OREANDA-NEWS. Qantas today celebrates the third anniversary of its first service from Sydney to Santiago, with more than 430,000* Qantas passengers travelling on the route since launch.

Initially operating three times per week, Qantas began services from Sydney to Santiago in 2012 and increased to four services per week last year in response to strong passenger demand.

Qantas Executive Manager Global Sales, Stephen Thompson said thousands of customers were taking advantage of Qantas’ vast South American network every year.

“Demand for flights between Australia and Santiago has exceeded our expectations and forward bookings are looking very strong,” said Mr Thompson.

“The strong business market, which makes up around two thirds of our customers, together with the growing family, student and leisure segments makes Santiago a very important hub.

“Qantas offers the fastest non-stop route between Australia and South America, and our recent expansion with oneworld partner LAN enables customers to travel to more destinations in South America, more opportunities to earn frequent flyer points and have their luggage checked through to their final destination.”

Last year Qantas expanded its codeshare with partner LAN from Santiago to six destinations across South America including Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Lima, La Serena, Antofagasta and Punta Arenas.

Together, Qantas and oneworld partner LAN operate 11 times per week from Australia to Chile. Qantas operates four Boeing 747 services per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday) and codeshares on LAN’s daily services between Santiago and Santiago Auckland.

Qantas’ refreshed B747 is fitted with 364 seats, offering customers the award-winning fully-flat Skybed in Business, larger inflight entertainment screens and new cabin mood lighting. In Economy, customers enjoy a custom-designed seat featuring a unique footrest net and ergonomic cushioning and a self-service snack bar.

Qantas recently revolutionised the dining experience for customers travelling in Economy, offering more meal choices, fifty percent larger meals and improved service. Since introducing the new Economy dining experience in October 2014 customer satisfaction in the Economy cabin has increased month on month.