LATAM Plans New Business Class Cabin with Doors for 787 Dreamliner Fleet

South American major airline LATAM is launching a brand new business class experience on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.

The airline announced on Tuesday that it will install a new business class product on its Boeing 787 aircraft. The airline will also introduce a new economy class seat on those planes.

The new business class product, a customized version of the premium Recaro R7 seat, will feature sliding doors and individual aisles for each passenger, making LATAM the first airline in South America to offer a fully enclosed suite.

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Other upgrades to the new product include a USB-C charging port, Bluetooth support for connecting wireless headphones to in-flight entertainment systems, and more storage space.

Seats will be arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, with window seats arranged alternating between aisle and window seats.

Middle seats will alternate between a honeymoon-style layout and one that separates two passengers with a larger table area. There will be retractable privacy dividers between all middle seats.

If this product looks familiar, it’s because it’s been installed on a number of airlines. Recaro previously called it the CL6720 seat, and you’ll see it installed on some planes operated by Air China and Iberian Peninsula. (CL6720 is an improved version of the CL6710 chair, operated by Azul, TAP and El Alamong other things.)

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LATAM plans to refurbish 10 Boeing 787-8s and 14 787-9 Dreamliners with the new product. The refurbishments are expected to begin early next year, with the first 787-8s returning to service on March 1, 2025. LATAM said the refurbished 787-8s are designed specifically for the Chilean domestic market, while the 787-9s operate in Chile, Brazil and Peru. The entire project is expected to be completed by mid-2026, with each refurbishment taking between one and three months, depending on the upgrades.

LATAM of existing business class experience on the Boeing 787 is a hit or miss. Some jets feature the airline’s latest business-class product (the Thompson Vantage XL seat), while others have an outdated 2-2-2 configuration with older seats.

With this upgrade, all of the airline’s Dreamliners will have a new, updated business product. LATAM likely won’t reconfigure its other long-haul jets because those planes are already Thompson Vantage XL chair features.

In the economy cabin, LATAM will introduce a new ergonomically designed seat that is said to offer more space and comfort. The seat will be upholstered in up to 70% recycled leather and will also feature Bluetooth connectivity.

While the upgrades will certainly improve the premium experience (and provide more consistency in the future), they do reduce capacity in the nose of the aircraft.

Currently, all of the airline’s Dreamliners have 30 business class seats. After the conversion, the 787-8 will have just 20 seats spread across five rows.

The larger 787-9 will seat 30, but finding award seats on the 787-8 may be harder than ever.

“With a design that reflects the unique nature of LATAM Group and attention to every detail, our new cabins are designed to deliver a world-class travel experience. The new Premium Business Class seats mark a significant step forward, combining comfort, privacy and elegance. These renovations position LATAM as an industry leader, offering passengers unprecedented levels of comfort and an exclusive flying experience,” Paulo Miranda, vice president of customer affairs, said in a statement.

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