Since the start of the Pandemic, Avianca has been trying to transform its business. The next step in the process has just been announced.
Business class on flights to Europe will only be offered on flights to the Americas as of October 1, 2022. As Avianca is changing how fares are bundled, the airline is promising a simpler product and more competitive fares within the Americas.
The Chief Commercial Officer of Avianca describes this development.
“We are making progress on our path to becoming the airline that everyone can fly with. That is why today we are presenting a new international fare scheme so that customers can enjoy their trips by choosing how to fly, which attributes to pay for, accessing a more practical and simple flight experience, without being tied to a particular class, and also with the option to add more than 15 products or services to your purchase if you need them. Thanks to the changes implemented in the aircraft cabins, we reached the same levels of seats offered in 2019 in the Colombian domestic market with 15% fewer takeoffs, which means a very important contribution to reducing the carbon footprint.”
In October of 2021, Avianca announced that it would reconfigure its A320s with 20% more seats and eliminate personal TVs. A premium economy with blocked middle seats was introduced by Avianca as part of this.
Even longer routes to the United States will no longer feature first class, as Avianca is taking this to the extreme. I'm curious how this will work. A 3,500-mile route that can't be operated by any of Avianca's narrow body aircraft is the one they fly between Bogota and Los Angeles.
As of October 1, the airline stopped selling business class on this route. Is the airline going to keep flying the 787 and not sell business class in the name of consistency, or is it going to reconfigure the body without business class?
As the airline filed for bankruptcy protection during the Pandemic, I can empathise with their need to cut costs and become more efficient.
I am surprised by the extreme direction the airline is taking. I understand that the economics of offering generous legroom and personal TVs in economy may not be great in some markets.
You would think that there would be something to be said for investing in a premium experience while also offering a lower cost product in the economy.
Premium seats in business class on flights to and from Europe, at least for those connecting beyond Colombia, will become more difficult to find for Avianca. Unless pricing is really competitive, there is not much reason to choose Avianca for a trip like this.
I think it makes sense for Avianca to not offer business class since the airline is merging with GOL.
A low cost carrier is what Avianca is moving towards. Business class will be cut on all routes in October of 2022. Business class will no longer be offered by Avianca. I'm curious how that plays out for routes like Bogota to Los Angeles, which are operated by wide body jets.
What do you think about Avianca cutting business class?
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