Passenger Demand Powers Avianca’s Full Business Class Revival in the Americas

Colombian flag carrier Avianca is set to reintroduce business class seats on 40 routes within the Americas this fall, less than three years after discontinuing its premium product on most flights in the region.

In October 2022, Avianca eliminated its business class product on most flights within the Americas as part of a major overhaul of its business model. At the time, the Bogota-based airline was attempting to streamline its operations and become more efficient and profitable.

Photo: New Premium seats onboard Avianca’s Airbus A320 fleet. Courtesy of Avianca

Part of this involved remodeling the layouts of its Airbus A320 aircraft by replacing the business class seats with economy seats, which increased their total capacity by 20 percent.

The airline also repackaged its business class product on Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flights within the Americas, retaining the seats but eliminating the extra service, instead offering them as extra-legroom economy seats. The only business class product it continued to offer was on flights to Europe.

Photo: Business Class, Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Courtesy of Avianca

However, Avianca quickly reversed this controversial decision, restoring business class to select routes within the Americas in August 2023. These routes include those from Bogota (BOG) to Buenos Aires (EZE), Miami (MIA), and Sao Paulo (GRU), as well as from San Salvador (SAL) to Miami.

Where to find it?

The airline then reintroduced the product to 11 more routes from Bogotá in July 2024, followed by an additional 23 routes from Bogota, Medellín (MDE), and San Salvador in December 2024.

And now, starting September 15, Avianca’s business class seats will be available on the following flights

In total, Avianca’s business class seats will be available on more than 80 routes within the Americas from mid-September, with the airline suggesting that the gradual reintroduction of the product is due to popular demand.

Positive Passenger Response

“A year ago, we reintroduced the Business Class experience on 11 routes within the Americas from Bogotá,” said Frederico Pedreira, CEO of Avianca. “The response from our passengers was immediate, which led us to add 23 more routes in December. Today, I’m thrilled to announce that we are extending the service to all of our international routes from Bogotá, Medellín, and San Salvador.

Photo: Fred Pedreira, Avianca CEO. Courtesy of Avianca

“I want to thank the more than 500,000 customers who have placed their trust in choosing our Business Class product and the teams who have made it possible. This is a clear reflection of our commitment to listening to our customers and adapting with a flexible model that meets the needs of every traveler – because at Avianca, the sky belongs to everyone.”