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Avianca’s Business Class Is Back on Select Routes Within the Americas

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Ryan Smith
Edited by: Nick Ellis
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Avianca, Colombia’s flag carrier based in Bogotá, is resuming business class service on select routes within the Americas, as first reported by One Mile at a Time.

Here’s everything that you need to know.

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Avianca’s Removal of Business Class in 2022

In October 2022, Avianca decided to eliminate business-class service on most of its routes. While business class stuck around for flights to and from Europe, flights within North and South America lost it.

At the time, Manuel Ambriz, Avianca’s chief commercial officer, said the decision was to create “a more practical and simple flight experience without being tied to a particular class.”

The decision led Avianca to strip its Airbus A320 aircraft of both business-class seats and personal televisions. Meanwhile, the airline began selling these seats, formerly considered business class, as extra legroom on both Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 aircraft. There was no elevated business class service or amenities offered.

Ambriz said that there were 15 ancillary products or services that could be added to the base fare.

The Return of Avianca Business Class

Now, Avianca is undoing its previous decision. Flights operated by Boeing 787 or Airbus A330 aircraft will once again provide the full business-class treatment, available through a progressive rollout.

Avianca Boeing 787 Business Class seat lie flat
A lie-flat seat in Avianca business class on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Image credit: Daniel Ross

These routes have — or will have — business class:

  • Bogotá (BOG) to Los Angeles (LAX)
  • Bogotá (BOG) to Buenos Aires (EZE)
  • Bogotá (BOG) to Miami (MIA)
  • Bogotá (BOG) to São Paulo (GRU)
  • San Salvador (SAL) to Miami (MIA)

Both amenities and service in business class have already returned to the daily Bogotá-Los Angeles route. They’ll return to the remaining routes on this list by August 15, 2023.

Several of these flights are lengthy — the flight between Bogotá and Los Angeles lasts over 7 hours — so passengers will be excited to once again find business-class amenities, food, and service that accompany their lie-flat seats.

Hot Tip:

Want to know more about the Avianca Lifemiles program? Read our full guide to this under-the-radar loyalty system.

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Final Thoughts

After filing for bankruptcy in 2021 and going to an all-economy offering in 2022, Avianca is making yet another change. This time, the airline is bringing back a true business class on select routes within the Americas region.

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About Ryan Smith

Ryan completed his goal of visiting every country in the world in December of 2023 and is letting his wife choose their destinations, including revisiting some favorites. Over the years, he’s written about award travel for publications including AwardWallet, The Points Guy, USA Today Blueprint, CNBC Select, Tripadvisor, Point.me, and Forbes Advisor.

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