SANTIAGO, Chile, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LAN Airlines S.A. and its subsidiaries ("LAN" or "the Company") (NYSE: LFL / IPSA: LAN), one of the leading airlines in Latin America, today reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics and punctuality indicators for October 2009.

System passenger traffic for October increased 15.7% as capacity rose 10.1%. As a result, the Company's load factor increased 3.9 points to 80.2%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 69% of total passenger traffic.

Domestic passenger traffic in Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador rose 14.1% as capacity increased 8.6%. As a consequence, the domestic load factor for the month increased 3.8 points to 79.1%.

International passenger traffic for October rose 16.5% as capacity increased 10.8%. Accordingly, the international passenger load factor for the month increased 3.9 points to 80.7%. International capacity was mainly driven by an increase in operations on routes to Europe, as well as on certain regional routes.

In line with the global decline in import and export markets, during the month of October cargo traffic decreased 6.2%. This decrease was mainly due to the slowdown in import and export markets in Latin America, as well as the reduction of salmon exports from Chile. In line with the decrease in demand, capacity fell 4.8%, mainly through the reduction of ACMI leases. As a result, the cargo load factor decreased 1.0 point reaching 70.7%.

During October, 91.6% of the Company's total flights left on time based on a fifteen-minute standard (all departures leaving within fifteen minutes of the scheduled departure time are considered as "on-time"). This represented an increase of 2.3 points compared to October 2008.

About LAN

LAN Airlines is one of the leading passenger and cargo airlines in Latin America. The company and its affiliates serve over 65 destinations around the world through an extensive network that offers full connectivity within Latin America, while also linking the region with North America, Europe and the South Pacific, as well as 63 additional international destinations through its various alliances. LAN Airlines and its affiliates have a leading position in their respective domestic markets of Chile and Peru as well as an important presence in the Argentinean domestic market and have begun operations in the domestic market of Ecuador.

Currently, LAN Airlines and its affiliates operate one of the most modern fleets in the world, with 83 passenger aircraft, and its cargo subsidiary, LAN CARGO and its respective cargo affiliates, have a fleet of 11 dedicated freighters. The company recently completed its short haul fleet renovation process by acquiring new aircraft from the Airbus A320 family, enabling LAN to improve its efficiency and to reduce significantly its CO2 emissions. The fleet renovation is part of the company's commitment to the protection of the environment.

LAN is one of the few Investment Grade airlines in the world (BBB). The company's world class quality standards enabled its membership in oneworld(TM), the global alliance that encompasses the best airlines in the world. For more information please visit www.lan.com or www.oneworldalliance.com .

    CONTACTS IN CHILE
    Investor Relations
    gisela.escobar@lan.com
    rodrigo.petric@lan.com
    bernardita.sepulveda@lan.com
    Tel: (56-2) 565-8785

    CONTACTS IN NEW YORK
    Maria Barona/Pete Majeski
    lan@i-advize.com
    i-advize Corporate Communications, Inc.
    Tel: (212) 406-3690

SOURCE LAN Airlines S.A.

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.lan.com
http://www.oneworldalliance.com