MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Two months trial night flights Punta Arenas/Santiago

Lan Chile begins next October 16 a two months trial period for night flights between Punta Arenas and Santiago. Daily flights will not be affected.

Jorge Vilches Martinez, Lan's Domestic Routes General Manager said in Punta Arenas that Magallanes Region has become one of the most important domestic destinations for the company and will help to test a new short range operations policy that is planned to later extend to the rest of Chile, Argentina and Peru.

"More operational efficiency and improved fares' alternatives to promote air travel is the objective of the new policy to be implemented", said Vilches Martinez.

"With improved efficiencies we can lower short range operational costs and thus transfer the benefits to passengers with lower fares. We're looking into models such as those in United States and Europe, (JetBlue or Southwest), without loosing the quality reputation of our company", he added.

This is closely linked to the renewal of the fleet which will gradually concentrate exclusively on Airbuses, 318, 319 and 320.

Regarding night flights to Punta Arenas, the aircraft will be leaving Santiago at midnight and should be returning at 04:00 early morning.

"This will give a chance to those wishing to travel to Santiago for one day, plus more options for domestic and international connections", said Vilches Martinez.

The Lan official also announced that besides the three weekly flights from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia, (which begun last Monday) "next December we will start flying twice a week to Puerto Madryn, from Punta Arenas, which is a summer resort Magallanes residents like to visit".

Finally Mr. Vilches Martinez underlined Lan's full support to the cruise industry in Punta Arenas "which will continue to expand".

"Lan wishes to offer the best service available to visitors from cruise vessels, even those concentrating in Ushuaia", he added.

"With more flights to Punta Arenas and connections to Chilean Patagonia and Argentina, the number of cruise visitors to the region will naturally increase and so will cruises to Antarctica".