Avianca

✅ Trip Verified | Avianca did the impossible and managed to give me a downgrade from Business to Economy! I purchased a business class trip from Ecuador to Brazil through Colombia, whilst waiting at the gate of my first leg flight I found out it has a 6 hours and 40 minutes delay! I had to go back to check in, stay in line for 1 hour where they gave me a new flight to Colombia in order to catch my original flight to Brazil. One minor detail: my flight was now um Economy, despite my flight to Brazil was still the same. The local staff told me to solve this matter with the Colombian Staff, once I got in Bogotá I had to go to 4 different desks all saying that it was weird and told me to go to a different desk. Long story short: I received no explanation, no compensation and I flew economy but was charged business. If you’re a business man flying for work stay away from this company, the staff is totally unprepared and not willing to help, hotline doesn’t work, I’m a Lufthansa frequent traveler but didn’t make any difference.

✅ Trip Verified | The worst airline in the world. I had the worst experience with Avianca in my travels from LAX to Layover El Salvador for 4 hours then to Honduras, customer service is a scam, no one who works there even wants to help you from online help to call centre (they hang up on you, never answer) to front desk to the air plane staff/servers! They are miserable and have no training in customer service. Worst watered down coffee ever and then she wouldn't even give me a cheap add packet of instant powder to fix it, can't believe I paid for all of this! Not sure I'd even fly with them if it were free. I feel scammed.

Not Verified | They will make their own rules to charge you for everything. Bags, food even a simple name change now is a nightmare. Even when you get the most expensive ticket they will still charge you for the seat. Service is very poor, do not fly.

✅ Trip Verified | This is by far the worst major South American airline! Avoid at all costs. There is no free service on 5-6 hrs flights. Not even coffee / water. The seats on A320 are extremely uncomfortable and it's not possible to adjust them. Their app was just horrible. I wasn't able to check in using the app on any of the flights (5 flights total). Which leads us to their service quality. They refused to do a check in at the counter claiming it wasn't the app that wasn't working, they said it must have been an internet connection issue (everything else worked perfectly). After 30 minutes of pointless conversation in Spanish (no one spoke English at the airport on Galapagos Islands) they finally agreed to check me in at the counter. They do their best do charge on everything, even if they don't have the right to do so. The check in online wasn't available on Sao Paulo - Miami flight, and the Avianca website said I had to check in at the airport. I then went to the airport and showed the info from the website, which explicitly said online check in wasn't available. To my astonishment their staff outrageously demanded a fee for check in at the counter, claiming I should have checked in online .. when I refused to pay and said this option just wasn't available for my flight they said I wouldn't be able to board my flight if I didn't pay. No on board entertainment on A320 (again, these are 6-hours flights), just the app. The 'map' and 'flight info' were always 'temporarily' unavailable. In comparison, other airlines like LATAM and Aerolineas Argentinas were pretty decent, with drinks and food inclued, great service, no-hassle online check in and comfy seats. I will never fly with Avianca again.

Not Verified | Was a decent airline up to this flight. Seems the seat spacing has decreased. No food or water on flight. Could not buy extra bag online. Tried by phone took 45 minutes was told everything was good, went through the payment process portal was accepted but received no confirming email. At the airport charged over $200 for one bag. Will avoid this airline unless they change.

✅ Trip Verified | I used to like this Airline, a lot. This last time I felt like I was flying on something else, $100 to check a bag, no hand carry-on and if I wanted one $90, no business class and this new bizarre premium whatever, yet I got emails about make an upgrade to Business. No food or drink not even water. So this airline is another of those cheap "we charge you for everything" type of business. The seats were changed for this so thin that you feel like it is gonna break, and no entertainment. In short Avianca is now one of those cheap airlines so don't use them, there are other cheap ones that are better and won't make you feel like they will be charging you per minute you are seating next.

✅ Trip Verified | Please avoid this airline. If you have to travel to Latin America better use Copa Airlines or Latam. I have the most uncomfortable flight with Avianca. The chairs are super uncomfortable, for a flight of more than 6 hours they didn’t offer any drinks or water. They charge for everything!! The worst part of all, they damaged my luggage and answered me that they won’t pay for this damage, because according to their policies the luggage can still function without a wheel. Their ticket prices are super expensive but their quality is really low.

✅ Trip Verified | What a horrible airline. Avoid at all costs. We even purchased a plus fare for our 6.5 hour journey thinking it was an overnight flight and we'd get a more comfortable journey, what a farce. I'm a female and 5'6 in plus fare (extra leg room) my knees were touching the seat in front of me. 6.5 hour flight and they don't even offer complimentary water. I don't even know why they have flight attendants on the plane as they do nothing - water, snacks are all additional costs. There isn't even a USB charger, no TV entertainment (not even old school screens that pop down). Never will I book this airline again. Extortion is what this airline offers!

✅ Trip Verified | When it comes to flying, you'd expect basic comforts, right? Well, Avianca will redefine your expectations. Let's embark on a turbulent journey through the skies of disappointment and frustration. First off, the seats. If you're anything taller than an average garden gnome, you might as well prepare to fold yourself into a pretzel. Legroom? What's that? Unless you're part of the elite business class, your legs will have a more meaningful conversation with the seat in front of you than any in-flight entertainment could provide. But the economy plus style seats come to the rescue, promising the luxury of an adjustable headrest and proximity to the entrance. You'll be so close to boarding you'll feel like a part of the cabin crew, yet you'll still yearn for an inch of legroom. Now, let's talk about business class. Oh, the promise of luxury! Imagine my surprise when, on my flight from Bogota to Cancun, I discovered that Avianca's version of business class is "business unclass". No food, no drinks, and to add a cherry on top, the power point for charging devices decided to take a vacation of its own. The flight attendants' indifference was breathtaking, I thought they might have mistaken the cabin for a meditation retreat. While their tickets come with a price tag that could rival a Michelin-star restaurant bill, the service is more budget buffet than fine dining. And Avianca possesses a unique talent for canceling tickets that were purchased early to save you money. I generously bought tickets for my family. Avianca sent me an email, claiming "inconsistencies" and promising a refund. When I checked online, everything was hunky-dory, tickets marked as "Confirmed." A call to customer service, was like navigating a maze with no exit. Rounds of pressing buttons and fruitless conversations later, I finally managed to get an answer from a Spanish-speaking agent, who assured me everything was fine, just as the website indicated. But oh, the website! Desperate for clarity, I submitted a support request through Avianca's website, complete with a list of questions and details. What did I receive in return? Silence, punctuated only by the closing of my support request. Undeterred, I called customer service yet again. This time, an agent kindly recreated my support request. I thought, surely, this time I'd receive a response. Wrong again! Days later, déjà vu – the support request was closed, and my questions remained unanswered. Frustrated and with no funds allocated for the ticket purchase, I turned to my bank, who confirmed Avianca hadn't taken a cent. I had to wrestle Avianca for written confirmation that the tickets were indeed canceled and beg for another support request, all while longing for a straightforward answer. In the end, I had to physically visit an Avianca office and buy a more expensive ticket, all thanks to their baffling customer service and ticket-cancellation antics. If you're looking for an airline experience that combines cramped seats, non-existent customer service, and ticket-cancellation acrobatics, Avianca is your one-stop shop for disappointment.

✅ Trip Verified | Stewardess was beyond rude. A large man was sitting in middle seat and asked to sit next to a man who had 2 empty seats to himself, and she responded “no because I want to sit there” she didn’t sit there and allowed a man who was not large to sit there. Staff should be retrained, because she is lacking basic skills needed for her job.