I have not been paid by any entity in any way (financially, benefits) to write this Avianca Plus Class review. Take precautions when traveling; please stay safe and consult local, state, and national authorities for guidance on traveling.

Trip: IAD-BOG, BOG-CTG, Ermita Cartagena, CTG-MIA, MIA-DCA

Avianca is the flag carrier of Colombia, serving as one of the largest airlines in Latin America. Today I was flying onboard their A320neo in economy from Washington Dulles to Bogota, Colombia.

Quick Take: Avianca Plus Class Review

Category	Rating (Out of 10)
Seat Comfort	😐 5/10
Dining & Beverages	😐 5/10
Service & Crew	✅ 8/10
Lounge Access	✅ N/A
Value for Points/Cash	✅ 8/10

Good economy class for a short-flight, but admittedly is very no-frills and not comfortable for long distances.

Flight Details

Airline: Avianca
Flight: AV 8558
Route: Bogota (BOG) – Cartagena (CTG)
Cabin Class: Economy
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 10D
Booking Method: Avianca LifeMiles
Cost: 18,360 Miles + $45 USD
Date: February 21, 2024
Flight Time: 1h 30m

Preflight Experience in Bogota

After landing from Washington, D.C., I had to go through immigration and passport control at Bogota’s El Dorado airport. With only an hour and 40 minutes to transit, this connection made me sweat. The foreigners’ line at El Dorado can experience a logjam depending on the time of day. Having landed at 11:40am with a connection at 1pm, I’d recommend stacking in a longer layover.

Boarding was straightforward. Being a Star Alliance Gold member, I was allowed to board in Group A.

Seat & Cabin Comfort on the A320

As I’ve noted in my previous review, Avianca’s aircraft feature Recaro slimline seats in economy. The economy cabin, which includes their extra legroom seats labeled as Avianca Plus, is laid out in the traditional 3-3 configuration, with regular economy seats offering 30-31 inches of pitch. Avianca Plus seats offer 34-36 inches of pitch.

Today I was seated in Avianca Plus, which still has fairly tight legroom.

For reference, I’m 6’1″, so I was feeling pretty closed in on this flight. Thankfully, it was only an hour and a half of flying time.

Dining & Beverages

Avianca has an onboard bistro program called Café del Cielo, where you can purchase refreshments throughout your flight.

On this short flight, I opted against buying anything.

You can take a look at the Avianca onboard menu here:

In-Flight Entertainment & Connectivity

Avianca has complimentary entertainment that you can watch on your phone or tablet via their Avianca on Air platform. They unfortunately do not have functional wifi on their aircraft, but you can use the connection to view information on your flight and the flight map.

Final Verdict: Is Avianca Economy Plus Worth It?

As I noted in my previous Avianca review, the experience is not terrible, but its not great. The legroom and comfort on average is poor, but the service is generally good. Crew members are fairly friendly, although as always that can be a hit or miss. It really is an airline that does some things well, and other things poorly. If you’re looking to travel to Colombia, it really is one of the only airlines that offers the flexibility and options to get you to where you need to go safely and reliably, without breaking the bank.

Overall Rating: 6.25/10

What are your thoughts? Have you flown with Avianca? Let me know in the comments!

As always, Live Life One Trip at a Time!

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