Avianca

Customer Reviews

3 star Skytrax Rating
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Seat Comfort 12345
Staff Service 12345
Value for Money 12345
Customer rating from 759 reviews
3/10
3 star Skytrax Rating
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1/10

“an incredibly disappointing experience”

(United States)

Trip Verified | Flying business class with Avianca Airlines was an incredibly disappointing experience and certainly not worth the extra money. The inflight service was subpar, with flight attendants going out of their way to be unfriendly and unhelpful. Smiles were nonexistent, and basic courtesy seemed like a struggle for the crew. The worst part of my journey was the second leg of my trip, a short one-and-a-half-hour flight. Astonishingly, not even a glass of water was offered unless I paid for it. This level of service is unacceptable, especially in business class, where basic amenities should be a given. Overall, Avianca Airlines failed to deliver on even the most basic expectations for business class service. I would not recommend paying the premium for this experience.
AircraftA320
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeFirst Class
RouteWashington Dulles to Guayaquil via Bogota
Date FlownNovember 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

“don't bother with business for domestic”

(Estonia)

Trip Verified | Online check-in is often broken. If you are savvy enough you will find a recommendation to make a screenshot of how broken it is to present it at the counter at the airport so they can consider waiving the at-counter check in charge. That is, if your booking even truly exists. I was booked on a codeshare flight that did not exist and that has happened twice already. So let's say you get to the counter and your flight actually does exist, the next thing you can enjoy is the check-in agent trying to shake a few pesitos out of you if you are the wrong colour and speak the wrong language. The baggage limits get made up on the spot and the most significant carrier rule is always being spat on. Regarding cabin class, don't even bother with business for domestic. It simply does not exist (lie), you will be bumped back to economy and will be able to enjoy buying an reserved seat for abysmal prices. The "business" class does exist, it just doesn't matter if your codeshare flight booking says it or not. In Avianca's eyes, if you didn't book with them and didn't pay them directly, you should be taped to the wing or fly in the cargo hold. They will very vocally deny that there is a business class, any and all complaints about downgrade will be suggested to be printed out, folded several times, oiled up and stuck up an orifice of choice. Before departing the counter, if your check in agent is honest enough, you will have the actual departure time handwritten on your boarding pass. They know they are departing hours late - good luck with your short layover, if applicable. Next, you will indeed find out that the actual departure times are a mystery only known do masters of dark arcane magic and forest sages. If your flight exists and is scheduled to depart at all on that day, that is. It's not only when, but also a matter of if the plane departs, you see. Mild riots at departure gates are a common sight in Colombian airports for Avianca. If you have somehow survived this far, you will see a very proud sticker on the plane, saying they are the most punctual airline according to whatchamacallit. I can't help but wonder how massive the bribe was in this case. I have never seen an Avianca flight depart on time and the times I have unfortunately been on one must be over 10 by now. I had a small chuckle, followed by despair since I knew what was coming next. What follows is a very disorganized and stretched out boarding, filling an A320 can take close to an hour sometimes. I don't even know how. And for whatever reason someone always gets deboarded close to door closure. Waiting for you inside is a chair that is just not meant for anyone not suffering from dwarfism or having a spinal column. A burlap sack of field rocks would make a better seat honestly. The overhead bins will be full of luggage unless you somehow manage to be one of the first few people to get on board, so you have to chuck your belongings under the seat. Again, unless you are fun sized, this will cause legroom issues. Even the emergency row can have anyone taller than 170 to have their kneecaps smashed in by the seat in front even without reclining. Speaking of cramped, the restroom is behind one of the jumpseats so the cabin crew will make it visibly and audibly clear to you that you are not welcome there - since they have to stand up for your relief break. And I had my shoulders touch walls in the restroom - I am a humble 180cm and in normal bodyweight.
AircraftA320
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteMedellin to Bogota via Tallinn
Date FlownNovember 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

“the worst airline experience”

(United States)

Not Verified | Worst Airline Experience Ever. My flight was delayed or canceled 4 separate times, causing my original flight to be moved back from Monday until Saturday. No compensation or refunds were allowed on the first 3 cancellations due to what they called “external issues”. For my 5 extra days spent here involuntarily they were only able to compensate me for 2 nights stay at a terrible hotel of their choosing after hours of speaking with their team. Terrible online service (including website and app). Just a terrible airline that should not be in business. Look for other options as Avianca has provided me with the worst airline experience I’ve ever had and has ruined what was supposed to be a great trip for me. If I could give them a 0 I would. Never again.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteMedellin to Boston via Bogota
Date FlownNovember 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"the worst travel experience"

(Colombia)

Not Verified | Last night I had the worst travel experience of my life with Avianca. The Avianca staff repeatedly misinformed us and showed no interest in finding any reasonable solution to the disaster they created - for us or the many other passengers, including children and elderly folks who had already spent hours stranded in the airport late at night. Our flight from Bogotá to Armenia was cancelled and automatically re-scheduled for a flight 48 hours later, which was of no use to us as our trip was only 72 hours in total and we had already paid for lodging and transport among other expenses in Armenia. We attempted to resolve the issue through the call center, but the response we received was that it would be easier to find an earlier flight by going directly to the airport. We were willing to take an overnight bus to Armenia if we could obtain a refund, but the call center and airport staff insisted that the flight had been cancelled for an external reason, and as such we could not obtain a refund. It's important to note that the nature of this supposed "external reason" changed three times in the various explanations we received: initially we were told the cancellation was due to backed up air traffic, then we were told that the Civil Aviation agency had done a technical inspection that caused the delay, and finally we were told that it was due to inclement conditions at our destination - the inconsistent stories combined with Avianca's systematic practice of over-selling flights leaves me doubting the above excuses. After over an hour in various lines in the airport, and after much insistence that we be changed to another flight ASAP - even to a different destination that was relatively close to Armenia (Pereira in this case) - and being told that no flights to Armenia nor Pereira were available - we were given tickets for a flight to Pereira later in the night. When we arrived at the gate for the flight to Pereira I attempted several times to confirm with the Avianca staff that the Pereira flight was scheduled to go ahead and that our seats had not been double-booked (something that Avianca is known to do) - the Avianca staff offered no response whatsoever. Eventually, after the Avianca staff had left - and with no verbal announcement or electronic notification - the screen indicated a gate change and then the flight simply disappeared from the screen. The desperate passengers were then directed to a Connections counter that Avianca had in the terminal. We waited over an hour to be attended - only to be told that the Connections counter could offer no assistance - and were then sent to another line, elsewhere in the terminal. After waiting in that line, we spoke to a supervisor who told us that they could only offer an assistance voucher to people who lost connections, but not to those of us departing from Bogotá directly. At this point we had already spent 5 hours in the airport being misinformed and treated with absolutely no concern or respect. I was traveling with a 7 year old who was sleep-deprived and very upset. We were told that refund requests could only be managed through the call center - which we already knew to be of no use - and that waitlists (with no guarantee of a seat) were available for the following day if we wanted to return to go through the same experience again. In short - Avianca took our money, cancelled our flight, repeatedly misinformed us, and offered no reasonable alternative flight nor a refund.
AircraftAbsolute Disaster with No Solution Offered
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteBogotá to Armenia
Date FlownNovember 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"service went from bad to worse"

(United States)

Not Verified | I recently traveled business class with Avianca from JFK to Bogotá to La Paz, expecting a premium experience, but I was sorely disappointed. For an airline claiming to offer a business class, the lack of lie-flat seats on the JFK - Bogotá leg was shocking and uncomfortable. Sitting upright for hours in what's supposed to be a premium cabin was incredibly frustrating, especially on a long-haul international flight where a bit of comfort should be a given. But the issues didn’t stop there. During the Bogotá to La Paz leg, the service went from bad to worse. Basic amenities were missing — no blankets offered, even with the cabin feeling cold and uncomfortable. To top it off, they didn’t even offer a simple cup of coffee for free. Instead of attentive, thoughtful service, the cabin crew appeared rushed and indifferent, with little concern for the passengers’ comfort. It felt more like an economy-class experience, certainly not the premium touch you'd expect when booking business class. Overall, Avianca's business class on this route felt misleading and frustrating, lacking the comfort, service, and amenities that are typically standard in business class. For those considering paying extra for an upgraded experience, be warned: it’s simply not worth it with Avianca.
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteNew York to La Paz via Bogota
Date FlownOctober 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

“Everything costs”

(United States)

Not Verified | Very poor class Airline. Doesn't even provide complimentary water! Everything costs, and on the menu they mark up the exchange rate in US Dollars. No onboard entertainment or WIFI that works or gives you any options to buy or text. Some of the staff are rude! The flight fares may be a little lower than Latam and others, But they charge you exorbitant high prices for the carry-on bag and check bags. I carry-on bag cost $120 one way! That's ridiculous! And then when we got to San Francisco we had to wait 45 minutes before our bags came out and we were the only ones in the international baggage area. Don't fly on this airline!!!
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypePremium Economy
RouteLeticia Colombia to San Francisco via Bogota
Date FlownOctober 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
2/10

"our seat selection had been cancelled"

(United States)

Trip Verified | We booked and paid for "business class" seats on the flight from La Paz to Bogota to Miami back in January of 2024. "Business class" is more like economy plus (at best) with the middle seat blocked. In any event, when we went to check in we were told that there was a "problem" with our payment and that our seat selection had been cancelled. When I produced documents showing acceptance of my payment, and my ticket with the assigned business class seat, the story changed and "somehow" Avianca had cancelled out seats and given them away to another customer while retaining our $75 per person seat fee. Therefore, we learned at 1:00 AM that we had no assigned seat on the 3:15 AM flight! The gate agent informed us that no business class seats remained and put us in a regular economy row with no middle seat between us, as the best he could do. Somehow, on the same transaction, they managed to assign us the exit row seats we had paid for on the Bogota to Miami leg of the journey. Of course I notified Avianca on our return for the $75 per person refund, and they have yet to respond. Since I charged the tickets (of course!) I am also disputing it with the credit card company, and if Avianca does not respond to them by a certain date, the amount will be refunded to us. In this case it is not the amount so much as the sheer incompetency of Avianca. I have never heard of anyone having upgraded seats cancelled on one leg of a flight with no real explanation except "something happened" and of course, no subsequent communication from the airline. We were limited in choices flying out of La Paz, but if there is a next time I will take my chances on Boliviana. Most unpleasant any time of day but the worst on a 3:15 AM flight!
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteBogota z to Miami
Date FlownOctober 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

“legroom is painfully tight”

(Colombia)

Trip Verified | In the competitive Colombia-Europe route, Avianca fails to hold up to other airlines’ prices, services, and overall customer service. An overbooked flight made a rocky start for AV26 to Madrid, in which there was somewhat of a brawl between airline staff and passengers who had the misfortune of being randomly selected to be offloaded and rebooked in AV10, a flight which departed around 6 hours later. Anyway, I was lucky to get to keep in the crammed seat that I had payed for, and although the 787 is a comfortable plane, avianca’s recent densification of the plane means that legroom is painfully tight for me (182 cms) and padding is practically nonexistent. In other words, getting up from the seat is a pain, but so is staying on it! Food was exceptionally dreadful (like 80’s bad) and the crew also went out of their way to be as rude and unfriendly as they possibly could. Either the call buttons are broken, or nobody bothers to go see the passenger in need of something. Avianca is unable to compete with Lufthansa, Iberia, AirFrance, KLM and even AirEuropa on any aspect of their service, so I would only choose them if they were very the cheapest option, though the case is normally the opposite - and they are the most expensive.
AircraftBoeing 787-8
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteBogota to Madrid
Date FlownJuly 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

“I can’t move”

(United States)

Trip Verified | I’m sitting here in a seat I paid extra for, with my back totally against the wall the seat and my knees smashed by the person front of me. I can’t move. My seat doesn’t recline. Why did this seat cost extra? Why is this airline so horrible? This is simply an unacceptable way to treat people.
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteBogota Colombia to Dulles
Date FlownOctober 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"deeply unpleasant travel experience"

(Colombia)

Trip Verified | I am an Avianca star alliance gold member. Over the years, I have seen previously good service decay into mediocrity. But today was different. I’ve had enough, and am now looking looking for status match options with competitors. Today, booked from Orlando to Bogotá in “Flex” (Avianca’s most expensive fare for this specific route/ $620 round trip/ 3.5h flights), I was greeted by some extremely rude staff at Avianca’s check in at Orlando Airport. Although, thanks to my Star Alliance Gold (Avianca Diamond) status I have a complimentary sports equipment, for the first time ever, I was ordered to open the wakeboard’s case and show it. Afterwards, I was told that, due to the fact that in the wakeboard’s case there also were a couple of damp swimsuits, this was no longer considered a sports equipment and therefore would be charged as an oversized bag ($100). In order to comply with the rude employee’s nonsensical and ridiculous requirement that there only fly the sports equipment within the case, I asked her to check it in. At that point she stopped again, this time to take out a measuring tape and ask me for the $100 oversize fee anyway, as the wakeboard exceeded allowed measurements by about two inches. After asking for some rationality, I was insulted by the supervisor, threatened to have my reservation canceled, and forced into oblivion. Upon boarding, even in the Star Alliance Gold line, me and my fellow frequent flyers were barked at by another equally rude employee into measuring our luggage in a low cost airline-style fitter. After my “personal item” (an average sized backpack) barely exceeded the allowed measurements and would be of no difference to anyone, as it flies under the seat in front, I was ordered to gate-check it for the hefty fee of another $120. After mentioning, once again my status, the unnoticeability of the excess in size, and the cost of the fare I had purchased, I was told literally that they “couldn't care less” and that, should I not pay immediately, I would be reported as an unruly passenger and be denied boarding. Apart from the absolute antithesis of basic costumer service, the outrageousness of the employee’s blatant lack of respect, and the little to no courtesy Avianca showed towards me and other costumers, I wound up paying $840 dollars for a round trip of 3.5h flights on a painfully uncomfortable economy seat with unnoticeable recline with a blocked middle, and absolutely no complimentary service (even water was charged) and a couple of insults. I have flown low cost airlines extensively both in Europe and the US. I have never had such a terrible experience, let alone for the price and frequent flyer status I hold. I would suggest fellow travelers to go out of their way in avoiding Avianca: If you’ve purchased one of their more “permissive fares” or got frequent flyer status with them or any Star Alliance partner, they “couldn’t care less about it”. And regardless if you have it or not, you’re guaranteed to have an expensive, uncomfortable, and deeply unpleasant travel experience both in the ground and air.
AircraftA320 neo
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteOrlando to Bogota
Date FlownOctober 2024
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no