avianca — Local services in Bogota, Capital District

Avianca used to be a solid legacy carrier, but over the past couple of years they’ve quietly migrated to a low-cost, Spirit Airlines-style operating philosophy with the atrocious service to match.

Over two flights, it was one disaster after another. We had to change a flight, so called Avianca to make the changes required. Everything seemed fine and we received multiple confirmation emails, but when we arrived to the airport the airline staff said that they could find no record of the change, and that we had to call Avianca to figure it out because they as employees were somehow powerless to do so. When we further questioned them - not rudely but obviously not pleased about the situation either - they literally left the counter unmanned and went and hid around the corner, despite their being other customers to attend to. We left the airport to buy a SIM as we were in Colombia and didn’t have cell service, called and got an absolutely useless response, then by a complete stroke of luck were told by a taxi driver about another Avianca office in town. They were able to solve our problem - for another $40 - but if not for that taxi driver we’d still be stranded there.

On our flight from Bogota to Boston, we bought “premium” seats but, even in spite of that, didn’t even receive water on a 6-hour flight. If you wanted quite literally anything, you were obligated to pay for it.

It’s honestly sad to see Avianca pursuing this approach. It’s a strategy guaranteed to bring them short-term success and long-term ruin, and has converted an airline that Colombian’s could once be proud of into a disaster of ineffective and inflexible customer service, with a flight experience certain to leave customers disappointed and frustrated.

Hopefully they pull out of this nosedive at some point, but until then avoid...

This is an unprofessional and corrupt airline. Every step in the process in dealing with Avianca was disappointing. Their non-functioning website was a red flag from the start. But there was no other alternative airline to get from the New York City area to Pereira, Colombia. I called customer service and spent hours dealing with different agents attempting to purchase the flights by phone before they could complete the transaction. On the last leg of the return flight, a miserable agent at the check-in counter claimed that I had an oversized carry-on bag and would have to pay $200 and check the bag or I would have to leave without it. He would not address how it could be considered oversized when: it fit in the apparatus right next to the counter that passengers use to test their luggage size, I had flown from NYC to Bogota and Bogota to Pereira with the same piece of standard carry-on luggage on the previous Avianca flights without incurring a fee, and numerous passengers were allowed to board with the same size luggage (and slightly larger) without being charged. Since I had space left in the checked bag for which I paid extra, I asked if I could rearrange items from the alleged oversize carry-on and put them and/or put the carry-on itself into the checked bag. The smug agent seemed to delight in telling me that the checked bag was already on the conveyor and could not be returned to me. The passengers around me who witnessed this all agreed that I was being targeted because I was white and carrying an American passport. I paid the $200 because I could not leave my luggage behind. I explained all of this to Avianca customer service upon my return and they refused to issue a refund. Please see the attached photos confirming the size of my bag and the other larger bags that others were allowed...

Trip to Colombia and recently had a terrible experience with Avianca Airlines. The customer service was the worst I have ever encountered. I purchased tickets and upgrades to the "best seats ", only to find out that they were removed without any notice or explanation. I had to spend hours on the phone with customer service to get the issue corrected, which was a major inconvenience given we only found out about these changes because I double checked everything a few days prior to take off. Their initial solution was the money spent on upgraded seats could be given as a credit for future flights. After mentioning I would just dispute it with my credit card coverage did they correct the concern and provide us the upgraded seats again.

To make matters worse, Avianca cancelled several flights and delayed my trips by days with very little notice or explanation. When I asked about compensation, it seemed they were very selective about who they provided compensation to. Only after showing them pictures of compensation being given to other passengers did they reluctantly provide it.

The staff also made several errors with my baggage and seating arrangements, but when I asked for their names, they refused to provide them and literally left the wicket to avoid taking ownership of their errors. There's also the ongoing claim issues with luggage that was damaged and temporarily lost.

Overall, my experience with Avianca Airlines was a nightmare, and I would strongly advise against using this airline if you've got...