LAN and TAM employees bring home aircraft as part of employee rewards program

Imagine having the chance to pick up an aircraft directly from the manufacturer and getting to fly home on its maiden voyage. That’s what aspiring young professionals from LAN and TAM get to do as part of their airline’s rewards program.

Organized and hosted by Airbus in Toulouse and Hamburg, the program allows selected participants to learn more about Airbus products and services, while taking them through the delivery process of an aircraft.

Every couple of months, LAN sends a group between 10 to 15 employees to pick up one of their aircrafts in Hamburg, where Airbus A320 Family aircraft are assembled and painted before final delivery. The Airbus Delivery Center in Hamburg delivers approximately 20 aircraft per month. Throughout 2011, LAN will accept 18 aircraft as part of their Airbus backlog of nearly 80 aircraft.

So far, more than 100 LAN employees have participated in the rewards program since 2010, which include tours of the Airbus A320 final assembly line and the A380 paint shop, a virtual reality demonstration of Airbus cabins and a unique chance to experience the German culture. By weeks’ end, the delegation is ready to embark for their ferry flight home to Santiago.

Meanwhile, 16 TAM employees will travel to Airbus Central Entity in Toulouse, between April and May to pick up two A330-200s as part of the airline’s Airbus backlog of more than 80 aircraft. Over the course of four days, TAM employees in a variety of professional functions, partake in tours of the A320, A330 and A380 final assembly lines, the Airbus Mock Up Center, presentations on A380 and A350 technologies, all while experiencing first-hand Southern France. Before their ferry flight to Sao Paulo, the group also gets to enjoy a tour of the old city of Toulouse.

Joining the LAN and TAM delegations are a flight crew of pilots, flight attendants and a technical acceptance team that ensure the aircraft are ready for their official transfer of title and ferry flight home.

The LAN and TAM programs are the only ones of their kind at Airbus. Participants have commented that their experiences in both Hamburg and Toulouse have helped them realize the complexity of aircraft manufacturing, from design to assembly and finally delivery.