In case you haven't heard, Delta Airlines and Latam Airlines are now good buddies. In other words, they are joint venture partners. This means they have each other's backs. I recently traveled to Peru and used my Delta miles to book my international flights to Lima, as well as the local flight in Peru between Lima and Cusco. By booking both the international and the local flight in Peru together, I benefited by having both legs under the Delta policy umbrella. I discovered this travelhack which might work for others as well. However, there are limitations especially if you're using miles/points.

Here's what happened when I booked my Latam flight on Delta Airlines.

One thing to be aware of is that Latam is not a member of the Skyteam Alliance, which means that each of the two partner airlines don't have access to every flight. But in this situation, there can be an advantage to buying and paying for a Delta ticket for a flight that includes a Latam leg. But I found it impossible to book a Latam flight from Lima to Cusco by itself on the Delta website. At the time I did it, in January 2023, I had to call Delta directly because it was not possible to make a reservation online using points for upgrade seating. It was my intention to reserve seats all the way from my home town hub in Virginia, through Atlanta and Lima, Peru, finally arriving in Cusco the next day. But every time I selected flights and went through the process of actually booking it, as soon as I clicked to confirm the reservation, it would pop up and tell me the seats were all sold out. After trying this several times with several dates, I gave up and called. You can choose to talk to a human if you want to wait for a callback, or you can communicate with an agent by texting. I mistakenly chose the texting option. Which I will never willingly choose again. It took three hours to exchange maybe 10 messages. It was excruciating. I figured out that the agent was probably texting multiple people. You think? 

While I was waiting, I had plenty of time to search for ways to simplify my booking because even the agent could not complete the reservaton process based on my preferences. I checked the cost to buy tickets from Lima to Cusco separately and was not happy about the inflated rates. Then I looked at all the various options for seat category. Here's what I learned. I could bundle the international portion of my trip from the US with the domestic portion in Peru if I chose Main cabin or Comfort seating. But if I selected First Class seating, that's when I got booted out. I finally gave up and let things rest. Early the next morning I went online and was able to book a flight from Virginia all the way to Cusco in Comfort. 

My flight on Sky Airlines from Lima to Cusco.

Sky Airlines offered a one-way ticket for $157 USD not including checked baggage fees. Although I tried to get advance info on baggage fees it was impossible and I was instructed to do this at checkin. So I took a chance. When I showed up to checkin 2 hours prior to scheduled departure, I found out that I would have to check my rolling carryon bag as well. I was charged $72 USD for my 23kg big bag and my small rolling carryon. However, when I boarded the plane I noticed that other passengers brought their rolling carryon bags into the cabin and they fit the overhead bins just fine. I wasn't happy about the situation, but I had no choice at the time. They also stuck me in a middle seat. I supposed it's because I refused to pay extra for a pre-assigned seat. At the checkin desk, I was so focused on the luggage fees, I completely forgot to ask about my seat assignment. Fortunately, the duration of the flight is only 1 hour/20 minutes. 

Many lessons learned. The most important is, I should have booked my local flights right after I booked my international flights. The rates were low at the time and I stopped tracking the rates.

My flight on Latam Airlines from Cusco to Lima.

Once I got within 24 hours of my scheduled departure I went to the Delta app on my phone and attempted to checkin. After several unsuccessful tries, I kept getting a message to call the Delta toll-free number. Well I already knew that wouldn't work from Cusco. So I just showed up at the Cusco airport with my bags and checked in like we did in the good old days. The agents standing at the kiosks and self serve machines on the floor asked me for boarding pass, which I didn't have. One of them took my passport and used the kiosk machine to print my ticket to Lima, then sent me to the desk to checkin my luggage. It was quick and easy. From there I went through security to my gate. One thing I noticed at the gate is that all the other departures to Lima on other airlines that evening were cancelled. This was in May 2023 and the weather that day was rainy, dark and dreary all day. I'm sure visibility was affected. I've seen this happen before where misty, foggy weather can cause smaller airlines to cancel while Latam flights will go. I've heard this is because the planes used by Latam are equipped for international travel and have tech devices that give them an advantage when flying in marginal weather conditions. Keep this in mind if you're booking flights on cheaper airlines. I haven't been able to corroborate this story. 

Is there a downside to booking partner flights?

Yes. The booking process would not allow me to reserve flights that combined the international portion of the trip on Delta metal with the domestic portion on Latam metal. The only solution was to fly Main cabin or Comfort all the way, or suck it up and buy the Latam flight separately on their website. Keep in mind that if you need to cancel or if you get canceled, the international segment and the domestic portion in Peru would be handled together. That's one of the good things about booking the entire trip in one transaction. The entire reservation would be handled through Delta although if I want to select seats on Latam I have to go to their website. I personally don't mind reserving seats at the Latam counter when I check in. When you buy tickets on the Latam website they offer at least 3 levels at different costs including the option to choose your seat in advance.

What about earning points and miles?

Currently people booking Delta and Latam can earn and redeem points on either airline. Both Delta and Latam execs seem happy with the arrangement so far and it appears that the future holds even more connectivity. Delta is expanding it's presence in Miami, the gateway to South America, with upgrades to it's Miami terminal and making changes including the use of bilingual signage. Delta owns a 20% shareholder stake in Latam and filed plans to enhance profit sharing and schedule coordination. I would say the bond between the two airlines continues to strengthen.

Next time I fly to Peru and anywhere in South America, I will certainly go through Delta Airlines to book my flights on Latam Airlines if I'm using miles/points.