Lee Ann Tegtmeier Santiago, Chile

LAN has spent the last 2.5 years preparing for the delivery of its first Boeing 787s. As of late July, Justin Siegel, director of fleet projects, including the 787, did not know the delivery date but said: “We will be service-ready by August.” That is good, because the delivery date is now set—Aug. 31. More than 1,000 LAN employees have received 787 training. Operations details have been double and triple checked. “You're not ready, but you are prepared,” he explains. “That's what keeps you awake.”

For the past couple of years, LAN worked two major projects in parallel. The first involved preparing for service and initiating training and the second is a 30-month effort to configure the cabin and establish specifications, says Siegel.

For the entry-into-service project, LAN, which will be the second operator of a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered 787, developed a 787 working group with representatives from each operating area—including flight crew, airport services and engineering—to define a plan and set deadlines and training requirements before entry into service.

Establishing spare parts and tooling requirements at its Santiago base and at destinations to which it flies was one aspect. Siegel says: “We've taken Boeing's recommendations and made adjustments based on its failure rates and experience.” Part of that adjustment stems from the fact the manufacturer revised what it recommended to LAN eight times due to the aircraft's development. Because LAN does most line maintenance and about 40% of its heavy maintenance inhouse, it acquired all of the manufacturer's recommended line maintenance tooling as well as some that might be needed for unscheduled MRO.

LAN has worked closely with Japan Airlines, another Oneworld partner, to learn from its experiences. The same is true with All Nippon Airways (ANA), as well as carriers such as Air India and LOT that are set to receive 787s soon, says Siegel.

“We benchmark training, which parts are failing, and put it all together,” he explains.

Now, other carriers, such as AeroMexico, which have later delivery dates, are contacting LAN. AeroMexico and LAN have good technical cooperation, he says, and the Mexican carrier is scheduled to receive its first 787 in 2013.