Avianca

✅ Trip Verified | I was really disappointed flying Avianca internationally from Bogota to NYC. Never in my life have I been on an international flight that charges for water, let alone anything to eat or drink. It was not advertised or clear that the flight did not provide a meal or any free beverage service, which is unacceptable. Only once onboard and in the air did they tell us that not only was it required for us to purchase anything to drink, but that there weren’t full meals available for a 6 hour flight during dinner time. Further, when I purchased food, I was given an inedible instant Mac and cheese (improperly made, don’t offer it if you can’t prepare it). I flew Avianca in 2019 and had a completely different experience. This flight left a really bad taste in my mouth after an incredible trip in Colombia… a really sad way to end vacation. I will not fly Avianca again.

Not Verified | My booking ticket clearly states $30 for first check bag and thats all I checked-in at the airport on a self check-in kiosk, no Avianca staff available in sight. The kiosk charged me $180USD for the checked bag. These crooks have designed this system to rob people at the airport for checked bags.

✅ Trip Verified | We chose "plus sized" seats for our flight, but when I boarded this seemed like some sort of bad joke. I am 6'3" / 190cm, but my knees touched the back of the seat in front. If this is "plus" legroom, I hate to think how spending 3.5 hours in a standard legroom seat would feel. There were 3 flight stewards, and whilst the younger 2 were smiley, friendly and helpful, the older (more senior?) member of staff seemed to go out of his way to order passengers around in a surly manner during the flight. Maybe he was having a bad day, but this was not appreciated, and felt like particularly bad customer service. The flight took off slightly late, but landed early by a good margin. Finally, I am not sure where the responsibility for this lies, but one of our suitcases had been opened, unpacked and then the contents thrown back in in a random manner so that various items were crushed and had minor damage. There was a note placed inside the bag from Avianca that simply stated that the bag had been opened and checked etc, but there were no contact details to complain about the bad and careless re-packing of the suitcase. If I have a choice of airlines on a particular route in the future, I would avoid flying with Avianca again.

✅ Trip Verified | It was a nightmare, first complaint was that they charged me 200 dollars for my second luggage, my seat didn’t recline it , from Lima to Bogota my connection was limited time to catch my fly I just made it. When I and other passengers say something about the connection to the crew didn’t respond. Lima to Bogota 2 hours flying they didn’t give us even a glass of water, from Bogota to New York they charged the food, I got a ramen cup for 4 dollars in the plane they didn’t take cash. They have no TV in the plane, connecting for a movie online was another problem a total nightmare. I do not recommend this airline.

Not Verified | Avianca is the worst, they always oversell their flights and you have to pay for food. Today while I was traveling I got kicked out because they oversold. Today on my flight they didn’t let someone on because she had a red eye, also on the same flight they gave a ticket to a standby when the lady who owned the seat saw that they gave to her because she was absent when she clearly was there in the flight next to us. Avianca flight attendant got in a fight with an old lady. Please don’t fly Avianca.

Not Verified | Third time flying with Avianca and overall it was a terrible experience. We were charged extra for our bag (recently travelled with different airlines who did not charge for the same bag). Then flight was overbooked, staff rude etc. Safe to say that we will not travel with Avianca anymore!

✅ Trip Verified | We sat in the plane from Bogotá to Santiago for over 7 hours, in the most uncomfortable seat I can remember. Onboard, we were neither served drinks nor food; one could only purchase unpalatable sandwiches or instant soups for a high price. No entertainment at all on board. The seat no longer had a pouch attached to it where one could store items like glasses or a phone, but just an open net at the bottom, which is hardly suitable for storing anything. By the way, the ticket price was not lower than what the competition charges. Low cost with this airline apparently means that they hardly value a comfortable travel experience anymore, which used to be the case, yet they still charge a price for tickets as if that were the case. On the return flight to Bogotá, many passengers were asked to check their carry-on suitcases. This could be an unpleasant surprise if you're not prepared for the fact that no food or drinks are served on board and you had a snack or something similar in your suitcase, which you then sorely miss for hours on board. Good luck with this strategy, dear Avianca management. If a miracle happens, it might continue to go well for a while.

Not Verified | Overcharging for checked bags. They charged me $120 for each checked bag plus an additional $120 for my carry on which wasn’t included even in premium economy? This is insane. I didn’t pay for the baggage in advance because I didn’t know yet if I would have to check a bag or not. Usually this results in a moderate increase in baggage fee ($60 instead of $45) but when I got to the airport I was stunned to find out that I had to pay $240 to check my luggage (including my compliant carry-on, which is well within the maximum dimensions).

Not Verified | My recent encounter with Avianca customer service was a nightmare. They managed to excel in incompetence and indifference. Representatives were clueless, unhelpful, and seemed more interested in avoiding responsibility than assisting passengers. It's astounding how they've mastered the art of terrible service. Avoid this airline at all costs.

✅ Trip Verified | My recent journey with Avianca on flight AV218 from Buenos Aires to Bogota in December 2023 left me thoroughly dissatisfied. The economy ticket I purchased felt like a blatant overcharge considering the absence of basic in-flight amenities. Shockingly, Avianca failed to provide even complimentary water, a standard expectation on any flight. The lack of consideration for passengers' well-being was striking, and the overall experience left much to be desired. Adding to the disappointment was Avianca's carry-on baggage policy. Passengers were not permitted to bring any carry-on items unless they paid a hefty fee of US$90, allowing for a mere 8 kgs. This policy felt more like a money-making scheme than a reasonable regulation. All in all, my experience with Avianca was marred by overpricing, a dearth of basic services, and an unjust carry-on policy, making it hard to recommend the airline to others. In brief, Avianca is the new low-cost airline in the Latin American market, but they still market themselves as the good airline it used to be and we all long for.