Late departure. When the flight arrived in Medellin the plane sat at the gate for 20 minutes waiting for a bus for us to get off the plane.
i think the flight was late because they were so strict about measuring everyone's personal items to try and charge them $119. It was really petty and made us late.
Terrible, We had to stay in Bogota for two days due to weather but the airline did not provide for the same day flight. Only two days later
Business class seats did not lie flat. There was only powdered milk for your coffee....in Business Class!! Food was good.
Boarding was somewhat confusing in that the wrong messages were being displayed at the gate. It was somewhat annoying that I got off one flight and straight onto another (from the same gate), but in between they re-checked my hand luggage and made me get rid of my water (which they charge for on the plane). I was sitting in their 'Plus' seating, but the leg room was still too small to be able to sit square. The food options on the flights are pretty cheap quality (but not price). They got me from 'A' to 'B' on-time and for a relatively good price, but the experience itself was below average.
So so, you feel like you have to pay for everything each time
COP 7,000 for a cup of mediocre coffee. I thought I was on Spirit Airlines for a minute. Otherwise the flight was fine. Nothing exceptional to report.
I paid over $200 for seat selection for these flights and I was still stuck on long international flights in seats that do not recline and do not have the head support cushion. At this point basically all airlines have those for all seats, and this really took me by surprise and made me not ever want to travel on Avianca. The Kayak agent who called me for the seat selection (Donovan) was courteous, but it seems the system for this doesn't work. I was offered seat selection, for the $200+, but without being able to see what I was selecting, with no guarantee where I'd be...and then I still ended up in terrible seats. On my way to, and especially after, a very intense business trip, the seat situation really soured my experience.
Overpriced checked bag price of $120 and they charge you for carryon if the size is not minimal of $120.
Be very careful of the initial low price because Avianca wil bill you for a carryon of $120 or a checked bag for $120. Also, be careful with connections because the customs entry process is slow and the connecting terminal is not close.
