This new international terminal will be a hit with Aussie travellers
The airport
Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL), Santiago, Chile
The flight
LATAM Airlines, LA801 to Sydney, business class.
The new terminal at Santiago airport.Credit: Bloomberg
The arrival
Glance out the aircraft window, and you can’t help but notice there’s something entirely new here. Last February, Santiago lifted the curtain on a sparkling new international terminal, a whopping $US900 million ($1.4 billion) facility with so many of the bells and whistles missing in its outdated old hub (which now just hosts domestic flights – they’re connected, you can walk from the new terminal to the old one). I’m transiting through the airport today, arriving on a flight from Lima with a six-hour stopover. If I was coming in from Santiago, it’s about a 20-minute taxi ride from the city to the airport.
The look
OK, this is fancy. The new international terminal is a four-winged beast designed around a large central atrium which houses the check-in and arrival facilities, as well as retail and hospitality venues. Each wing is designed with an undulating roof, meant to “capture the relationship between land and sea” – according to the American design firm, Stantec. The central area is spacious and airy. The only downside to the design is that if you’re something of a plane nerd, the internal columns and exterior cladding make views of the aircraft difficult.
Check-in
As mentioned, I’m transiting through from Peru today, on my way back to Australia, so I’m already checked in. The check-in area at the new Terminal 2, however, is by all accounts streamlined and a vast improvement on the former facility.
Security
This is a very speedy, pain-free process for transit passengers. There’s no queue as I put my bags on the scanner and walk through.
Food + drink
It’s a little sad that Santiago’s T2 is missing a favourite element of the old terminal – the Last Pisco Sour bar, which worked well as a photo op, even if it didn’t actually serve the world’s greatest cocktails. Still, you can’t complain when this new terminal is chock-full of options that didn’t previously exist, from American-style fast food outlets to local favourites such as Anka and La Pica.
Retail therapy
Though the terminal is still in a state of progressive opening when I visit, with plenty of new shops empty, there’s plenty to keep travellers interested, including high-quality souvenir shops, outlets for duty-free Chilean wine and pisco, as well as sunglasses shops and clothing stores. About the only things missing are the luxury brands, the likes of Chanel, Burberry and Mont Blanc etc (though who shops at those places anyway)?
Passing time
Even if you’re not flying business class, the LATAM lounge is well worth the entry fee.
Even if you’re not travelling business class, if you have a stopover of more than a few hours, splash out the $US60 ($93) for access to the new LATAM VIP lounge. Here you’ll be able to enjoy excellent drinks, good-quality food, showers, comfortable seats, rest areas, a TV room and even a children’s play area. Well worth it for longer enforced stops.
The verdict
The new international terminal at Santiago airport is a very welcome addition for Australian passengers who will often spend plenty of time here on their way into and out of South America. It’s spacious, relaxed, and a far more pleasant place to enjoy a layover than the old facility.
Our rating out of five
★★★★
The writer travelled as a guest of Prom Peru. See peru.travel
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