MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

LAN surprises restaurant patrons with free roundtrip tickets to South America

LAN Airlines surprises Nuela restaurant diners with tickets to South America

LAN Airlines, South America's premier airline, has just surprised patrons of New York restaurant Nuela with tickets to the region. Close to 200 unsuspecting diners were presented with vouchers that can be redeemed for one roundtrip ticket to such thrilling destinations as Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina.

The airline is celebrating the launch of its “Only in South America” campaign, a multi-year effort to promote leisure travel to the region. The celebration continues online, as LAN Airlines is now hosting an online sweepstakes for consumers to win more tickets.

“Only in South America” can you visit the home of Carmenere wine, discover the lost city of Machu Picchu, visit a land untouched by time in the Galapagos Islands and enjoy endless natural, cultural and culinary attractions,“ said Pablo Chiozza, Vice President, North America and Caribbean, LAN Airlines. ”LAN Airlines and its affiliates offer unparalleled access to South America from their U.S. gateways in Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco. We want to give travelers the chance to see what makes South America, and our service, so special.”

Tonight's event at Nuela, the South American restaurant located in Manhattan's Flatiron district featuring nuevo latino cuisine, unfolded quickly and with the sparkle and rhythm that evoke the charm of South America. Guests were enjoying signature dishes from Nuela's executive chef Adam Schop (winner of Star Chef's 2011 Rising Star award) including his New York Times touted “best tasting dish of the year” - the arroz con pato (duck paella), when they were suddenly directed to look under their tables for a major surprise. None of these guests had any idea what to expect, but soon enough the news set in: everyone in the restaurant is now holding a voucher for a ticket to any of the many wonders that can be found Only in South America.

“It was a genuine pleasure to see the restaurant full of dinner guests enjoying South American dishes all of a sudden receive the unexpected news that they were getting the chance to travel to where our cuisine originates, just because they were at the right place at the right time,” said Chef Schop. (ETN)