connectivity across the long-haul fleet, and to an updated onboard catering and service concept, the launch of new amenity kits and a revamped network of LATAM lounges at all its main hubs.  

To learn more about what LATAM Airlines has in store, AeroTime sat down with the man who is overseeing this transformation, Paulo Miranda, Group Executive Vice President, Chief Experience Brand and Customer Officer at LATAM, on the sidelines of the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Rio de Janeiro, an event that was hosted by LATAM. 

“We are an airline based in South America, but we play at a global level, so we’re making several investments to keep improving customer experience,” he said. “For example, we’re moving forward with all the changes to our Premium Business cabins.  

“We’re modernizing the cabin with suites, where we have the 1-2-1 configuration and all passengers have aisle access,” Miranda said, referring to the ongoing retrofit of the airline’s long-haul business class cabin, a multi-year project that began in 2019/20. 

When it comes to cabin revamp, the next big project at LATAM is the launch of a new Premium Economy product, which will be called “Premium Comfort”.  

“We’re going to implement an intermediate cabin between business and economy, which comes with seats that also have more space, and a slightly different configuration,” he said. “We also keep making regular renovations on our aircraft interiors. On top of this, we have the Wi-Fi investment. On single-aisle aircraft we already have about 95% installed, and we’re now in the process of installing Wi-Fi on the third widebody aircraft.” 

“The vision, obviously, is to cover the whole fleet,” he added. “This is something that should be finished by the end of 2027.” 

Many major airlines have opted for SpaceX’s Starlink system, which is based entirely on a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. However, LATAM Airlines announced ViaSat as its partner for the carrier’s US$60 million project, which will see its entire long-haul fleet of 60 aircraft fitted with satellite-based connectivity. The first of these internet-fitted aircraft entered service in April 2026. 

“I think these are obviously technologies that have something different from one another, but I believe the vision for the future of connectivity ultimately involves multi-orbit connections,” Miranda said. “It won’t be all LEO or all GEO [Geostationary Orbit, when a satellite remains at the same spot relative to the Earth – ed. note], there will be some kind of combination because there are areas where one can optimize the network better and that’s a bit the direction we’re looking at continuing in.” 

Placing choice at the center 

The aim of these investments is to consolidate LATAM’s role as the carrier of reference in much of South America and successfully defend its share. 

“We carry approximately 40% of all the passengers who travel within the region and when you look at South America relative to the [rest of the] world, I think we’re at between 20 to 30% of all the people who come to the region,” Miranda said.  

“Now, within our value proposition we have something very specific that we call “Choice”, which means that you choose how you want to fly. So, in markets where we face competition from low-cost airlines, customers can choose a simpler fare, one with no checked bag, no extras, if that suits them,” he continued. “But on that same route we also offer customers who want a more differentiated product what we call Premium Economy in South America, but it’s very similar to European Business-class fares, with the first rows of the aircraft having the middle seat blocked and more space.” 

Miranda is also keenly awaiting the arrival of the 13 A321XLRs LATAM ordered from Airbus at the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow. These long-range narrowbody aircraft open up many possibilities for LATAM when tapping new international markets.  

LATAM’s A321XLRs were initially earmarked to operate from Lima (LIM), Perú, but after the introduction of air connectivity taxes by the Peruvian government, the airline’s CEO, Roberto Alvo, suggested they may be deployed elsewhere. During a 2025 Executive Spotlight interview with AeroTime, Alvo referred to the potential of the A321XLR to develop links to Europe and the US from Brazilian cities such as Brasilia and Fortaleza. 

“The big change that’s coming for us when it comes to narrowbody aircraft is the arrival of the A321XLR in 2027,” Miranda said. “Our vision with this aircraft is that it will fly longer routes, over eight hours or so. So, we’re configuring with two-classes and Premium Business seats [LATAM’s business class suites – ed. note], 12 lie-flat seats.” 

Another new type of aircraft soon to be inducted into service by LATAM is the Embraer E195. The airline group ordered up to 74 of the aircraft type in September 2025, the first of which AeroTime saw being readied for delivery during a trip to the Brazilian manufacturer’s plant in Sao José dos Campos in June 2026.  

“These will fly first and primarily within Brazil. We’re looking at it as an opportunity for new markets in Brazil, in smaller cities, and also to complement some routes we already have,” Miranda stated, adding that the aircraft will feature a single cabin, with some seats offering extra space. “We’ll have what we’re going to call Premium Economy [not to be confused with ‘Premium Comfort’, the premium economy product LATAM is planning to offer on long-haul flights as an intermediate class between business and economy – ed. note] because we’ll have a differentiated space in the first rows, but that’s it.” 

Investing in the soft product 

Besides the investment in new aircraft and cabins, LATAM has also conducted a thorough revamp of other elements of its business class experience. 

“We had a launch on December 1, 2025, where we relaunched everything related to the business cabin on all of our international flights,” Miranda said. “There’s a whole story behind it. We drew a lot of inspiration from the region itself, from its colors, themes, with variations throughout.”  

Miranda then detailed the different elements of the service that have been upgraded. 

“We structured our catering service into three steps, so that the customer can really enjoy it – appetizer, main, dessert – and we also changed the blankets, the pillows, and the amenity kits, which are also inspired by the region,” he said. “We wanted everyone to take a little piece of it with them after our journey with us. The feedback from customers has been really good. They are loving it.” 

Next. Miranda delved further into the service novelties LATAM has recently introduced.  

“One thing we have done that I love is that we have had several partnerships with chefs from the region to design the meals,” he said. “We chose female chefs who are very talented but not yet famous because we wanted to create space within our environment for them to keep developing. About 70–80% of the world’s famous chefs are men, so it’s an opportunity to give space and exposure to very talented people.”  

Miranda also takes pride in the airline’s inflight entertainment (IFE) platform, called “LATAM Play”, which offers access to hundreds of audiovisual productions.  

He explained: “We have by far the best IFE platform in the region, and [it is] very comparable to the best in global aviation.” 

This platform is available on seatback screens on widebody aircraft, but passengers can also access it through their personal electronic devices on LATAM’s narrowbody aircraft. 

“We have agreements with all the largest players: Paramount, Disney, HBO…to get content that is fresh and entertaining,” he added. 

Investing in new lounges 

The conversation then switched to the ground since airport lounges also play a role in LATAM’s investment plans. The airline currently has six lounges of its own.  

“About a year ago we opened our first own LATAM lounge in Lima, which is one of our hubs. What we are seeking is the LATAM connection, so that when you go into one of our lounges, you’ll find elements you recognize; we want to give it local warmth,” Miranda explained. “Our Lima lounge has Peruvian features, our Santiago (SCL) lounge has Chilean features, and we’re now building a new lounge in São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) that will have Brazilian features. That’s the vision we have. We want to be in our home environment. Lounges are a key part of the hub strategy for us.”  

The new lounge at Guarulhos International Airport will be 4,500 m² (48,437 sq. ft), making it one of the largest lounges in the region, Miranda explained. 

“The lounge we currently have is the best at Guarulhos airport, but the one we are building, also at Terminal 3, we’ll be even better,” he added. “We are very excited about it.”  

Representing Latin America on the global stage 

Next, we asked Miranda to talk more generally about airline service standards in Latin American and how they compare with the best practices globally. And how does LATAM’s offering compare to the industry’s best global standards? 

“First, I think aviation in South America, I’m obviously not just talking about LATAM but about the industry broadly, has a service that is comparable to the best in the world,” he said. “If you look, for example, at punctuality in South America, we’re always among the best globally. So, I think in this region, for customers in general, the industry and we [LATAM] have managed to offer something that really meets expectations and, broadly speaking, our customers’ connectivity needs.”  

However, Miranda also noted the shifting expectations among customers, particularly when it comes to communication. 

“What I do see changing is that the customer keeps evolving. You have to consider that a customer flying with us is obviously part of the global environment, uses apps for everything, and is very connected,” he said. “What I see is that the expectation is for much greater speed in everything. If you have a query, for example, people want an almost immediate answer.  

“In some things that’s possible, in others it isn’t. If you have, say, a maintenance-related issue, we don’t have the answer instantly. You do get an answer, but it takes a bit longer, and you have to find the best way to handle it. That’s where I see a bit of a gap between expectation and how the world reacts in a certain way.”  

But LATAM is making sure it stays on top of these shifting and demanding expectations, Miranda said. 

“Another thing I find more interesting is an increasingly positive reaction from customers on the hospitality side,” he added. Everyone loves being recognized, being called by name rather than a number. People like to feel like a person, not just a passenger, and that’s something we’re very focused on.” 

For Miranda and his team, the importance of achieving excellence in service extends beyond the airline.  

“We’re super focused on continuing to move forward and, for us, it’s very important to represent the region, Latin America, on the global stage,” he said. “We want people to feel pride the way we feel it.”  

“Recently, we were recognized as the first airline in Latin America with Skytrax’s four-star rating. For us, this isn’t just about the award, it’s being able to say that we’re now in a group of airlines worldwide with the same rating and it’s a validation of everything we’ve done in recent years and where we’re headed as we keep evolving the customer experience from South America to the world,” he concluded. The post LATAM’s Chief Experience Officer discusses new cabins, lounges and A321XLRs appeared first on AeroTime.

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