LATAM Named South America’s Leading Airline for Eleventh Consecutive Year: Santiago Travel Guide 2026

While legacy airlines often treat inflight meals as a standardized catering afterthought, long-haul fliers departing Chile, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia with LATAM Airlines encounter rotating seasonal menus created by emerging culinary masters every three months under the Sabores que Transportan program. That deep cultural investment in regional gastronomy, native design motifs, and digital tools helped propel LATAM Airlines to a sweeping haul of five major international travel honors in 2026—headlined by capturing the title of South America’s Leading Airline for the eleventh consecutive year at the World Travel Awards.

LATAM Dominates World Travel Awards 2026 with Eleventh Consecutive Continental Win

The airline's fivefold recognition in 2026 highlights an integrated service strategy that spans airport lounges, aircraft cabin architecture, regional culinary sourcing, and digital traveler tools. Established in 1993 and decided by votes from verified travel professionals and international consumers, the World Travel Awards recognized LATAM as South America's Leading Airline for the eleventh straight year. Complementing the flagship airline prize, the group earned South America's Leading Airline Brand for the fifth time, while LATAM Lounge Santiago at Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Chile was named South America's Leading Airline Lounge 2026.

Beyond traditional passenger service honors, LATAM secured two premier digital titles at the World Travel Tech Awards 2026. The LATAM mobile application was crowned Latin America's Best Airline App for the fourth time, and the primary booking platform LATAM.com was named Latin America's Best Airline Website for the third time. These accolades join earlier historic recognitions, including Air Transport World naming LATAM its global Airline of the Year—the first time in history a Latin American carrier received the honor—alongside Skytrax awarding LATAM Best Airline in South America for seven consecutive years and Best Airline Staff Service in South America for five consecutive years.

Industry Award / Honor	Adjudicating Organization	Distinction Earned in 2026	Milestone / Historical Track Record
South America’s Leading Airline	World Travel Awards	Continental Operational Excellence	11th consecutive year as regional leader.
South America’s Leading Airline Brand	World Travel Awards	Brand Equity and Cultural Identity	5th time receiving top continental brand honor.
South America’s Leading Airline Lounge	World Travel Awards	LATAM Lounge Santiago (SCL)	Premier regional airport hub facility recognition.
Latin America’s Best Airline App	World Travel Tech Awards	Mobile Journey and Itinerary Management	4th time winning regional mobile technology award.
Latin America’s Best Airline Website	World Travel Tech Awards	Digital Booking and Ancillary Services	3rd time winning regional web platform honor.
Airline of the Year	Air Transport World	Global Aviation Leadership	First Latin American carrier to win the global title.
Best Airline in South America	Skytrax World Airline Awards	Overall Customer Experience Benchmark	7th consecutive year winning continental crown.
Best Airline Staff Service in South America	Skytrax World Airline Awards	Cabin and Ground Crew Hospitality	5th consecutive year recognized for staff excellence.

A central driver behind these accolades is LATAM’s renewed Premium Business cabin experience, first unveiled in December 2025. Rather than utilizing generic corporate palettes, the airline incorporated South American earth tones, handcrafted textures, and natural timber finishes into its long-haul Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Boeing 777 interiors. Onboard entertainment is delivered via the LATAM Play platform, which streams content from Disney+, Max, and premium international studio catalogs alongside indigenous regional productions and mindfulness content, while complimentary Wi-Fi is provided to LATAM Pass members on equipped domestic and regional routes.

Passenger Touchpoint	Program Name / Core Feature	Regional Cultural Integration	Practical Traveler Benefit
Long-Haul Dining Program	Sabores que Transportan	Menus rotate every three months crafted by emerging South American chefs.	Authentic local cuisine in both Premium Business and Economy cabins.
Flagship Hub Facility	LATAM Lounge Santiago	Three distinct cultural zones incorporating sustainable natural materials.	Rest areas, local Chilean wine selections, and quiet working suites.
Inflight Digital Platform	LATAM Play Streaming	Partnerships with Disney+, Max, and international streaming entertainment.	Streaming directly to personal devices or seatback HD monitors.
Regional Cabin Interiors	Renewed Premium Business	Natural textures and color palettes inspired by South American geography.	Lie-flat seats with direct aisle access and regional bedding.
Onboard Connectivity	Expanded Inflight Wi-Fi	Satellite connectivity installed on domestic and regional narrowbody jets.	Free messaging and data options for qualifying LATAM Pass members.

What Makes Santiago and the South American Journey Experientially Distinct

For international travelers flying into Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL), Santiago serves as an extraordinary introduction to the continent. Framed by the jagged, snow-dusted ramparts of the high Andes to the east and the Pacific coastal cordillera to the west, Chile’s capital is a city of sharp geographic contrasts. In the historic heart of Santiago, Barrio Lastarria offers shaded cobblestone promenades lined with independent art bookstalls, classical music street performers, and bohemian espresso bars set inside 19th-century French neoclassical mansions.

Across the Mapocho River lies Barrio Bellavista, where brightly painted facades and bold street murals frame the hillside footpaths leading to La Chascona, the whimsical home designed by Nobel laureate poet Pablo Neruda. Above the neighborhood, the funicular railway ascends Cerro San Cristóbal through eucalyptus forests, delivering sweeping panoramic vistas across the entire Santiago basin. In nearby Barrio Italia, quiet residential blocks have been repurposed by local artisans, leatherworkers, and antique restorers, where sunlit interior courtyards host boutique bakeries serving warm torta de milhojas filled with rich manjar.

Culinary traditions in Santiago reflect the natural abundance of Chile’s extraordinary 4,300-kilometer coastline and fertile agricultural valleys. At traditional neighborhood picadas and seafood halls, travelers can sample machas a la parmesana (razor clams baked with butter, white wine, and parmesan cheese), hearty bowls of caldillo de congrio (conger eel chowder praised in Neruda's poetry), and tender empanadas de pino baked in clay wood-fired ovens. Paired with a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc from the coastal Casablanca Valley or an earthy Carménère from the Maipo Valley, dining here connects passengers directly with the terroir celebrated in LATAM’s inflight menus.

Visitor Insider Tips: Santiago Metro Hacks, Bellavista Murals, and Wine Route Logistics

• Take Official Centropuerto or Turbus Coaches from SCL: Avoid unregistered airport taxi touts lingering outside international arrivals. Walk outside Terminal 2 to the official bus bays and board Centropuerto or Turbus airport coaches. For under US$3.00 (approximately 2,800 Chilean pesos), these clean, safe buses depart every 10 to 15 minutes, connecting directly to the Pajaritos or Los Héroes Metro stations in roughly 35 minutes.
• Acquire a Bip! Card for Rapid Transit Access: Santiago’s Metro system is spotless, air-conditioned, and remarkably efficient. Purchase a rechargeable Bip! transit card at any station counter. A single fare includes integrated transfers between the Metro rail and RED urban buses within a two-hour window, allowing you to bypass congested city surface traffic during rush hours.
• Experience the Three Zones of LATAM Lounge Santiago: If traveling in Premium Business or holding elite airline status, arrive early at Santiago Airport to explore the carrier's award-winning lounge. The 4,000-square-meter facility features three distinct atmospheres: a quiet rest zone with private chaise lounges, an expansive dining area pouring premium Chilean and Argentine wines, and a digital work lounge equipped with high-speed charging stations.
• Visit Casablanca Valley Wine Estates by Rental Vehicle: Located just 45 minutes northwest of Santiago on Route 68 toward Valparaíso, the cool-climate Casablanca Valley is renowned for crisp Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and syrahs. Book morning tasting tours directly through family-owned boutique vineyards like Casas del Bosque or Bodegas RE to experience amphora-aged wines before tour bus crowds arrive from coastal cruise ports.
• Explore Mercado Central Early for Fresh Ceviche: While the historic wrought-iron building of Mercado Central attracts tourists, the best dining experience happens before midday. Head to small interior counters where local fishmongers slice fresh reineta and corvina into zesty ceviche chileno, seasoned with fresh coriander, lime juice, mild ají verde, and sweet toasted corn.
• Consult Official Regional Portals for Patagonia and Atacama Permits: When using Santiago as a springboard for wilderness travel, check the official Chile Travel portal and national park service CONAF to reserve multi-day trekking passes for Torres del Paine in Patagonia or high-altitude salt flat permits in the San Pedro de Atacama desert months in advance.

Cultural and Environmental Context: Indigenous Gastronomy and Sustainable Aviation in South America

The celebration of South American culinary identity aboard commercial aircraft represents more than a marketing milestone—it reflects a broader cultural renaissance honoring regional biodiversity and indigenous farming traditions. For decades, intercontinental airlines flying across the Southern Hemisphere served generic international menus disconnected from the countries they crossed. LATAM’s Sabores que Transportan program counters this homogenization by partnering with independent chefs from regional capitals and rural agricultural communities across Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil.

By introducing native Andean grains like royal quinoa, Amazonian fruits like açaí and camu camu, coastal seaweeds, and heritage heirloom potatoes into commercial airline kitchens, the airline provides direct market access to smallholder farming cooperatives. This sourcing model demonstrates how major commercial carriers can support rural food sovereignty and encourage sustainable agricultural heritage across South American communities.

Concurrently, commercial aviation across South America faces profound environmental responsibilities. Connecting geographically isolated communities across the Amazon basin, the towering Andes, and the windswept Patagonian steppe requires extensive flight networks where ground transportation is physically impossible. In response, modern fleet renewal programs—such as deploying fuel-efficient Boeing 787s and Airbus A321neo aircraft—aim to minimize fuel burn per seat-kilometer. In passenger facilities like the Santiago lounge, investments in energy-efficient architectural cooling and zero-waste food prep policies illustrate how regional pride and environmental consciousness must advance together to protect South America's fragile ecological wonders.

FAQ: Traveling with LATAM Airlines Across South America 2026

What awards did LATAM Airlines win at the World Travel Awards 2026?
LATAM won South America’s Leading Airline for the 11th consecutive year, South America’s Leading Airline Brand for the 5th time, and South America’s Leading Airline Lounge 2026 for its Santiago hub facility.

What is the Sabores que Transportan culinary program?
It is LATAM’s inflight dining initiative that introduces dishes created by emerging South American chefs every three months in Premium and Economy cabins on long-haul flights from Chile, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

What digital tools did LATAM win awards for in 2026?
At the World Travel Tech Awards 2026, the LATAM mobile app was named Latin America’s Best Airline App (4th win) and LATAM.com was named Latin America’s Best Airline Website (3rd win).

How do I travel from Santiago Airport (SCL) to downtown Santiago?
Take official Centropuerto or Turbus airport buses directly outside Terminal 2 for under US$3.00 to reach Pajaritos or Los Héroes Metro stations in approximately 35 minutes.

[From the misty Andean horizons of Santiago to the warm, authentic flavors shared above the clouds, South America welcomes travelers with a soaring spirit rooted in heritage and grace.]

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