TRIP INDEX

Our trip once again started off at JFK Airport as we were graciously dropped off by my parents very early in the morning. I was glad to be flying Business Class because the check-in queue for Economy was dreadfully long.

The Avianca check-in agent could only check our bag to Lima, instead of all the way to Cusco, so we’d have to retrieve it for our short overnight in Lima.

The security line was quite long so we decided to bypass the Star Alliance lounge in Terminal 4. Had we had enough time, we would have been granted access to the Swiss Air Lounge. If you find yourself flying Star Alliance and wondering what lounges you have access to, just use the Star Alliance Lounge Finder.

Regardless, we were ecstatic to be leaving this:

Snowy & Icy NYC

Avianca 21
New York (JFK) – Bogota (BOG)
15 February 2014
Depart: 6:40 am
Arrive: 12:39 pm
Duration: 5hr 59min
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Seats: 5J, 5K (Business Class)

The seats on this old bird were arranged in a 2-2-2 layout. There were only 5 rows of Business Class, separated into 2 cabins.

These were angled-flat seats, meaning they did not lie parallel to the ground. I felt like they went 90% of the way, which was good enough for a few hours of sleep. They were definitely closer to lie-flat than the Thai Regional Business Class we had flown in the past.

As soon as we sat down, the flight attendants brought us amenity kits. They were well thought out with an eye mask, socks, toothbrush, lip balm, and a quite large packet of tissues. There was also a nice tube of L’Occitane hand cream which seemed out of place since there were no other designer pieces of the kit.

Avianca A330 Business Class Amenity Kit

Avianca A330 Business Class

Avianca A330 Business Class – One is missing the branding!

Avianca A330 Business Class Amenity Kit

At some point in the past few years, Avianca must have refreshed their Business Class cabin because the pictures I’d seen showed some ugly blue fabric. These seats were a more subdued charcoal color and quite comfy. While not a very colorful cabin, it did have a classy feel to it.

Avianca A330 Business Class

Avianca A330 Business Class Legroom

Avianca A330 Business Class IFE

Avianca A330 Business Class Seat Controls

Avianca A330 Business Class Side Room

Avianca A330 Business Class Power Station

Avianca A330 Business Class Privacy Divider

Avianca A330 Business Class Remote & Noise Canceling Headphones

The IFE was good – large, clear screen and a decent selection of New Releases. The noise canceling headphones weren’t great. They were better than nothing, but Bose QC15 are worlds better.

Shortly after taking off, flight attendants came around with carts and choices of breakfast. Overall, it wasn’t very good. Mushy eggs, flimsy ham, and very soggy hash browns. Not the greatest meal to start the day.

The bright spot was the onboard espresso machine which made us some decent cappuccinos.

There was also a pre-landing snack, which was basically a heated turkey, cheese, and tomato sandwich. It didn’t look like much but the bread was nice and soft and it hit the spot.

Avianca A330 Business Class Menu

Avianca A330 Business Class Breakfast

Avianca A330 Business Class Cappucino

Avianca A330 Business Class Snack

Overall, this was a fine product for a 6 hour flight to South America, especially during the day. The only shortcoming was the food. The seat itself, IFE, and flight attendants were above average and it made for a pleasant ride to Bogota for our connecting flight.

Avianca 25
Bogota (BOG) – Lima (LIM)
15 February 2014
Depart: 1:41 pm
Arrive: 5:04 pm
Duration: 3hr 23min
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Seats: 5A, 5C (Business Class)

This flight was almost identical to the previous one. It was the same aircraft and we were, again, in the fifth (last) row of Business Class.

Honestly, the only differences were that the flight was 2.5 hours shorter and the food was much better. I had the beef filet which was cooked to a tender medium and tasty. Joann tried the pumpkin ravioli which she said was good, too. Avianca did much better with this lunch than breakfast on the previous flight.

The rest of the flight was uneventful, but comfortable. We were both pleased with our first experiences with Avianca.

Avianca Country

Avianca A330 Business Class – 5A & 5C

Avianca A330 Business Class

Avianca A330 Business Class

Avianca A330 Business Class

Avianca A330 Business Class – Beef Filet

Avianca A330 Business Class – Pumpkin Ravioli