I’ve booked tickets on a lot of niche carriers over the years, though here’s something that I’ve never seen before.
Continue reading: Boliviana De Aviacion Doesn’t Want You To Book Business Class
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Maybe a partial explanation: On its domestic and short/medium-haul international network only offers Economy. It only offers Business Class on its flights to the US and Europe. So I guess the vast majority of the tickets are economy tickets ... that my 2 cents ...
It happens when the airline cannot even afford a booking system with various classes.
They just let the OTAs sell it and process the reservation kinda manually. They don't have many flights, so it makes sense for them to not invest in the system.
Thrilled you finally got to try it!! Any initial insights on the flight? Taking it next month from Miami
@ Tyler -- Stay tuned, initial thoughts on the experience are coming later today. 🙂
I can’t imagine that state owned airline having a sophisticated IT department and revenue management.
Hey Lucky,
I experienced the same trying to book BOA from Sao Paulo - La Paz - Madrid. Impossible to do a business class search via their own website or reveal any prices for that cabin which is as you say bizarre.
Speaking from experience, I could see a hack-y website staff or external agency treating this like an upsell option... "Well, if you want customers to be able to book 2 classes on the website, we will need x more time/budget" (whether or not its true who knows)...
Which they weren't willing to invest for whatever reason.
The app points to under-resourced tech as well.
The other comment about their low volume of business tickets overall is another clue.
I flew Boliviana MIA-VVI round trip in business class. It is true you can't do this from their website. But a simple phone call to their number in Miami is all that is necessary. As a matter of fact, within a 24-48 hour window before the flight, you can upgrade to business class at a discount by calling the same number. They don't make it easy, but a phone call is all it takes.
That's odd for sure... FWIW I have long been interested in BoA, so given the few reviews out there and despite not being a fan of *that* YouTuber's drama, I decided to check out the video and was shocked when he said he got an upgrade on MAD-VVI for only 40€.
Reading the comments, I'm guessing you have already made your way to VVI, but if not, it'd be interesting to know whether such cheap upgrades are actually true.
You click on passengers to select class.
Kind of shocking you didn't figure that out.
@ Poe -- Are you actually able to click the "business" button? Because I'm not...
Is this the business class fare on their site?
This was a search for October 9 MIA VVI, it's similar to what Google Flights finds.
BF_NORMAL
USD. 639.30
9 Available Seats
Price per passenger
Am I the only one who doesn’t understand the airline’s “BoA” stylization (including on the tail) when the airline is “Boliviana de Aviacion”? Shouldn’t it be “BdA”?
Makes no sense to me.
It is not unusual for state owned carriers to not sell their premium tickets directly, and only through specific preferred agencies with appropriate political connections.
@ Poe -- Hah, that's even strange. So it doesn't work if searching MIA-VVI or VVI-MAD, but it works if searching MIA-MAD? But when you search MIA-MAD, do you also get the message about there being no availability?
I have just tried and I can't even book it in economy, I always get an error in Spanish that tells me they don't have any availability 🙂
Maybe they already make enough money off the carriage of drugs (like the half ton of cocaine found on one of their flights to Madrid)?
Maybe it’s a workaround to accept dollar payments, and have those dollars deposited in a US bank account (safe from inflation).
My first guess is that the politicians and connected businessmen who probably use this flight to go see their property and mistresses in Miami, don't want you clogging up their seat availability.
On their website, click where it says "1 Adult" and at the bottom of the drop down there is an option to book business fares.
Maybe there are indeed snakes (of the boa constrictor type) on their planes. 😉
I don’t know, but one reason I can think of is that it doesn’t sell well and so they are selling the seats in bulk in consolidation so that way they are guaranteed a payment and then the agents have to figure out how to sell them. Selling tickets in bulk was a thing for airlines in the past. I am guessing that maybe most people flying business are doing it as part of some kind of package tour? Maybe?
I own a travel agency, and we can view and book business-class flights through our GDS (SABRE).
Incidentally, you mention they operate MIA Madrid. I don't show that routing.
The jefes and diputados don't want the low yield clowns clogging up the business class seats on their way to Miami or Madrid...
But it doesn't actually highlight for MIA-VVI. For MIA-MAD yes but for some reason not for VVI route.
Oh there seems to be weirder... You document that your ticket was priced at $713 more or less, but their own display, which you show, indicates
"Super Eco',
"Eco", and then
"Normal" for a price higher ($ 780) than what you paid in Business.
Are you sure that "Normal" does not mean "Business Class"?
Many airlines, like Iberia in Europe, often offer Business Class for less than the highest Economy fare, one even sees it sometimes for AA/BA flights on the AA/BA websites. But the scale is not exactly the same...
The reason is that BoA is a state owned enterprise in a socialist country and the airline was established to offer reasonable fares and equality to the entire population. Fares are very low by western standards, even if you book a few days in advance. Because the principle of socialism/statism is ensuring that everyone is treated the same the government doesn't offer business class on its website because it doesn't want one Bolivian to be able to pay for a superior service that another Bolivian couldn't afford.
I flew a lot with BoA's predecessor in the late 90's an early 2000's.
LAB, for Lloyd Aereo Boliviano was a fascinating airline, the 2nd oldest in the world after Avianca. It flew from 1925 to 2010, had in the 1950's an extensive network spanning 3 contients and it operated, during its life no less than 25 different types.
In the end, it had a small fleet of Airbus A310, Boeing 737-300 and Boeing 727-200 bought from Brazil's VASP at the time of VASP's liquidation.
Sadly, service was never their forte but they already were unbeatable for the prices, especially in First Class.
@Natenate...
The US Dollar safe from inflation? Where have you been these past years ?
Yes, I know, we are nowhere yet near some South American inflation rates, but be patient. it is coming.
I think he meant that you can fly that airline from Bolivia to Miami or from Bolivia to Madrid on their long haul A330's.
That these flights are used for drug running, meet mistresses in Miami, or visit property in Miami (that is presumably bought to launder drug money and to meet said mistresses).
And Bolivia has what "buying power" or political connection with any of the international OTA's?
I can get flights in business class on Cubana (or whatever they wet-lease these nowadays) and i'm pretty sure they are a bit more socialist than Bolivia...
Ok, I have a wife from Bolivia and have been reading about BOA's Business Class being very nice. I have been in First Class in American Airlines and United. Looked on the BOA website for a flight from MIA to VVI in January 0f 2025 and found like others that Business Class doesn't exist online. I called BOA customer service in miami and after many attempts reached a Rep that told me that you had to call the same day of travel early in the morning to get a discounted upgrade without paying a high price (i think 5 am, I booked a ticket online for around $500 that was named Eco but was able to select a seat via the call near the front of the aircraft. I called the same day of the flight around 7 am for a flight at 11 pm from MIA to VVI arriving the next at 6 am to request a upgrade to Business Class. I was told the upgrade would cost $180 USD. They said someone would call me to accept payment as oppose to while I was talking to them which I didn't understand. After further conversation, they said I could pay at the check-in desk in MIA and that I had a reserved seat. I said well ok as a shot at Business Class. Arrived in Miami, checked in, paid the $180 and had the best airline seat I have had in my life (drinks, meals offer upon take off and breakfast, fully reclining seat which I slept in most of the flight, nice monitor, private window seat - took up two normal seats in the main cabin with an aisle between an others, amenities to include sleeping mask, blanket, toothbrush, etc... Interestingly all Business Class seats were taken up when I boarded with normal looking families as I was told almost all were available for same day upgrade? While in Bolivia, I booked travel from VVI to MIA for $350 USD as I paid with BOBs exchanged in the streets as opposed to the bank (Streets - $100 USD for 11,350 BOBs, Bank - $100 USD for 685 BOBs) at the Santa Cruz BOA physical store which was interesting in that they had No classes of service other than Super ECO. I asked the representative if I could request an upgrade to Business Call the same day of travel and they said "Of Course". In reading some of the other posts, I think it could be a way for drug traffickers to travel by commercial transportation by making it very hard to book and thus leaving many seats available for last minute travel plans. I need to find out whether I could advance purchase Business Class and the cost if able.