LATAM, the group formed by the merger of Latin American carriers LAN and TAM, unveiled its new brand in Sao Paulo today.
Claudia Sender, CEO TAM Linhas Aereas said that although the company did not "have all the details" the new brand was the result of much discussion between LAN and TAM, while Mauricio Amaro, Chairman Grupo LATAM Airlines, said that it "represents the passion of both airlines".
Amaron added: "Out of all of the options that we were considering, the name LATAM always seemed to us to be the most natural evolution of both the LAN and TAM brands, but a period of mutual understanding and maturation was necessary to make the decision."
He said: "We knew that having a single brand was essential to consolidate the connection between LAN and TAM, and the name LATAM creates a strong identity for the airlines that form the largest airline group in Latin America.
"The new brand is born from the desire to capture the best of both identities and legacies and consolidate them to create an even stronger one that preserves the essence of each brand - an essence that is truly Latin American."
Enrique Cueto, CEO Grupo LATAM Airlines said that although the general economic situation in South America was difficult, the group intended to expand with new routes through the region and internationally.
He said: "We are a very strong company and we need a brand so that our passengers can recognise we are one single network, and a brand that will inspire the 50,000 collaborators who work with and for the airline. TAM and LAN are two very strong brands, recognised all over, but if we want to become global we have to have one brand."
LATAM says that it is still "currently working on the definition of our new corporate brand image. The changes will occur over the next three years, gradually becoming visible starting in 2016 with branding at airports, aircraft, uniforms, commercial offices, loyalty programs, web pages, among others. Specific dates will be communicated in a timely manner."
The new website will be latam.com.
When describing the new logo, Jerome Cadier, VP of Marketing for LATAM Airlines Group, said: "The logo was inspired by the identity and heritage of the region, incorporating the best of LAN and TAM. For this reason, we selected indigo and coral as the main colors for LATAM.
"The first represents the best of both worlds as it falls between red and blue which are the main brand colors for TAM and LAN. And the second, symbolises energy and passion, essential attributes of the new brand. These two colors are supported by secondary colors that bring to life the diversity that is found in Latin America.
"The implementation of rebranding in our industry is a gradual process and requires a long period of development. It will require a lot of time and effort, but as we work on the implementation of the new brand, we will continue to work in parallel to unify the in-flight experience offered by the LATAM Airlines Group airlines."
LATAM says that "The frequent flyer programmes for LAN, TAM and its affiliates will continue making improvements to the existing programs with any changes also communicated in a timely manner."
LATAM has more than 1,500 flights per day, domestic passenger operations in seven countries, more than 140 passenger destinations in 24 countries with daily flights to Europe, the United States, Australia, the Caribbean and 144 cargo destinations in 26 countries.
latam.com/building-latam
tam.com, lan.com, latamairlinesgroup.net
Tom Otley
