LATAM Pilot Strike Cancels Chile and Regional Flights

Published on Nov 15, 2025, 9:06 am CST

7 min read

Key points

LATAM Chile pilots represented by SPL began an indefinite strike on November 12, 2025, after mediated talks with management failed
LATAM has preemptively canceled about 173 flights between November 12 and 17, mostly domestic Chile routes, affecting around 20,000 passengers inside and outside the country
Long haul and trunk routes via Santiago are being prioritized, while some regional and feeder flights remain scheduled but are at higher risk of last minute changes
LATAM is offering free date changes, voluntary rerouting, or full refunds on affected tickets and services, and is contacting impacted customers by email and app
Travelers headed to Patagonia, the Atacama Desert, or Easter Island should add buffer time, consider overnight stops in Santiago, and review backup options in case domestic legs are disrupted

Impact

Who Is Affected: Passengers with LATAM flights to, from, or within Chile between November 12 and 17, 2025, plus anyone relying on Santiago connections on nearby dates
Domestic Chile Trips: Expect heavier disruption on internal routes, including key links for Patagonia, the Atacama Desert, and Easter Island that rely on LATAM Chile-operated flights
Long Haul Connections: Most long haul services via Santiago are prioritized but still require generous connection buffers and same day monitoring for schedule changes
Rebooking And Refunds: Use LATAM self service tools or your travel advisor to change dates without penalty or request a full refund when your flight is canceled
Planning Advice: Avoid tight same day connections with cruises or tours and consider arriving at least one day early for critical departures while the LATAM pilot strike continues

LATAM passengers who connect through Chile now face real cancellations instead of hypothetical strike risk, because the Sindicato de Pilotos de LATAM has launched an indefinite work stoppage that began at midnight on November 12, 2025. The airline has already suspended 173 flights scheduled between November 12 and 17, mostly domestic services within Chile, affecting about 20,000 passengers while it consolidates operations and prioritizes long haul and trunk routes through Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL). For travelers, the shift from mediation to active strike means checking every segment, especially domestic connections that feed Patagonia, the Atacama Desert, and Easter Island, and adding buffer time around Santiago.

LATAM pilot strike in Chile

The current LATAM pilot strike involves the Sindicato de Pilotos de LATAM (SPL), which represents close to 500 of roughly 900 pilots at LATAM Chile, giving the union leverage across a large share of the carrier's Chile based cockpit crews. After pilots overwhelmingly rejected an earlier offer and voted by about 97 percent to authorize a strike, talks under the supervision of Chile's Labor Directorate failed to produce a new deal, clearing the way for a legally sanctioned walkout.

SPL leaders say the dispute centers on restoring salaries and conditions that were cut during the pandemic, arguing that management has recovered faster than cockpit pay and that strong traffic and profit figures justify a better offer. LATAM, for its part, stresses that it wants a negotiated outcome and highlights cost reductions and restructuring steps taken during its Chapter 11 process as context for the current contract stance.

Adept Traveler's earlier coverage of the LATAM Chile pilots strike vote and mediation timeline noted that flights were still operating normally while the legal mediation clock ran and the airline quietly put contingency waivers in place. That piece is now background to a live work stoppage in which cancellations and rolling schedule changes are the main risk for near term travelers. (Internal link: earlier coverage at 2025-11-06-latam-chile-pilots-strike-vote-mediation)

Latest developments

LATAM now confirms that it has suspended 173 flights in Chile between Wednesday, November 12, and Monday, November 17, a move that it says affects roughly 20,000 passengers, most of whom have already been offered itineraries within a 24 hour window of their original departure. Company statements and local reporting both underline that the bulk of these cancellations are domestic routes, with a smaller number of regional flights within South America also hit, as the airline works to preserve connectivity on long haul and trunk services into and out of Santiago.

In practical terms, LATAM's current plan is to keep most long haul routes operating, including intercontinental links that funnel traffic between Santiago and major hubs in North America and Europe, while trimming frequencies or canceling entire rotations on lower yielding or less time sensitive domestic legs. The carrier has also indicated that, starting November 14, it will contact any additional affected passengers directly by email should further adjustments be needed, using the same protection options it introduced when the strike was still only a possibility.

Importantly, this strike is being carried by LATAM's Chile based pilots rather than crews from its Brazilian, Peruvian, or other affiliates, so flights that do not touch Chilean airports are less exposed, even if they still feel knock on effects from aircraft and crew rotations. Travelers should not assume that all disruption will end on November 17 either, because the union has called the action indefinite and the airline has only committed to this first block of cancellations so far.

Analysis

Background, this is a classic post restructuring labor clash. LATAM accepted deep pay cuts and job losses across its workforce to survive the pandemic and emerge from Chapter 11, and pilots argue that they bore disproportionate sacrifice while shareholders and executives now benefit from a healthier balance sheet and strong traffic recovery. Management, meanwhile, is trying to lock in a cost structure that can withstand higher fuel prices, currency swings, and competition from low cost carriers in Chile and across the region.

For travelers, the distinction between domestic and international routes matters more than the rhetoric on either side. Reporting from Chile and international agencies indicates that most of the 173 canceled flights are internal Chile services, which means routes such as Santiago to Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, or Calama are more likely to be cut or consolidated than flagship long haul links. That is exactly where visitors headed to Torres del Paine, the wider Patagonia region, the Atacama Desert, or wine and lake districts depend on short haul LATAM hops as the last leg of multi segment itineraries.

If you are connecting through Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) on your way to Patagonia, one smart play is to arrive in Santiago at least a full day before any cruise embarkation or once in a lifetime tour departure. Flying into Punta Arenas via Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport (PUQ), or to El Loa Airport (CJC) for San Pedro de Atacama, on the same day that a ship sails or a guided trek starts is a bad idea while crews are on strike. The same goes for Mataveri International Airport (IPC) on Easter Island, where LATAM's flights are a near monopoly and missed legs can strand travelers with few realistic alternatives.

Rebooking and refund options are comparatively generous by global standards, largely because LATAM began offering them before the strike and then extended them as the stoppage hit. The airline's own advisories say affected passengers can change the date or flight without extra charges, voluntarily modify travel plans without penalty, or request a full refund of their ticket and associated services when they choose not to travel. Those options are available both through LATAM's website and app, particularly the "My Trips" section where live status and self service tools sit, and through travel advisors who can often stitch together more creative reroutes when award tickets or complex multi carrier itineraries are involved.

Consumer law in Chile adds another layer of protection. Legal analysts and consumer advocates have been explicit that internal labor conflicts, including strikes, are generally not considered force majeure events, so airlines remain responsible for providing assistance and alternative transport rather than treating disruptions as unavoidable acts of nature. That means that if you are stuck in Santiago overnight because of a cancellation tied to the LATAM pilot strike, you can and should press the airline for meals, hotel accommodation, and transfers, not just a seat on a later flight, particularly when the delay stretches beyond a few hours or rolls into the next day.

There are also strategic choices travelers can make to reduce exposure while the dispute continues. When possible, consider booking at least one leg on alternate carriers such as Sky Airline or JetSmart for purely domestic hops, particularly on routes where they have strong presence, even if that means splitting a trip across tickets with more careful self connection planning. If you already hold LATAM tickets through the strike period, use the free change policy to slide trips away from the November 12 to 17 window or to rebook onto flights earlier in the day, which tend to be prioritized when capacity is constrained.

Final thoughts

This LATAM pilot strike is not just a labor story, it is a concrete operational shock that is canceling dozens of flights inside Chile and fraying the edges of South American itineraries that run through Santiago. Travelers who treat "confirmed" bookings as tentative, use the airline's change and refund options aggressively, and build generous buffers around key connections will manage the disruption far better than those who try to keep tight, same day links while the LATAM pilot strike continues.