Avianca Airlines has been the flag carrier of Colombia since 1919, when it was known as SCADTA, officially changing its name to Avianca in 1940. This makes it the oldest existing airline in the Americas, and the second oldest in the world after KLM. It is also the second largest airline in Latin America after Chile’s LATAM, with subsidiaries in many South American countries including Brazil, Argentina, and Ecuador. With its registered office in Barranquilla and its global headquarters in Bogota, it flies to more than sixty destinations worldwide, including eight cities in the United States. Avianca does not provide a first class service, but its business class offers one of the best ways to fly to Central and South America.
October 01, 2022
Avianca’s central hub is the El Dorado Airport in Bogota, with a secondary hub in San Salvador. Flying to the Americas and Europe, the airline services over 100 destinations across 27 countries. This only includes six U.S cities – New York, Orlando, Miami, Washington, Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles. With a fleet of over 100 planes, Avianca conducts nearly 750 daily flights, although this is expected to increase as the airline hopes to introduce additional routes soon.
Like all airlines, Avianca has a frequent flyer program, called LifeMiles. Once you’ve signed up, points can be earned by:
Buying flights with Avianca and its Star Alliance members
Shopping with one of the two Avianca credit cards,
Transferring points from other loyalty schemes.
Spending money in certain hotels, restaurants, or car rental companies
When it comes to redeeming these miles, the best way - as it often is - is to buy airfare. Other options exist, such as staying in hotels or making Amazon purchases, but the value you get per mile drops dramatically.
Some passengers can claim Avianca Elite status, which has various perks and benefits. There are four distinct tiers to this, each requiring customers to earn a certain amount of points within 12 months.
Red Plus - 6,500 points
Access to Avancia lounges
Priority check-in
Priority phone line
Advance notice of LifeMiles promotions
Silver - 11,500 points
All of the above
Priority boarding
Priority baggage handling
3x points earned
1 checked-in bag (economy)
Seat pre-selection
Gold - 23,500 points
All silver benefits
4 x points earned
2 pieces of checked-in luggage (economy) or one piece of checked-in luggage (business)
Access to live chat
Diamond - 40,000
All gold benefits
Access to VIP lounge + one guest
6 x points earned
No redemption fee
While the points required are reasonable compared to some other programmes, it’s important to note that 80% have to be earned flying with Avianca directly.
Avianca has two distinct fare classes, economy and business. These are split into smaller sub-sections.
Economy: XS
Personal item only
Standard boarding
One personal item
No miles earned
Economy: S
Personal item + carry on
Standard boarding
One personal item
Miles earned
Economy: M
Personal item + carry on
Checked-in bag
Standard boarding
One personal item
Miles earned
Advance seat selection
Economy: L
Personal item + carry-on
Checked-in bag
Priority boarding
One personal item
Miles earned
Advance seat selection
Flight changes/refunds available
Business: XL (Only available on routes to Europe)
Personal item + carry on
Checked-in bag
Priority boarding
One personal item
Miles earned
Advance seat selection
More comfortable seats
Complimentary food and drinks
Business: XXL (Only available on routes to Europe)
Personal item + carry on
Two checked-in bags
Priority boarding
One personal item
Miles earned
Advance seat selection
Flight changes/refunds available
More comfortable seats
Complimentary food and drinks
Outside of the baggage allowances for different fares, passengers on Avianca flights need to pay to add luggage at standard rates.
Carry-on charges (only applicable for those on XS fares):
Domestic Colombia flights: 45,000 - 130,000 COP
Domestic Ecuador flights: $17-$40
U.S. flights: $50-$120
Checked in baggage fees
Domestic Colombia flights
Excess bag: 100,000 - 200,000 COP
Overweight bag: Over 45kg = 100 COP per Kg
Oversized bag (Over 158 linear cm): 100,000 COP per bag
International flights within Latin America:
Excess bag: $160-$260
Overweight bag: $100-$160
Oversized bag (Over 158 linear cm): $100 per bag
International flights to/from U.S, Canada & Mexico:
Excess bag: $125 - $225
Overweight bag: Over 23Kg = $55 - $100
Oversized bag (Over 158 linear cm): $140 per bag
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |