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Wow, what an amazing view!
She asked me for my name for the cup writing thing and said “Campos”. “That’s my family name,” she replied đ€. I smiled and said it was in reality my family name too. We both laughed.
That was already a nice story for my journal, but when I sat down and looked out the window, there she wasâthe Sagrada Famlia church was right there in the corner.
Where is my red carpet?
Back in the 80s when I was about 14 I boarded a Fokker F27 from TAM Airlines for the first time. The company was just another small regional airline in Brazil and to compete with the big ones part of the strategy was to provide a high-quality service. The memory of those early days is preserved by the phrase âThe Magic Red Carpetâ painted next to the cockpit windows of present-day planes.
Red carpets were actually placed by the stairs of each Fokker during the boarding process, but this was just part of a broader plan. TAM acquired other airlines and also gradually became a CRM master, at a time, no other company in Brazil was technically prepared to explore this kind of personalized interaction with clients. Among other magic moments, TAM call center would answer calls knowing the passengerâs names and agents would wish us a happy birthday at the check-in desk. It was remarkable, and it worked perfectly with other strategic moves. By the time I was finishing university, TAM was about to become the biggest airline in the country.
On the other coast of South America, another airline was also working on what would one day become an aviation giant. I didnât have the opportunity to experience LANâs services during their first years of operation, but I do remember flying with them when they were still Lan Chile, a single country company. And thereafter, while they were acquiring airlines all over South America I was visiting Chile, Peru, Equator and several other countries on board of those beautiful blue planes.
The two companies grew to a point where an acquisition or fusion was inevitable. Latam Airlines Group started as an agreement in 2010 and was officially born in 2011 after being approved by Chilean and Brazilian authorities. It was a logical move. They had strong operations in complementary countries, and it would be a combination of two amazing flying experiences. At least thatâs what I thought. Unfortunately, after years of combined operation, costumers are still experiencing problems.
Since I was usually flying LAN on South America I ended up choosing Lanpass as my main frequent flyer program that, by the way, always had an agreement with TAMâs program even before Latam existence. But years after the merger and despite LANâs Brazilian website informing visitors they should contact TAM, one cannot call or go to a TAM office to buy tickets or exchange millage points from LAN. The only option is LANâs operation in Brazil, with few offices and a call center available only during business hours.
I ended up getting used to this crazy situation because there is no other option. But last Sunday I couldnât believe on what was happening. I was trying to purchase a ticket from LANâs website and the transaction wouldnât go through. I tried it several times and the payment kept being rejected. I thought the problem could be related to some system at Visa working to prevent frauds, and I called the bank. They told me none of my attempts ever reached their system. That was the information I needed. Obviously, LANâs website was to blame.
In a perfect world, calling LAN should be the easiest way to fix a case like this, but remember, thereâs the crazy Latam situation. LAN in Brazil redirects calls to TAM when agents are off-duty, but TAM has no access to LANâs system and therefore cannot help LANâs costumers. Isnât this crazy? Remember, this merger was approved 5 years ago!
After a lot of complaint, the TAM agent finally had an idea. She would create another reservation, and then I would be able to purchase the ticket. TAMâs new itinerary was created using the exact same flights I scheduled at LAN, and it would cost me an extra US$200. How is this even possible?
After four hours, trying to buy a simple ticket, I gave up and complained on Twitter. TAM replied using a pre-formatted answer, and LAN asked for my number and email address. Although Iâm living in Brazil, I gave them my US VoIP number because I had already tried the Brazilian call center, and it didnât work like I mentioned above.
Mr Rodrigo Ramos called me from Chile on behalf of Latam, and he was wonderful. He patiently guided me through alternative paths and one of them finally worked. Overall, it looks like the problem was related to the ticket being purchased from Brazil on LANâs website instead of TAMâs.
Did I get this right? Are we supposed to pay more to fly the exact same routes on board the same planes of the same company just because we happen to be in the wrong country? And by the way, I was purchasing a ticker to depart from and get back to Chile and not Brazil.
But what really amazes me is the fact that I was treated in an entirely different way just because I was talking to the same company in another country. If the systems are not yet one, TAM should at least have the decency to connect me to a LAN agent in situations like this. Is it asking too much? I canât stress this enough: 5 years have passed since the merger was approved. And moreover both companies recently promoted Latam using sentences like âComing together to take care of peopleâ, âStarting today LAN and TAM have the same rhythmâ and âWe care so that dreams reach their destinationsâ.
Gosh, how I miss that red carpet!
It is time to go to Cuba
The fact that President Obama is focusing on reestablishing diplomatic ties with Cuba is a significant development, but it also means that there is a good chance that things will begin to change there at a rapid pace. That’s why we decided it was time to visit Cuba and see the country as it is now.
Goodbye, Boston
I initially planned to work from home, but it didn’t take long for me to start experimenting with different coffee shops. After a few weeks, I picked this place next to my father’s office and began coming here regularly. I wrote many of my podcast scripts, blog posts, and chapters of my books at this Starbucks.
This is the third time I have lived in Boston. It is now time to leave. Again.
We are leaving soon, and it’s been hard to say goodbye. Part of my family lives here, and the city itself holds a special place in my heart.
Thank you, Boston!
