LoyaltyLobby
  • News
  • Hotel Promos
    • Accor
    • Best Western
    • Radisson Rewards
    • Choice
    • Fairmont
    • Hilton
    • World of Hyatt
    • IHG Rewards
    • Marriott
    • Ritz-Carlton
    • Starwood
    • Wyndham Rewards
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Blog View
  •  
LoyaltyLobby
  • News
  • Hotel Promos
    • Accor
    • Best Western
    • Radisson Rewards
    • Choice
    • Fairmont
    • Hilton
    • World of Hyatt
    • IHG Rewards
    • Marriott
    • Ritz-Carlton
    • Starwood
    • Wyndham Rewards
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Blog View
  •  
LoyaltyLobby
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT

Reader Email: Beware of Avianca Business Class!

by Freddo Zabaleta
August 20, 2022
Reading Time: 4 mins read
7

After a recent Airfare of the day I posted this last week, a LoyaltyLobby reader sent us an email about his latest experiences with Avianca business class service (or lack thereof) on their Bogota – Buenos Aires route.

Readers are encouraged to send us questions, comments, or opinions by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We’ll try to cover them here several times a week.


In case you missed it!

ADVERTISEMENT

Airfare of the Day [Business Class] AVIANCA Los Angeles to Buenos Aires from $1,779


Email From The Reader:

Morning Freddo

Hope all is well – Just a word of caution when recommending Avianca: The service level post-pandemic is extremely poor.
Catering is a sandwich and a coffee or a coke – no alcohol at all. And only on service per flight – don’t ask for more.
In some routes, they are removing business seating as well.
In most cases, you can still use the Avianca lounge when connecting.
I have personal experience with EZE – BOG , twice this year.- I only used them because flight timings were good for what I had to do.
There are plenty of comments on Flyer Talk about the poor quality..
Best for now
John

Pre-pandemic, Avianca used to have a fairly decent business class service on their long-haul routes, especially onboard their B787-9s, which I reviewed a few years ago on their BOG-BCN route:

Flight Review: Avianca B787-8 Business Class [AV18 BOG-BCN]

Since then, Avianca has gone through challenging financial issues, including the ousting of their previous CEO and majority stakeholder, and of course, their bankruptcy filling due to the global COVID19 pandemic.

The new CEO strategy to exit bankruptcy is to convert the legacy carrier -with more than 100 years of history- into a low cost carrier. Bloomberg (access here) covered this matter in December 2021:

Neuhauser expects the company to post a profit in 2023 after its operations return to pre-pandemic levels. The airline is flying at about 60% of its pre-covid schedule, with domestic business rebounding faster than long-haul flights, especially international business travel, he said.

In response, Avianca is changing its fare offerings and seat arrangement to provide more flexibility, he said.

“We’re designing it to be more focused on leisure and less on business. That doesn’t mean we’re leaving behind our traditional business client, but it does mean we’ll shrink the business cabins and things like that,” he said. “A lot of international business travel before the pandemic was consultants, bankers, et cetera, and we just see that recovery a lot more slowly.”

Coincidentally, a couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to chat with an Avianca purser who mainly works on their Bogota to South America routes, and he confirms both what our reader states on his email and the information published by Bloomberg last year.

The main takeaway from my conversation is that from September 1st, 2022, Avianca is fully embracing the low-cost carrier model, with food and beverages being only available for purchase in all most of their routes, including some long-haul routes like BOG-EZE or BOG-SCL (which are roughly 8 hour flights!). Business class service is being completely eliminated from these routes and even the business class seats will be phased out, going for an all-economy configuration on the planes serving them.

The only exception to the aforementioned will be the BOG-LAX and BOG-Europe routes, which will be served by their B787-9 planes, whre the business class cabin and service will still be available. It was not clear from my conversation if economy class service on these routes will still be provided or if the low-cost buy-your-own-food model will also be imposed.


Conclusion

I have experienced first hand the progressive deterioration of Avianca business class service in recent years. I remember a few years back when I’d prefer their product over Iberia or British Airways on Europe to South America routes, but lately their offering is just ridiculous. On one of my last flights to Bogota I got server a cheeseburger in business class, and let’s say I’ve had better McDonalds than the burger I was served.

I understand a low-cost model can work when you have a short- and medium-haul network, but I doubt extending it also to most of their long-haul network (especially in premium passenger heavy routes as BOG-NYC or BOG-EZE) is the right choice…for the time being, as our reader states on his email, it would be wise to think twice before using them on any long-haul route not served by their B787-9s.


 

Previous Post

Accor Rolling Out Klarna Payment Method In Europe

Next Post

UPDATE: Issues With New Amex Platinum Global Dining Credits? (RESOLVED)

Related Articles

Iberia Plus Has Moved To Revenue Based Program For Tickets Issued On Or After November 29, 2022

Reader Email: Oneworld Airlines Unable To Pull Correct Iberia Plus Status?

John Ollila
January 27, 2023
2

A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us an email about an issue they have with Iberia Plus. Partner airlines cannot confirm the...

Avianca LifeMiles Buy Miles With Up To 140% Bonus July 13 – August 3, 2021

Avianca LifeMiles Cannot Credit Transferred & Purchased Miles (Instantly Expires Them)?

John Ollila
January 26, 2023
2

Avianca appears to have significant issues credited purchased or converted miles from partner programs to LifeMiles' member accounts. They are...

Buy Avianca LifeMiles With Up To 160% Bonus + Award Rebate & Elite Miles Through January 25, 2023

Last Call: Buy LifeMiles With Up To 160% Bonus + Award Rebate & Elite Miles Through January 25, 2023

Sebastian Powell
January 25, 2023
2

Today is the last day that members of Avianca, a Star Alliance airline based in Colombia, can buy LifeMiles with...

Upgrade Your Travel IQ

Make the most of your travel with our free and daily newsletter with the latest hotel and airline news and promotions.

We do not sell or share email addresses.

ADVERTISEMENT

Trending

Hilton Go Employee And Friends & Family Rate Plans
Hilton Honors

Hilton Go Employee And Friends & Family Rate Plans

July 25, 2021
Japan Entry Experience Through Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport January 2023
Travel News

Japan Entry Experience Through Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport January 2023

January 25, 2023
UPDATE: Hilton Honors “Tier Last Call 2023 Promotion – Fast Track“ January 1 – March 31, 2023 (Updated Links )
Hilton Honors

UPDATE: Hilton Honors “Tier Last Call 2023 Promotion – Fast Track“ January 1 – March 31, 2023 (Updated Links )

January 26, 2023
German Members Of Parliament No Longer Receive Complimentary Lufthansa Senator Status As Of This Year
Lufthansa - Miles & More

Lufthansa Miles&More Offers One Year Senator Extensions For 1400 Euro, Free In Greater China

January 26, 2023
Hilton 25% Off Airline Staff Rate Plan
Hilton Honors

Hilton 25% Off Airline Staff Rate Plan

January 26, 2023

Top Categories

  • IHG Rewards Club
  • Marriott Bonvoy
  • Hilton Honors
  • Accor ALL
  • Airfare Of The Day
  • Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG)
  • Hyatt – World of Hyatt
  • Travel News
  • American Airlines – AAdvantage
  • British Airways
ADVERTISEMENT

All Categories

In Case You Missed It

Best Western Asia 7-Day Up To 35% Off Flash Sale For Stays Through March 31, 2023 (Book By January 29)

Best Western Asia 7-Day Up To 35% Off Flash Sale For Stays Through March 31, 2023 (Book By January 29)

January 23, 2023
IHG One Rewards 2,000 Bonus Points For Every 2 Nights February 9 – April 14, 2023

IHG One Rewards 2,000 Bonus Points For Every 2 Nights February 9 – April 14, 2023

January 25, 2023
Compensation Clinic: DoubleTree by Hilton New York Midtown Fifth Ave

Compensation Clinic: DoubleTree by Hilton New York Midtown Fifth Ave

January 22, 2023
Climate “Activists” Breach Secure Area At Berlin’s BER Airport & Glue Themselves To The Pavement – Airport Closed!

Berlin Brandenburg BER Airport General Ground Worker Strike On Wednesday, 25th January 2023 (All Flights Cancelled)

January 24, 2023
Airfare of the Day: Singapore Airlines PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS San Francisco CA (SFO), USA to Hong Kong SAR (HKG), PRC from $1,186 Round Trip

Airfare of the Day -Business Class- TURKISH AIRLINES Stockholm to Hong Kong from 1,561€

January 23, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT

Since 2011, we have been helping millions of visitors like you untangle travel loyalty programs for free upgrades, flights and hotel nights.

Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram

Site Navigation

  • About LoyaltyLobby
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Airfares
  • Contact Us

Hotel Promotions

  • Accor
  • Hilton
  • IHG Rewards
  • Marriott
  • World of Hyatt

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Our free daily newsletter sends you the latest information on hotel and airline programs.

We do not share or sell email addresses.

Site & Contents ©2011-2023 LoyaltyLobby.com
Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

  • News
  • Hotel Promotions
    • Accor
    • Best Western
    • Choice
    • Fairmont
    • Hilton
    • IHG Rewards
    • Marriott
    • Radisson Rewards
    • Ritz-Carlton
    • Starwood
    • World of Hyatt
    • Wyndham Rewards
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Blog View
No Result
View All Result

© 2011–2023 LoyaltyLobby.com - Site & Contents