AVIANCA review :  26 June 2009 by J Arias   (UK)

MAD-BOG. Once onboard it was very good as it was on new A330 - individual tv a far cry for the old Boeing. Food good and the wine list is not to bad considering Colombia is not know for it's wine. FAs were very good specially with my 2 year old girl. BOG-PEI on the Fokker 100 - not bad and snack good. FA look tired though.

AVIANCA review :  15 June 2009 : by T Robles  (USA)

Very negative experience with Avianca. When I bought the tickets I was concerned about 1 hour transfer time in Bogota, and called customer service. Was assured that the Bogota to Lima connecting flight would be held in Bogota until the Washington to Bogota flight arrived, due to large numbers of passengers from Dulles going on to Lima. Of course this was a lie. Dulles to Bogota flight arrived late and plane to Lima gone. Avianca did provide hotel and taxi. Got wife and family to Lima the next day, but just wanted to leave them there on their own without taking care of the Lima to Santa Cruz, Bolivia flight (another airline, but ticketed by Avianca). After much begging and pleading, they put them on a TACA flight. Be warned they will blame any problem on the weather, and toll free customer service is of no help. Have to call ticket counter at airport directly. Appeared very unorganized, easily frustrated, and unwilling to take responsibility.

AVIANCA review :  1 June 2009 : by G Estrada  (Colombia)

New planes, new entertainment system and good food. I was impressed of the quality of red wine "Reserva" they offer at no cost.

AVIANCA review :  13 May 2009 : by Ida Halasz  (United States)

Economy class from Florida to Bogota, then to Lima returned. We were pleasantly surprised by the excellent service onboard all flights, with nice meals, pillows and blankets, and individual entertainment units. Compared to US airlines, these flights were wonderful, harking back to the old days of actual service on a plane! When our return trip was delayed by 24 hours due to extreme fog in Lima, the Avianca airport office helped us call to rebook our connecting US air flights and wrote a letter to explain the delay for our travel insurance.

AVIANCA review :  30 April 2009 : by Richard Winger  (US)

BOG-JFK on new A330 with new C class seats. At first glance, they don't look like much but they turn into incredibly comfortable flat beds (though a little short perhaps for people who insist on sleeping stretched out). Avianca is by far the most comfortable choice on the route.

AVIANCA review :  10 March 2009 : by Uwe Bode  (Colombia)

BOG-LIM-BOG Business Class. Outbound on B757 with refurbished seats. Champagne welcome drink. Delicious lunch with 3 choices for main course. FAs very attentive and answering all calls right away. Interior clean. Inbound same high level of service on B767 without new seats, but in both cases C-Class seats with lots of leg room and good recline. All flights on time. Good selection of Spanish/English literature.

AVIANCA review : 28 February 2009 : by Diego Muller

Customer Rating : 3/5

BOG-CTG-BOG in economy. I flew from GRU to BOG with another airline, and due to a 4 hour delay on my flight, missed my BOG-CTG flight. Once I arrived at BOG, I talked to Avianca and they changed me to the next flight without charging me any penalty. In fact, I was in Standby, because the flight was full. So, when it was time to board, had to wait to see if there would be any seat left. Lucky me, there was. Unfortunately, it was a terrible seat, almost the last row in the plane. Aircraft was a noisy MD-83. No Tvs or sound system. No food, just a drink. No announcements made in English. Ok, it was a one hour flight, but other airlines do similar flights with newer aircraft and with better service. The good thing is I was almost sure my luggage wouldn't arrive with me (because I was in Standby), but it was on the belt. Return flight was similar (same aircraft, same service). I appreciated Avianca kindness and helpful attitude, but they need to improve their product.

AVIANCA review : 6 January 2009 : by J Schneider

Customer Rating : 4/5

BOG-CLO and CLO-MAD. Terminal in BOG was new, good check-in service, although luggage could not be checked through to MAD. MD-83, ok for a 35min flight. Coffee and drinks during flight were fine. No announcements in English, at BOG or during the flight. No security information before take-off. One stewardess was still walking in the aisle when plane took up speed on runway for take-off. CLO-MAD on B767. Service at CLO airport good, seat had already been reserved in BOG, although I had to recheck my baggage. Plane in good shape, comfy seats and good quality meals (some of the best I have had on intl flights), although not abundant. At midnight crew started to play Colombian new years music, danced, people cheered, handed out grapes following colombian tradition and made a raffle with sparkling wine and amenity sets. Pilot came to cabin and greeted pax personally. Avianca seems to be a good option for flights to Spain, and is ridiculously cheap.

AVIANCA review : 2 December 2008 : by Richard Winger

Customer Rating : 3/5

Recently in J Class on their new A 319 from BOG to JFK. Beware! It's tight as can be and a disappointing replacement for the old 757 which, admittedly, suffered from a death rattle but did have reasonably comfortable recliners. I took the new afternoon service which is a welcome addition to the schedule and where the lack of legroom and recline is not such an issue. But I dread the overnight return to BOG or the early morning JFK to MED flights which are now using the same equipment. And I hate the prospect of the new overnight MED to JFK schedule on the A 319, which was previously a reasonably civilized 6pm departure on the reasonably comfortable 757. AV is giving up a big competitive advantage here because it used to be the only airline between Colombia and the US with a reasonable J class. If you have the flexibility, look for the 767 service to and from BOG with worn around the edges old-style recliners. It's the most comfortable way to get down there. In- flight service remains as amiable and caring as ever and their on-time cuvture is admirable.

AVIANCA review : 29 September 2008 : by J Varela

Customer Rating : 5/5

MIA - Cali - MIA : excellent service. I had not flown on Avianca for quite a while. It is refreshing to travel, even on a short flight and be treated with a smile and kind words.

AVIANCA review : 25 July 2008 : by A Robertson

Customer Rating : 1/5

MEX-BOG-LIM-BOG-MEX. Upon checkin in Mexico we where told that the flight was overbooked so we were having to wait until the following morning to fly. Next day, we had to be on a waitlist, and if the plane had seats available they will let us on board (I was travelling with my wife and 2 year old daughter). After around 7 horis of waiting in Mexico City, we made our way to Bogota in an extremely old 757, that rattled all the way and with the worst seats ever. Transfer was ok, the flight from Bogota to Lima was pleasant. Retun flight was even worse, we got from Lima to Bogota and the plane that was supposed to take us to Mexico had left 3 hours earlier then scheduled - and they made us pay for a hotel for the night instead of them covering this problem. The staff were useless & rude - honestly try to avoid flying with them, even if its free.

AVIANCA review : 20 June 2008 : by N Gonzalez

Customer Rating : 1/5

IAD-BOG Business class. I was not impressed by the service Avianca provided to its business class passengers. The airline does not provide a courtesy lounge privilege in the Washington Dulles International airport for premiere passengers flying in business class. There was no menu and no hot entree for a five hour journey. Just a cold sandwich and water was offered to the only three passengers flying in business class. The flight attendants did not care too much about us, and they used the last row of the business class to rest and sleep during the entire flight. I would not recommend to purchase an upgrade on this route. It is a waste of money.

AVIANCA review : 13 June 2008 : by Mike Anderson

Customer Rating : 4/5

CUR-BOG-EZE and CUR-BOG SAN often flown, never any problems. Cheap and simple, no nonsense, friendly and helpful ground and cabin staff.

AVIANCA review : 22 May 2008 : by J Zierten

Customer Rating : 1/5

We waited till 11pm for our 630pm flight, finally boarded, sat on the plane for 30 minutes and then they cancelled the flight. So we spend about an hour on the phone making the new reservations and then show up at the airport and stand in front of the counter while the girl goes and checks it all out for 40 minutes. No sorry you had to wait, no sorry for the problems. Not one time in this whole thing did anyone simply apologize. Plane about 2 hours late but we did make it to our destination. Some service. I will never fly them again.

AVIANCA review : 11 May 2008 : by S Koenig

Customer Rating : 4/5

Santiago-Bogota-LAX. Not the newest of 757s (eg. no individual video screens), but comfortable enough. Airport staff particularly helpful at check-in and later, when the plane had to return to Santiago (long story), and we needed help to make alternate arrangements. Prices far below those of other airlines on the same route.

AVIANCA review : 30 April 2008 : by A Rickli

Customer Rating : 2/5

Bogota - Madrid C Class, with baby. AV lounge in BOG is below standard, one wash room only, no international newspapers available. No international newspapers onboard distributed, only alcoholic welcome drink served, no other choices. Appetizer as announced in menu not served. Main course was chicken breast on sticky pasta, all squeezed into a ceramic bowl. Some tasteless cheese for dessert. This is by no means C Class standard and miserable in comparison with other high class service airlines. Avianca service and order of courses is poorly structured. Crew members run back and forth all the time with plates. They manage to complete the whole service in not more than 45'. We had the pleasure to have a group of 4 mid-aged Colombian business men in the cabin which drank a lot, stood together in aisle, joking and gossiping up till 2am. Crew only reacted after complaints by other passengers. Entertainment system was not distributed on this night flight. Instead they showed a movie on the main screen which took about 2 hours. Tough luck for those which wanted to sleep. Avianca staff is overall friendly but their C Class is definitely not worth the money. Reservation for connecting flight onward to Zurich on IB was according to IB ground staff not done appropriately by AV in Colombia. They booked us on a later flight instead. We spent some 5 hours in IB lounge at T4 in Barajas - waiting for our lift back home.