Santiago International Airport is one of the busiest springboards for travel to Latin America and the best option for getting to South America from New Zealand.
Officially known as the C. Arturo Merino-Benitez International Airport, Chile’s largest and busiest hub unveiled its gleaming new international terminal in 2023, a colossal $US900 million ($1.4 billion) facility equipped with numerous modern amenities, including several VIP lounges that make a layover – short or long – an almost 'pleasurable' affair.
Get away from the at-times overcrowded departure halls, enjoy a refreshing shower between flights, catch up on emails, feast, drink and snooze on a comfy padded sofa – once you discover the swanky new lounges in Santiago’s airport, you’ll realize that a layover need not be a torturous affair!
International Terminal Lounges
Domestic Terminal Lounges
Thanks to the latest rounds of refurbishment, Santiago’s international airport is now equipped to welcome 38 million passengers a year.
How many lounges are there at Santiago's International Airport?
Santiago's airport has 7 lounges: 3 in the international terminal and 4 in the domestic terminal. Some are pay-on-entry and accessible to all travellers, while others are affiliated with certain airlines or require an airline alliance membership.
No matter what flight class or airline you’re travelling on, you’ll find an accessible lounge to make your layover more relaxing.
Now, let's check out the most popular lounges at Santiago International Airport:
International Terminal Lounges
Latam VIP Lounge
LATAM has spared no expense sprucing up its VIP lounge in Santiago’s new international terminal. The lounge boasts three distinct areas (and levels of luxury) which, combined, create the single largest airport lounge in South America, covering an extraordinary 4,000 square metres.
Your flight class and airline membership determine which of the three lounge areas you can access. In order of exclusivity, there is Premium, Signature, and WorldMember. Passengers flying co-share on QANTAS, Iberia, or Japan airlines can also use the lounges.
The mid-tier (Signature) lounge is also accessible to the general public upon payment of a USD 60 entry fee.
All LATAM lounges are open 24/7.
Official LATAM airline lounges website (click on Santiago for details)
LATAM’s sleek new lounges almost make you want to miss your onward flight!
“The lounge is spacious, modern, and sleek, with a fab variety of food from main meals to salads, desserts and fruit. The bar is amazing…a huge range of drinks. I’m a gin and tonic fan, and there were plenty of options, including a local Chilean gin. The bartender was delighted to prepare me a special local version! This is the ideal space to enjoy some downtime and catch up on some emails between flights."
– Tara Sutherland, Operations Manager at Viva Expeditions.
VIP Sky Team Lounge
Situated on the first floor of Pier E, past security, this lounge is accessible to Sky Team flight passengers, including frequent flyers or those with business/first-class tickets on several airlines like Aerolineas Argentinas, Air France, Delta, and KLM.
The lounge is open 24/7 and provides showers, food, drinks, Wi-Fi, a business centre, and very comfy lounging areas.
Official Sky Team Lounge website
Santiago’s airport is in Pudahuel, about 15 km (9.3 mi) north-west of the city centre.
Primeclass Pacifico Lounges
Primeclass Pacifico won the contract to operate five lounges in the new international airport, all accessible to the general (flying) public upon payment of an entry fee (which can be pre-paid online or at the door.)
Three of the five lounges are already in operation, and another two will soon be opening.
Why so many? Santiago's new international airport is enormous, and it can be a fair distance between piers and gates - it's convenient to have a choice of lounge depending on your departure gate.
All lounges offer co-working spaces, rest areas, luggage compartments, buffet services, showers, internet access, VIP concierge service, television, and FID (Flight Information Display).
Metropolis Lounge – Right between Domestic and International, outside Gate 2. Open 7 am – 10 pm. The cost is USD 55 for a 5-hour stay.
Lagos Lounge – Pier E, 3rd floor. Open 24/7. The cost is USD 55 for a 3-hour stay.
Isla de Pascua Lounge – Pier C, 3rd floor. Open 24/7. Costs USD 55 for a 3-hour stay.
Desert Lounge (Coming Soon) – Pier D, 3rd floor. Open 24/7.
Patagonia Lounge (Coming Soon) – Pier F, 3rd floor. Open 24/7.
Find more information on the official Primeclass Lounges website, click on International.
Domestic Terminal Lounges
Primeclass Pacifico Lounges
Primeclass also operates two lounges in the domestic terminal: Condor and Andes. Both are open to all travellers upon payment of the entry fee and offer showers, rest areas, kids' play areas, food and bar service.
The Condor Lounge is next to Gate 26, is open from 6.45 am to 9 pm and costs USD 50 for a 2-hour stay.
The Andes Lounge is between gates 17 & 18, is open from 7 am to 5 pm and costs USD 60 for a 2-hour stay.
LATAM is South America’s largest airline and offers direct, non-stop flights from Auckland to Santiago.
Ready to explore Chile?
Then, tear yourself away from the lounges of Santiago's international airport and join us on a whirlwind city stopover of Santiago and bohemian Valparaiso before discovering all the exceptional highlights of Chile.
Our Chile Specialists are here to help you plan an unforgettable trip – from flights to airport lounges, accommodation, activities and all the in-betweens. Contact us today!
