Hello from Bogota, as I’ve just kicked off my quick, special trip to Paris. For the first segment of this journey, I flew Avianca’s Airbus A320 business class on the three-hour flight from Miami (MIA) to Bogota (BOG). The airline markets this in different ways — initially it was branded as “Premium,” and now it’s marketed as “Business Class Americas,” so I’m just going to call it business class from hereon out.
How would I rank the Avianca narrow body business class experience? This product sort of has a weird position in the market. Think of it like a typical Latin American business class soft product, but with a less-nice seat. I’d say this is better than flying in economy, but other than that, it would be among my last choices when it comes to business class.
In this post, I want to share my initial impressions of the flight, and then soon I’ll have a full trip report.
In this post:
Avianca’s A320 business class seats are unusual
Avianca’s A320 business class is a product that I’ve never otherwise experienced before. It consists of a total of 12 seats, spread across three rows, in a 2-2 configuration. In reality, these are economy seats in a 3-3 configuration, but Avianca has retrofitted them in a creative way.
The center seat has basically been converted into a huge tray. Unlike business class on intra-Europe flights, the airline actually makes the seats wider. That’s because the typical armrests are removed, and the center seat becomes part of the aisle and window seats.
Each seat has an AC and USB-A plug underneath the armrest.
The seat is perfectly comfortable in terms of width, but the issue is the pitch. The seats have just 33″ of pitch, which isn’t great for business class, especially when the person in front of you reclines (and especially when the person in the aisle seat refuses to get up so that you can use the bathroom, which I dealt with on this flight).
So in terms of hard product, I’d say this is weaker than just about any other business class product out there, though the creative center tray makes this considerably more comfortable than intra-Europe business class.
To Avianca’s credit, the airline only recently restored business class on flights within the Americas, after eliminating it years back. The airline was obviously looking for a cost effective way to do that, and I think this did the trick. Also to Avianca’s credit, some other airlines in Latin American (like LATAM) just have premium economy on regional flights, which is economy with a blocked middle.
When it comes to getting comfortable, Avianca does offer a pillow and blanket to business class passengers, which is a step up from some other airlines in the region.
Avianca’s business class food & service are fine
When it comes to the soft product, I’d say Avianca’s A320 business class experience is average, or perhaps just a little below average.
I was on a breakfast flight, and the choices were either an omelet or pancakes. I ordered the omelet, which was rather cheesy and oily, and came with a side of fruit, plus a selection from the bread basket.
There was a full selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, but as is consistently the case in Latin America, Avianca participates in the war on milk. They only have powdered creamer, and nothing liquid to put in coffee. That’s common on airlines in Latin America, and I just don’t get it — is loading tiny packages of milk really too much of an expense, or…?
As far as service goes, the crew was friendly enough. They weren’t rude in any way, but also went through the motions. After the initial meal service, they didn’t pass through the cabin once to offer drinks (of course I could have pushed the call button, but you’d think they could pass through a couple of times).
Avianca’s A320s have streaming entertainment
Unfortunately Avianca doesn’t have Wi-Fi on its Airbus A320s. Or at a minimum, my flight didn’t have it. I know the airline plans on introducing it, though I’m not sure the current status of that being rolled out, and best I can tell, not much progress has been made.
While there’s no Wi-Fi, the airline does offer streaming entertainment to your own device. The selection wasn’t huge, but was better than nothing — we’re talking around 40 movies, 25 TV shows (some with multiple episodes), games, etc. I’d recommend bringing your own entertainment, if possible.
Would I fly Avianca’s A320 business class again?
It’s always hard to say for sure whether I’d fly a product again, since it all depends on the price, schedule, route, alternatives, etc. I think the way I’d describe Avianca’s A320 business class is that it’s one of the weakest business class products in the Americas, but I also wouldn’t go out of my way to avoid it.
I mean, if flying between Miami and Bogota, would I rather fly Emirates first class or Avianca business class? I’ll let you decide. 😉 But if Avianca had the best price or schedule by a wide margin, I wouldn’t hesitate to fly this product again. It’s comfortable enough, certainly much more comfortable than economy.
In a word, I’d describe the experience as forgettable. That’s not great, but it’s also not a terrible thing (after all, there are some airlines I’ve flown that are memorable, but not in a good way). Avianca’s pricing is all over the place, and if this were a very good value, I’d absolutely fly it again. However, in most situations, I don’t actually find Avianca’s business class pricing to be that great, which is why I’d rather fly another airline.
In many markets, Avianca competes with Copa (in terms of pricing and one-stop connectivity), and if flying a narrow body, I’d absolutely select Copa over Avianca, whether flying on one of the carrier’s 737s with standard business class seats, or 737s with flat beds. The two airlines have comparable soft products, but Copa’s hard product wins by a long shot.
Bottom line
I’m happy I finally had the chance to fly Avianca’s unique Airbus A320 business class. The airline has an unusual hard product, where the middle seat is blocked, but in a more comfortable way than you’ll find within Europe. Beyond that, the soft product is roughly what you’d expect for regional business class on a Latin American carrier, with an okay meal, decent service, etc. It’s like Copa, but a bit less comfortable.
Let’s hope my connection in Avianca’s 787 business class is better…
What’s your take on Avianca’s A320 business class?
its what it is- we used that for quite some flights out of BOG, national and further south. brought our own catering, was alright i would say. comfier than the LH C we have to put with within europe
Hey Ben, I think the seats were designed exclusively for AV by Recaro, instead of retrofitted Y seats. One has to wonder though, what's the point in designing something that isn't truly special when there are plenty of "off-the-shelf" products
Ben, sorry to be nitpicking, but WiFi is how your laptop/phone connects to the planes network, so clearly it had WiFi. You are confusing it with internet, which it didn’t have!
Post Covid Avianca is absolute garbage. The Avianca before 2020 and the Avianca of today are two totally different airlines. I would have never flown an American carrier over Avianca prior to 2020. Now, I will never fly them again. Not worth your money whatsoever. Even if you pay extra for the "business class" or the larger seats, its not guranteed. Good luck trying to get your money back from Avianca when your 2A seat...
Post Covid Avianca is absolute garbage. The Avianca before 2020 and the Avianca of today are two totally different airlines. I would have never flown an American carrier over Avianca prior to 2020. Now, I will never fly them again. Not worth your money whatsoever. Even if you pay extra for the "business class" or the larger seats, its not guranteed. Good luck trying to get your money back from Avianca when your 2A seat is given away at check in and you are stuck in 26C. They don't care, they will screw you anyway possible. Your ticket included a carry on? Good luck trying to argue that with the gate agent that swears your ticket does not include the carry on and you will have to pay $150 on the spot or you're not getting on your flight. Its simply extortion and the employees go to is always to file a complaint or refund request on the website which will go nowhere because they will never give you your money back or any type of compensation. I wouldnt wish dealing with Avianca "customer service" on my worst enemy.
Avianca ground service is awful. Grumpy and helpless staff, same thing for their Call Center and flight attendants. Even in premium cabins they want to make you hate the airline as much as they do.
was that actually powdered milk? I'd be fine with that. The packet does read non-dairy, which makes me think it's the crap that's widely available in the US and is largely HFCS.
Yup it's creamer which is awful stuff. I don't know why people think it's a good substitute for real milk.
"okay" but "not so great" are opposing viewpoints.
from what you wrote here I'd agree with "okay."
Nice review. I’m curious though about this “War On Milk” you mention. Who are the adversaries? I mean, milk is obviously one of them but I haven’t heard a peep even from our surgeon general about milk causing autism or anything like that so who is fomenting this war and why?
It was simply a turn of phrase, referring to airlines from certain parts of the world only offering powdered "cream", rather than anything in liquid form.
Powdered milk is a popular alternative to fresh or UHT in south America. Availability, long shelf life and lightweight, the US provides about 60% of the product.
What Lucky mentions is powdered creamer which isn't even a dairy product
The company I work for would not have allowed any of us to accept such an invitation as employees. We must avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest. This is your own business so you must do what works for you, but my question to you:
Will you be able to write an impartial review? I anticipate that AF will put in considerable effort for this inaugural flight. It would be interesting to...
The company I work for would not have allowed any of us to accept such an invitation as employees. We must avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest. This is your own business so you must do what works for you, but my question to you:
Will you be able to write an impartial review? I anticipate that AF will put in considerable effort for this inaugural flight. It would be interesting to compare this experience with a non-inaugural flight. Perhaps I might do it myself, when prices for first class become reasonable due to economic recession.
JD, don’t hold your breath but I am waiting for AF to roll out the CDG-SIN new La Premiere service.
We fly the LHR-SIN route with SQ in the A380 suites, three or four time per year.
Our hope is to fly out AF and return SQ, more expensive but worth a squirt as my final retirement present to myself.
The likes of Eskimo, Plain Jane and Mason, will I’m sure, be just waiting to criticise my post flight missive.
@AeroB
I am holding my breath while rubbing my hands in glee at the stated impending disaster. Morbid, I know, but with every disaster there is oft some opportunity. This is one of the opportunities I'm looking forward to...
I also have a first class trip to Tokyo from the USA later this year on JAL, that is currently scheduled to occur on a B77W. I have been looking to switch one leg to...
@AeroB
I am holding my breath while rubbing my hands in glee at the stated impending disaster. Morbid, I know, but with every disaster there is oft some opportunity. This is one of the opportunities I'm looking forward to...
I also have a first class trip to Tokyo from the USA later this year on JAL, that is currently scheduled to occur on a B77W. I have been looking to switch one leg to the A351 so I can sample both services, but no luck as yet. Hope springs eternal...
I see it differently -- I REALLY liked the hard product! For me, it has much more USABLE space than Intra-Euro and most UA/AA/DL narrowbody non-lie flat seats.
Context: I flew this from LAX-GUA last year. $100 upgrade from Y at check-in.A320Neo Seat 2A -- no one sitting in 1A or 2C. 4.5 hour flight.
Why:
- The seat cushion is physically wider, as it extends into the middle seat.
-...
I see it differently -- I REALLY liked the hard product! For me, it has much more USABLE space than Intra-Euro and most UA/AA/DL narrowbody non-lie flat seats.
Context: I flew this from LAX-GUA last year. $100 upgrade from Y at check-in.A320Neo Seat 2A -- no one sitting in 1A or 2C. 4.5 hour flight.
Why:
- The seat cushion is physically wider, as it extends into the middle seat.
- As such, I was able to take my shoes off and sit in the seat cross-legged (aka, Indian style) -- and I'm 5' 8" (174cm).
- The middle seat tray was a desk for my laptop and phone. Power built into the tray meant no need to reach under the seat / worry about power falling out.
As far as hard products go, it's miles above Euro seats. And given the space utilization, I liked it more than Delta/United/AA non-lie flats. $20/hour for all this space was well worth it.
On Copa's 737-800s, their 49" pitch recliner is much nicer. But I prefer this to their 38" pitch (aka, legacy CO F seats).
At the time, the soft product was non-existent. Even food, water, pillow, blankets cost $$. And I don't recall seeing a flight attendant once. Looks like it's gotten better since then.
I agree with you, this seat is really nice and spacious, in addition, quite different from what we see on many airlines.
The only issue I have is that if no one is sitting next to me, I would prefer Club Europe to lie down and sleep in the three seats...
I flew on this seat few months ago to CUR (premium economy) and I definitely prefer this/European setup to CM I got on the return flight, which has huge chairs but there's absolutely no space between me and the person next to me. This was quite comfy.
I last flew AVs A320s in early 2020 from CUR to BOG. What a effing downgrade from that experience back then.
Back then, you would get a proper recliner with proper legroom, complimentary wifi and a reasonable meal.
Avianca really went from mediocre to shit in no time.
Please write up a story on the passenger not letting you out. Very strange.
Probably there's no story. Some people simply believe that they don't have to stand up to let other passengers get to the aisle. I've witnessed countless instances of passengers climbing over others because of this. Seems to be a cultural thing in certain regions (e.g. Latin America, China, S/SE Asia). The opposite is also true; once in a flight from Europe to SCL, a Chinese passenger simply threw himself all over me to get to...
Probably there's no story. Some people simply believe that they don't have to stand up to let other passengers get to the aisle. I've witnessed countless instances of passengers climbing over others because of this. Seems to be a cultural thing in certain regions (e.g. Latin America, China, S/SE Asia). The opposite is also true; once in a flight from Europe to SCL, a Chinese passenger simply threw himself all over me to get to the aisle with no notice or even a gesture.
I flew this recently BOG-ORD. I had a similar experience except the FA was pretty good, calling me by name the whole flight. The blanket and amenity kit were also above average.
1st row is quite tight and should be avoided.
The drip coffee actually tastes good unlike US based airlines despite no real cream/milk.
I guess it'd depend on how tall you are. I'm 5'7 and I prefer row 1 just to avoid having anyone reclining in front of me. But yeah, taller passengers would struggle in row 1.
I also recently flew this product for the first time, on IAD-SAL-IAD while checking a new country off my list.
For four hours and almost 2000 miles, it was not a very pleasant product to fly. Beat coach and got me lounge access in SAL, but the dinner on IAD-SAL was lousy and streaming options were pretty limited for a flight of this length. Glad they had a premium product to try, but overall not a fan.
The trick with the middle seat getting extra width+table is nothing new, I first saw it on Czech Airlines (RIP) 20+ years ago. I'm sure that some European airlines still do it today- possibly TAP?
Think I almost flew all European Carriers in the last 30 years and never ever I saw that kind of Config in Business. I've flown every TAP A/C for the last 30 Years and not one had that Config. Plus TAP's Business Class on Narrow Bodies, up untill kind of 15 years ago was a 2-3 Config (Only the 2 was with a blocked middle seat), on the right side they sold the 3 seats, but not anymore.
The resurrected Braniff back in 1984 had a seat that would do something like this, so it has been around a long time. The center back would form a table and an armrest.
Genuine question - do you think Emirates economy on this route is a better product than this?
I flew Emirates Economy Class on this route back in June 2024 round trip. Comparing my experience to this review, I would say it depends on what your looking for.
Emirates 777 economy had a full meal with good quality (same quantity as their long haul flights meals), a comfortable seat with adjustable headrest, pillow, blanket, headphones, and an IFE screen. However, it's worth noting that Emirates typically uses their older 777s on the...
I flew Emirates Economy Class on this route back in June 2024 round trip. Comparing my experience to this review, I would say it depends on what your looking for.
Emirates 777 economy had a full meal with good quality (same quantity as their long haul flights meals), a comfortable seat with adjustable headrest, pillow, blanket, headphones, and an IFE screen. However, it's worth noting that Emirates typically uses their older 777s on the Miami route, but I think they may have announced that the MIA route (and in turn BOG) would get the refurbished 777 cabins with new J product and refreshed Y product). The crew was extremely friendly and exceptional as well, and I had an amazing conversation with them. I also flew the route within the first 10 days of the route launching, so this was the first time the crew was working the flight which I assume contributed to their festive attitude.
The positives of booking Avianca's A320 Business Class is lounge access (if you do not otherwise have lounge access with a credit card). Otherwise, there are a lot of Priority Pass lounges in BOG (including the standard Avianca lounge, not the Business Class one though), and there are also PP options in the MIA south terminal (where Avianca and EK both depart from). You also only have 2 seats next to each other, and you have the side console. At the same time, this flight is only 3 hours long, so it depends if you really need or value the extra personal space.
I personally think its better to save your money/points and fly with Emirates. Unless you value the extra space with Avianca's premium product. It's also worth noting that Emirates Business Class often isn't sold out on the Bogota flight, and they offer reasonable cash upgrades from Economy on the day of departure for about $300 USD.
Correction: it seems Emirates is now using their retrofitted 777s with the new cabins (not the new first class though) on the DXB-MIA-BOG route.
As @JB pointed out, sometimes EK offer J tickets that are cheaper than AV's and, if your schedule allows for it, there's really no need to consider flying with AV in this case.
Hi Ben, thanks for the review.
This seems far superior than most European business class products where only 30-31 inch pitch is offered. Then again the stage lengths in Europe are shorter.
Regardless neither Avianca‘s nor most European Airlines‘ Business class is worthy of being classed as comfortable. I’d much rather sit in an economy emergency exit row and not have the seat in front of me pushing into my legs.
One of the reasons I appreciate this blog so very much is the standard of rude and friendly tends to match my perception.
I’m sick and tired of Google reviews from people who rate service as good when it’s actually snippy and uncomfortable. Like did these people grow up with any manners? Like,...
One of the reasons I appreciate this blog so very much is the standard of rude and friendly tends to match my perception.
I’m sick and tired of Google reviews from people who rate service as good when it’s actually snippy and uncomfortable. Like did these people grow up with any manners? Like, not even having their own manners, but recognizing good manners and distinguishing them from bad manners?