Avianca Reviews 1,801

Avianca is the only airline that does direct flights between the UK and Colombia — and that’s literally the only reason I use them. No other airline wants to do anything less than 2 random stopovers.

Problem one: They charged me twice. And trying to speak to a human being? Forget it. Their customer service is a black hole. Endless menus, bots, and WhatsApp dead ends that will drive you insane. I only got my money back after months and a chargeback from my bank.

More recently, I booked a flight for my sister. Her full first name didn’t fit in their booking system, so I had to shift part of it into the last name box. I contacted Avianca to confirm it wouldn’t be a problem and of course, they can’t give a straight answer. Just the same useless routine: call this robot, message that bot, go around in circles until you give up.

And every time I call, they hit me with that fake slogan: “At Avianca, the sky belongs to all of us.” No it doesn’t. It belongs to bots and automated replies. Stop with the cheesy slogans and hire some damn humans to answer the phone.

I hate that I have no choice but to book with them. If you’ve got any other option, take it!

We were on a flight Bogota to Toronto (Unfortunately) an they had accepted a booking full of senior school children (100 plus). There was a lot of turbulence and every child continued to ignore the seatbelt sign, they were throwing food, screaming, shouting, climbing over chairs. Normally if this was a handful of children you chalk it up to luck on a plane, this was extreme torture.

I have complained and expressed my concern on the safety in relation to the staff being unable to enforce the safety procedures and the response I received was poor. I am now going to complain to CAA, DO NOT FLY it is absolutely not safe to fly with them. They do not put your safety first. Terrifying.

My wife and I recently flew Avianca from SFO to Bogota Colombia. We upgraded to business class, which costs and extra $220.00 each. After we were approved we both tried to add an extra bag to the baggage app on line, but we were unable to access. On arrival to SFO we were both charged $250.00 for an extra bag. The ticket agent was rude and dismissive. You should make your online app more user friendly, and teach your employees customer service. It is highly unlikely that I will fly Avianca ever again!

I chose Avianca to fly to several destinations in South and Central America. My experience during flights has been fine so far, but I didn't like the booking process on Avianca's official website as I encountered a few issues:
- I booked one of the flights less than 48 hours before the flight and they wrote that I might be subject to a random security check meaning that I wouldn't be able to make an online check-in and that I had to show up 4 hours in advance and present the physical card I used for payment. They showed this warning only AFTER the payment. What if I used a virtual card, not a physical one (and it was the case indeed)? What if I have another flight and I can't show up 4 hours in advance? Fortunately, I wasn't selected for this random security check and could proceed to my flight normally.
- On another occasion I haven't been able to book a flight for unknown reason. After providing my payment info they don't charge my card and show a message that my booking awaits validation. I pay with the same card at other airlines' websites without any issues.

A decent airline overall but I'd prefer LATAM if it's available for my destination given a similar price.

I flew out to Colombia on 10th April, I paid for extra case £93.00 , turns out now that was only 1 way, who on earth travels a return flight without taking their cases home ? Also I had a connecting flight from Bogota to Ibague , spent 1 and a half hours in air only to be brought back to Bogota, I didn't realise as I don't speak Spanish, no one made any announcements in English, when I tried to get help I was met with ignorance and contemptuous attitude, it almost felt racist, thank God a lady who does speak good English and Works for Palace of Justice,saw and over heard and helped me , only then did I know I was back in Bogota, the flight to Ibague kept getting changed , at one point said it may be cancelled till next day , so at 10 am my son started the journey from Ibague, then around 1pm they announced 2pm flight , little to late as son was nearly at airport! Then to add insult to injury I realised had left my phone in the pocket of airplane seat , according to Airline never found! So all in all Staff rude, no consideration to passengers who speak little Spanish, no tolerance, and as I was told no recompense due to ( act of GOD) however their conduct was not act of GOD ! Lost property does not get handed in , £1200 Samsung , now I find out that my extra case that I paid for , £93 .00 is only 1 way ? Who on earth takes 2 cases out on holiday without taking them home ! All in all Avianca may hold monopoly for Colombia , but they are poorly organised, have no customer service values , are not clear in their services. So all in all my trip cost me £1000.00 and all to be treated like an insignificant inconvenience, didn't get my 2nd part of contracted agreement by virtue of booking, and worse find staff not trusted to hand in property! Appalling!

Do not ever fly Avianca. What a disaster this airline turned into. They have the most incompetent and rude staff at the airports and customer center. Tickets are overpriced to fly cheap and uncomfortable planes. Seats are tight and overall the experience is not great.

The worst airline I've had the privilege to book a flight with. Customer service has been absolutely horrible as well

Staff is not friendly.
Seats are terrible. I am tall I cannot even fit. There is no confort. I am a gold Star Alliance member and never saw such a cheap airliner in that family.

I was on on a 6 hour flight with legs in the main passage because I dont fit.
And SEAT IS NOT RETRACTABLE!!!!!

These is unacceptable.

I would avoid. Copa is noticeably better and offer cheaper.

Completely useless. I’m a LifeMiles Elite member, and yet they are unable to resolve even the simplest requests. You can call them, wait for months, and still get nowhere. There’s really no point in being a customer — you’re better off investing your time and money in an airline with a better loyalty program.

My husband and I received some credits for tickets we couldn’t use, but when we tried to redeem them, they didn’t work. We called, and they told us those weren’t credit vouchers. We then sent an email with all the screenshots showing the credits they gave us and the flight we missed. For two months, the only reply we received was an automated message saying they were working on it. When we called again, they basically told us there was nothing they could do and that we just had to wait until someone decided to respond by email — whenever they felt like it.

We booked a flight from Panama to Santiago Chile with a lay over in Bogota. We were happy that there weren’t any delays. To go to Chile as a foreigner you dont need a plane ticket out of Chile. But Avianca still asks for it. It was nowhere mentioned when we bought the ticket.

BESIDES THIS WE GOT NO FOOD OR DRINKS FOR A 14 hour TRAVEL. And the tickets werent even that cheap.

Also there is less space to sit than a Ryan Air flight.

I had a truly frustrating and costly experience with Avianca. I booked round-trip tickets in December for myself and my child to fly from Quito to the Galápagos in April. A month before departure, Avianca unilaterally changed our flight to a different day, added a stop, and never requested my consent. This disrupted our carefully planned trip, which included prepaid ferries, tours, and hotels.

After contacting customer service, I was told the flight was “overbooked,” yet others in my group were still on the original flight. Avianca refused to offer a viable solution and claimed I agreed to the change, which I clearly did not. I asked for a refund, but as of late April, it still hasn’t been processed.

I had to purchase alternate tickets through another airline for over $1,700. Ironically, that airline later rebooked us—on the exact Avianca flight I was told was full. That same flight had six empty seats when I boarded.

To make matters worse, Avianca flights offer no complimentary snacks, drinks, or entertainment, and some seats don’t even recline. This airline is unreliable and showed a complete lack of accountability and transparency. I would strongly caution others before booking with Avianca.

Avianca once was a respectable airline, now has the worst service.
They changed my itinerary delayling my connection flight by 6 hours!!! Increasing my stop.over from 2 hours to 8.30 hours and blamed the operator. They didn't want to reschedule the flight even if on their website says that if you have a delay caused by the airline you have the right to rebook without charge.... well all nice and beautiful until you speak with their customer service to find out that they will wash their hands on you.
Stay away from this airline...

A well deserved 1 star. This is truly the worst airline that I have ever experienced. And if you have an issue or problem to be resolved then you are left out in the twilight zone becuase there is nobody to contact.
The top management of this airline must be all fired ! it is truly a deplorable airline

Will never use Avianca again!!!! Had to pay $210 for a extra small bag. This is a rip-off. Manager at Tampa desk said I should I have known. I advised the manager I would never use Avianca again. he replied that it was my choice. Obviously, no focus on customer service. The amount of money they will lose from my future flights will much greater. Travel Avianca at your own risk. They will find ways to rip you off

During a recent flight with Avianca, our family experienced a deeply upsetting and emotionally difficult situation. Our 2-year-old daughter became extremely distressed when we tried to place her in her own seat with the seatbelt for landing. She was terrified and only wanted to remain on her mother's lap. Despite multiple calm attempts on our part, she continued to panic.

The lead flight attendant showed no understanding or compassion. Instead of assisting us or trying to de-escalate the situation, she repeatedly and firmly insisted that our daughter be secured immediately, without considering her emotional state or offering any support. Her rigid approach only made the panic worse.

The situation escalated further when the pilot announced over the intercom that we needed to land but that a passenger was refusing to sit down – clearly referring to us. This public announcement caused immense embarrassment and stress, with everyone on the plane turning to look at us. We found this extremely unprofessional and humiliating.

We fully understand and respect the importance of safety regulations, especially during landing. However, we believe that Avianca staff – particularly those in leadership positions – should be trained to handle situations involving young children with more empathy, flexibility, and communication skills.

We kindly ask that this complaint be taken seriously, and that the incident be reviewed internally so future situations involving families with young children can be handled in a more supportive and professional manner.

The last time I traveled on Avianca, it was extremely uncomfortable because the space between seats was so small. People are not animals. Expensive and poor service

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the experience I had during my recent flight with Avianca last week. The issues I encountered were not only unacceptable but also demonstrate a serious lack of professionalism by your company. Below are the key points that highlight the poor service and unfair treatment I received:

Incorrect Carry-On Baggage Charge: During the booking process, your website incorrectly listed my carry-on baggage as a 23 kg checked bag. When I attempted to resolve this issue, no solution or refund was provided. This mistake was clearly caused by a flaw in your website, and it is entirely unacceptable that I had to pay for a service I did not request, with no compensation or satisfactory response.

Issues with Seat Confirmation for Return Flight: Despite having reserved and confirmed seats for my return flight from the United States, 10 hours before the flight, I was notified during check-in that my seats were not confirmed. Moreover, each premium seat, which I had already paid for, now cost an additional $100. This is completely unacceptable and disappointing, especially since I trusted your confirmation and had already paid for a service that was not properly honored.

Slow Website and Unclear Policies: The overall experience with Avianca has been frustrating. Your website is slow, unreliable, and confirms purchases for services that were never actually booked. These continuous failures don’t seem like simple errors but rather tactics to overcharge customers. Given your lack of a clear refund policy, it appears that these mistakes are intentional to avoid issuing reimbursements, thus covering your company's tracks.

Conclusion: Avianca not only fails to provide adequate service, but your company also seems to go out of its way to complicate the customer experience and charge for unfulfilled services. My experience with Avianca has been far from what is expected of an airline. Not only was I overcharged due to your company's mistakes, but I was also treated with indifference and disrespect.

I demand a full refund for the additional charges on the carry-on baggage and the extra costs incurred for the seats I had to purchase at the last minute. I have already reported this matter to my bank, but I want to ensure that this complaint is taken seriously. Avianca doesn’t offer competitive pricing, nor does it provide the premium service it claims to.

I expect a prompt resolution and that serious actions be taken to improve your service and prevent this from happening to other customers in the future.

I would not recommend Avianca to any user with common sense.

Their website was not working and I could not buy extra baggage online. They charged me extra airport price ($130 for hand luggage) even though I was able to show them that the website would not allow me to buy luggage. Staff is acting arrogant and rude.

They insisted I needed an onward ticket from Toronto to Bogota which I understand some airlines insist on this while others don't. But, they told me that if I didn't by said ticket with them that I wouldn't be able to board the flight to Colombia and I'd have to wait 24 hours for the next flight. They've also cancelled flights last minute with no explanation leading to a three hour wait to resolve the situation. They're the most unprofessionally, greedy, slimy airline on the planet. I'll never fly with them again. I hope they go out of business and are replaced by a company run by people with ethics.

Believe what everyone else is saying. This airline is greedy, heartless and will lie to your face. They lied to me for the reason for my delay, denied me boarding to a plane I had every right to be on, promised vouchers to us that we did not receive, and denied any compensation for a 10+ hour delay that was their fault.