Few airways have gone by means of as a lot turmoil as Avianca Airways has since we began this weblog again in 2007 and began writing in regards to the business. They’ve expanded and contracted a number of occasions, gotten extra upscale and gone extra downscale too. So we’re going to offer a little bit historical past and provides a assessment of Avianca Airways because it stands now, moderately than what it was earlier than the pandemic rocked the journey business.
They nonetheless appear to be caught in an id disaster as I write this, asking us to spell it as avianca with a little bit “a,” maybe due to their diminished standing amongst higher-end vacationers. They are saying it’s a small “a” as a result of the airline is for everyone, which is a flowery method of claiming they’re a step down from what they was.
It’s moderately tough to write down about this airline and reference previous expertise as a result of that have has modified a lot. Witness the stat additional down about how they’ve shoved 20% extra seats onto their planes, for starters.
I discussed years again that my Avianca flight to Colombia was one other reminder of simply how far the U.S. airways have fallen compared to many of the worldwide carriers.
Within the outdated days, Avianca made me really feel like a passenger once more as a substitute of a quantity on a spreadsheet to be optimized and squeezed. On the way in which right down to Bogota from Ft. Lauderdale, I used to be flying in economic system however nonetheless had a seat-back leisure system, an actual meal, and a glass of wine. The flight attendants smiled as a substitute of simply nagging everybody to show off their Kindle. My knees weren’t jammed into the seat in entrance of me and so they had a beneficiant baggage allowance with no additional charges.
Since worldwide and home passengers might test two luggage with out charges, there was loads of overhead bin area on my first flight and the three that adopted. Naturally the airplane boarded lots quicker for the home ones since there was no financial motive for bringing a rollaboard bag on the airplane.
We even acquired drink service on a 45-minute flight from Bogota to Pereira. Alas, these days are within the rear-view mirror and determined occasions referred to as for determined measures. Avianca is now a downgraded airline and isn’t on the identical degree as its legacy opponents, though they’ve fallen some too.
A Quick Historical past of Avianca
Avianca is the second oldest airline on the planet nonetheless working after the Dutch provider KLM, and the second largest in Latin America behind LATAM Airways Group. Within the early 2010s, Avianca acquired TACA, which had been round since 1931 and had spent a long time shopping for up different Latin American airways that had been in bother. Since additionally they ran home flights in Peru, that gave Avianca an entry there as effectively.
In 2012, Avianca and TACA joined Star Alliance, in some ways the most effective worldwide alliance for frequent fliers. (Their associate within the USA is United.)
Avianca and has 4 essential connection hubs in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Bogota, and Lima, and fly to all of Central America and South America.
North American gateways (direct or in codeshares with companions) embrace San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Washington-Dulles, JFK, Chicago-O’Hare, Toronto, and Mexico Metropolis.
Avianca’s Chapter and Restoration
Restricted legroom in economic system class now
In Could 2020, Avianca filed for Chapter 11 chapter safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The monetary loss suffered pressured the corporate to file resulting from 88% of the international locations it operated in being beneath journey restrictions or full journey shutdown. Different airways had been in the identical scenario, however the U.S. ones acquired bailout cash and a number of the others weren’t so stretched with debt and will maintain on longer.
Naturally, passenger statistics went down tremendously. Airways everywhere in the world plummeted in passenger stats and journeys as a result of pandemic, and Avianca was not the one airline to file for chapter, alongside neighbors similar to Aeromexico (nonetheless round) and Interjet (now historical past).
Avianca shut down its Peruvian subsidiary because of the chapter. Anko van der Werff, the CEO on the time stated “Avianca is dealing with probably the most difficult disaster in our 100-year historical past as we navigate the results of the Covid-19 pandemic. We imagine {that a} reorganization beneath Chapter 11 is the most effective path ahead to guard the important air journey and air transport providers that we offer throughout Colombia and different markets all through Latin America.”
Avianca moved its focus to lower- and middle-class passengers because of this, pivoting from wealthier clients, following the Chapter 11 emergence to prioritize affordability. The corporate retired the A330, ATR 42, and ATR 72 vessels. Now it’s simply the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 787 in operation. Avianca moved to cheaper cabins, with smaller and extra environment friendly seats, and much more rows had been added, leading to a 20% capability enhance, permitting them to decrease fares.
In 2023, over a century after its founding, Avianca went by means of a picture rebrand. As talked about earlier, they modified the capital letter “A” in Avianca to a lowercase one, with the assertion “the sky belongs to everybody.” Since all of those adjustments, the corporate has added routes, passenger visitors is on the upswing, and the airline general retains increasing, bouncing again from the rock-bottom spot they discovered themselves in throughout the pandemic.
They’ve clearly turned the operations round too in much less seen areas: in 2023 they had been named probably the most punctual international airline, at 85.73%. This stat places them 10% increased than their pre-pandemic spot in 2019, and a pair of% above 2022.
Avianca now operates in roughly 25 international locations all through Europe and the Americas, with 75 locations throughout 140 routes.
Enterprise Class on Avianca: An Try and Rebound
There’s no good option to put this: enterprise class on Avianca turned a whole joke for just a few years there. In the course of the COVID-19 days, they had been handing enterprise class passengers stale sandwiches wrapped in plastic and on some flights there was a single alcohol alternative. Apparently that was all that was left in storage and so they couldn’t restock, so your decisions had been Baily’s Irish Creme, espresso, or water. In enterprise class!
Phrase unfold shortly and people who might afford enterprise class shortly jumped to a different provider so they’d obtain higher therapy. The airline has a troublesome job in entrance of them attempting to persuade enterprise vacationers and rich leisure vacationers that this downgraded airline can nonetheless deal with the premium passengers within the entrance of the airplane.
Earlier this 12 months, the corporate upgraded the Boeing 787s and A320 aircrafts, remodeling the chief cabins into what they’re calling Avianca Insignia cabins. Enterprise class now contains totally reclining seats, drinks (each alcoholic and never), in addition to full meals and all-you-can-eat snacks. Amenity kits in instances comprised of recycled cloth and designed in collaboration with the Gunadule indigenous group and Mola Sasa are offered as effectively, together with blankets and pillows. Right here’s what the seats appear to be now, in line with what’s on their web site:
New enterprise class options may even be accessible on single-aisle planes beginning this summer season, on over 10 completely different routes throughout North America. Meals, snacks, drinks, and amenity kits are offered much like the Insignia cabins on the double-seat aircrafts.
Avianca Baggage Insurance policies
This airline has adopted many of the others to the underside in terms of baggage insurance policies, providing a dreaded “primary economic system” choice that doesn’t embrace something, however going as much as two checked luggage and a carry-on in case you fly enterprise class.
The 2 fares in between do embrace one checked bag and a carry-on, so you’ll be able to pack what you want when headed to South America. In any other case, you’ll should cough up $40 for the primary checked bag and also you’d higher do it upfront: they’ll cost you an unimaginable $120 in case you wait till you’re on the airport!
Right here’s the rundown on the fare choices for many flights, although quick ones typically begin with “gentle” and do embrace a 10-kilo carry-on.
Avianca Lounges
Like most established airways, some airports host VIP Avianca lounges for his or her passengers. Home lounges reside in Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, and Barranquilla, and worldwide ones in Bogota and El Salvador. The airport areas in South America are as follows:
- El Dorado Worldwide Airport (Bogota)
- San Oscar A. Romero Worldwide Airport (El Salvador)
- José María Cordova Airport (Medellin)
- Alfonso Bonilla Aragon Worldwide Airport (Cali)
- Palonegro Worldwide Airport (Bucaramanga)
- Rafael Nuñez Worldwide Airport (Cartagena)
- Ernesto Cortissoz Worldwide Airport (Barranquilla)
Avianca additionally has a lounge within the Miami airport and it’s one of many bigger ones there, at round 6,000 sq. toes. Most of those lounges can be found by means of the Precedence Go program or, when you’ve got excessive sufficient standing with a Star Alliance associate, that will get you in as effectively. In any other case, it is advisable fly enterprise class or pay a price to enter, which is what I did final time I had a layover in Bogota.
These lounges mean you can chill out earlier than flights and on layovers, entry Wi-Fi and charging stations, and partake in meals and drinks. Passes go for roughly 30$ per particular person in case you don’t have standing or Precedence Go and will be bought and booked on-line.
The lounge in Bogota we paid to enter
Go to Avianca.com for more information and flight offers. I’m undecided why, however this airline isn’t listed on SeatGuru. So that you’ll should go to the Avianca part of Seatmaps.com for seat pitch and plan configurations.
It’s all the time price checking costs on the Avianca web site first, then evaluating them to what you discover on Kayak and elsewhere. In principle the most effective fares needs to be provided direct, however that’s not all the time the case. Additionally, in case you search by means of an OTA, you’ll see what different airways could also be providing a greater deal (and extra consolation) on the identical route.
Something we’ve missed on this assessment of Avianca Airways? For those who flew them lately, tell us the way it went!
Article and unique pictures by editor Timothy Scott, display shot pictures from Avianca.com. Extra analysis by contributor Alina Leffel.