Avianca (AV) is set to enhance the passenger experience between Colombia and California, with the airline's latest announcement that it will re-introduce the Boeing 787 direct from Bogota El Dorado International Airport (BOG) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Since late April, the airline has been shuttling passengers between the two cities with a lease from Wamos Air and its Airbus 330-200. The benefit of AV business class will return, treating travelers to three meal options, hot and cold beverages, and superb inflight entertainment.
The Star Alliance carrier currently operates a daily flight between BOG and LAX; however, it had enlisted Wamos to perform multiple rotations. At the same time, AV waited for the new Dreamliner to be delivered. The wet-lease agreement kicked off on April 20th and, as previously reported by Simple Flying, was expected to continue until October 28th. So those looking to score a ticket on AV should check the airline's website and schedule to check if they will be on AV metal.
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Manuel Ambriz, Avianca's Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), acknowledged the importance of traveling comfortably on long-haul flights and reiterated the airline's decision to re-deploy the 787 between LA and Bogota since the axing of business on Avianca routes within America's since October 2022:
"We know that going to Bogotá is almost like going to Europe, It's a long trip, and we want our customers to have the opportunity to enjoy more benefits. We listened to them, made some internal adjustments, and today we are implementing the option of flying in the business cabin on a flight of seven hours. We currently operate one daily flight between Los Angeles and Bogotá, and we believe this is an important development to the route."
Wamos and Avianca
According to Flightradar24.com, it is apparent that Wamos will fulfill the carrier's schedule for June, and from July 1st, the carrier's own 787 will return to the skies. Currently, the Wamos A330 has a capacity of 241 passengers, including 34 'executive cabin' seats—versus AV's Dreamliner is home to 28 seats in business or 222 in economy.
Avianca has listened to customer feedback, and no doubt travelers will rejoice at the news of the reinstated business class and Dreamliner on the route. The carrier maintains a daily operation, following the below schedule:
- AV84, departing Bogota at 13:10, touching down at Los Angeles by 19:00
- AV83, pushing back at Los Angeles at 20:45 before returning home to Bogota at 05:45 the following day
The business configuration on the Avianca 787 consists of 28 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. 16-inch screens are on offer for those up front. The first five rows of the business cabin are also in front of the main boarding door, meaning economy passengers will only pass through some of the cabin.
Wamos Air
Wamos Air charters flights for other airlines globally, such as Air Serbia and Air New Zealand. For the carrier based in New Zealand, Wamos Air flies daily the route Auckland-Perth. In contrast, Air Serbia flies from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
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Avianca
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- AV/AVA
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- El Dorado International Airport, El Salvador International Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1919
- Alliance:
- Star Alliance
- Airline Group:
- Avianca Group
- CEO:
- Adrian Neuhauser
- Country:
- Colombia
- Region:
- South America
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Los Angeles International Airport
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- LAX/KLAX
- Country:
- United States
- CEO:
- Justin Erbacci
- Passenger Count :
- 48,007,284 (2021)
- Runways :
- 6L/24R - 2,721m (8,926 ft) | 6R/24L - 3,318m (10,885 ft) | 7L/25R - 3,939m (12,923 ft) | 7R/25L - 3,382m (11,095 ft)
- Terminals:
- Terminal 1 | Terminal 2 | Terminal 3 | Tom Bradley International Terminal | Terminal 4 | Terminal 5 | Terminal 6 | Terminal 7 | Terminal 8
