(Did not have too many choices there due to the US travel ban on Schengen area residents and me personally never wanting to fly with Iberia gain) Service was absolutely horrible and the food – as you have also stated – was a total joke, especially taking into account the price of $1,300 per ticket that my wife and I paid for our economy class ticket with no seat reservation included. Traveled with them again a few days ago after 1.5 years and… I was just shocked. Used to fly >60.000+ miles / year with them prior to March 2020, both within Latin America and between Europe/North America and Latin America.
However I agree, the food presentation is really bad, sometimes knowing what they will offer I rather just to eat in the lounge or in any fast-food resto in the terminal and just have a drink on the plane or even a Baileys, what’s wrong with Baileys? Even United or American Airlines in these short flights are offering a basic service, or even not offering anything when flying within USA in a 4 or 5 hours flight cost to coset, the people demand low prices as the ticket you bought and Baileys!Īvianca used to be somewhere between “decent” and “good” prior to the pandemic. That’s over! What is important now is the flexibility of the flight, legroom, and schedule of the flight. It is not like those days of one weekly flight to USA, now you will get something like Walmart standard, but I remember how good was the food in a mall in the ’60s. Unfurtonally, these flights of less than 6hours are no longer considered international…they are more like domestic flights and that’s why there are multiple flights per day. What a disappointment for a carrier that traditionally offered very tasty meals onboard.Įverybody knows that Central America and USA have different (lower) standards than flights between South America and Europe. Let that sink in…īut while I do think Avianca’s cost-cutting is absurd, I was happy to try it…now you don’t have to.
I could have taken United back from San Salvador – Los Angeles and been home three hours early and enjoyed a full meal aboard with wi-fi, individual screens, and streaming entertainment. Sure I’m complaining, but I also hope you will take my experience into mind when choosing which airline to travel on to Central and South America. This blog is all about first world problems like meal service in business class. That’s right, not even more water, Coke, or Baileys during the rest of the flight.įolks, don’t even bother with the smallest violin jokes. Settling back in my seat, I tried to relax.Īnd the flight attendant must have as well, for I didn’t see her until just prior to landing. But as I tried to open the sandwich, I found the bread had stuck to the wrapper and pulled apart as I tried to pull it out, emptying the lukewarm chicken all over the cardboard box it was served in. This would be dinner on the 5+ hour international flight.
I was also offered a box containing a chicken pita sandwich and plantain chips. Yes, three drink choices in business class, including Baileys. Is this a favorite drink in El Salvador?įinally she reached me in the last row and offered me a choice of water, Coca-Cola, or Baileys. She appeared with a beverage cart and I noticed just about everyone was ordering Baileys Irish Cream. That turned out to be a mistake on my part. I had enjoyed some tortilla soup in the lounge prior to the flight, but was somewhat hungry.
Shortly after takeoff, a flight attendant sprang into action. We took off on time and the captain informed us our flight time would be 5 hours, 17 minutes and we’d be landing in Los Angeles on-time. The business class cabin boarded full, with an off-duty flight attendant seated next to me. There was no wi-fi, no streaming video, and no overhead video except for the pre-flight safety briefing. At least there would be overhead video or streaming video, right? Wrong. Upon boarding my Airbus A319 from San Salvador (SAL) to Los Angeles (LAX), I noticed the cabin looked rather tattered and there were no individual screens.įine, I thought. It is currently operating in bankruptcy protection (with plans to emerge soon) and there is genuine concern whether the carrier can survive.Įven so, I was expecting a little something more on a 5.5 hours flight departing at dinner time in business class, and I don’t just mean the meal. To say my flight was disappointing would be quite an understatement.Īvianca Airlines Business Class Review Summed Up In One Word: Badįrom the outset, I acknowledge Avianca is a financially-troubled airline. Just when I thought in-flight service in business class could not get worse, I flew Avianca.