LATAM’s New Business Class Suite Lands in The U.S. on May 6

Updated: May 1, 2025, 2:53pm CDT

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Table of Contents

LATAM’s New Business Class Is Now Flying
LATAM’s Fleet and Ongoing Upgrades
Where and When LATAM’s New Business Class Will Fly in the U.S.
Final Thoughts

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LATAM Airlines — the largest airline in South America — has debuted a shiny new business-class seat complete with closing privacy doors.

LATAM’s first Boeing 787-8 aircraft to have benefited from the $360 million project flew its first passengers from Santiago (SCL) to Mexico City (MEX) on April 26.

“Continuously seeking to modernize our fleet and elevate the flying experience in South America, LATAM is proud to be the first group in the region to innovate Premium Business by incorporating doors into our seats,” said Paulo Miranda, vice president of customers at LATAM Group.

Let’s take a look at what you can expect from LATAM’s new seats, as well as when and where they’ll be flying to the U.S.

LATAM’s New Business Class Is Now Flying

LATAM passengers on a flight from Santiago in Chile to Mexico City were the first to experience the airline’s refreshed business class product.

The airline’s top-to-tail Dreamliner retrofit project will see the new business class cabins, as well as refreshed premium and economy cabins, coming to 10 Boeing 787-8s and 14 Boeing 787-9s.

At the time of writing, just 3 Boeing 787-8 aircraft have completed their transformations. These -8 variations of the Dreamliner are all Santiago-based aircraft that will continue to operate routes from Santiago once they’ve been retrofitted.

The registration of the first aircraft to fly with the new seats is CC-BBH.

LATAM new business class seat door closed — Passengers flying select LATAM Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft in business class will now enjoy the privacy of a sliding door. Image Credit: LATAM

“With a strong focus on comfort, privacy, and the elegance of South American culture, every detail has been carefully crafted with the passenger in mind to enhance the overall flying experience. Congratulations to the RECARO and LATAM teams for this major achievement,” said Mark Hiller, CEO at RECARO Aircraft Seating and Recaro Holding.

LATAM highlighted other developments, including the introduction of a closing door, shoe compartments, storage space, USB-A and USB-C charging ports, and an 18-inch HD IFE screen.

LATAM new business class seat IFE screen — Inside LATAM’s new business class seat. Image Credit: LATAM

When the project is completed by the second half of 2026, the business-class product on the airline’s Dreamliners will be consistent.

LATAM’s Fleet and Ongoing Upgrades

LATAM’s fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft currently features a mixture of configurations. From the newer staggered 1-2-1 layout to the older 2-2-2 configuration, passengers experience varying levels of comfort and luxury depending on the aircraft they’re flying.

For example, on a recent flight from São Paulo (GRU) to Santiago, the Dreamliner I flew had the older, less private seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. The layout means that passengers seated at the window don’t get direct aisle access.

LATAM old business class seat — Some of LATAM’s Dreamliners feature this 2-2-2-configured business class cabin. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

However, on the exact same route, you might find yourself flying an aircraft with this significantly more premium layout.

LATAM business class B787 9 GRU SCL cabin — LATAM also flies this cabin layout on its route from São Paulo to Santiago. Image Credit: Ryan Smith

According to LATAM, updates to premium economy include extra legroom, increased recline, the addition of footrests, and dedicated overhead bin space.

In economy, passengers can expect more space and comfort thanks to more ergonomically designed seats.

Hot Tip:

Want to try LATAM’s new business class seat out for yourself? Then check out our guide on the best ways to fly to South America using points.

Where and When LATAM’s New Business Class Will Fly in the U.S.

The next LATAM routes to welcome the new seats are from Santiago to Bogotá (BOG) on May 3 and from Santiago to Miami (MIA) on May 6. As such, Miami will be the first U.S. city to experience LATAM’s retrofitted aircraft.

The next U.S. cities where LATAM is set to deploy its retrofitted Dreamliners are New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX). The schedule is yet to be confirmed.

In addition to the destinations already mentioned, these Santiago-based aircraft will operate LATAM’s routes to Mataveri in Easter Island (IPC) and Madrid, Spain (MAD).

Next in line for retrofits are LATAM’s 14 Boeing 787-9 variants, which will operate domestic and international flights from their bases in Brazil, Chile, and Peru.

Final Thoughts

We’re excited to see images of LATAM’s new business class cabin and to learn that it will be flying on routes to the U.S. very soon.

While closing doors and 18-inch IFE monitors aren’t revolutionary, the overall design of the new seats seems to be a significant improvement on the current seats that LATAM has in operation. Plus, this is a first for a South American airline, raising the bar for competitors on the continent.

We can’t wait to fly this for ourselves to bring you an in-depth review of what you can expect.