Avianca's websites, backwater operation.

oldbongo says on Sep 29, 2004, 21:38:

beinvenido...locolombia and you want to return for a slower life,you got it.

as mexico is the land of manana,colombia is the land of never.

i love many things about colombia,especially the people,..

but functionality....olvidate..

all airtravel in colombia is catch as catch can, and as
to reliable pricing,...maybe better to have colombian
person actually buy your ticket in person for you.

where are you flying??

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Mamey says on Sep 29, 2004, 23:05:

It's a AVIANCA problem I wouldn't go as far as saying that inept behavior is the norm in Colombia. For the most part business organizations seem to be efficient and courteous. And to say Mexico is better, Im not sure about that...

The problem is AVIANCA specific an old tired monopoly which has seen better days. They talked the government into letting them merge ACES, AVIANCA/SAM but it still failed.

BTW my flight is LAX-BOG.

"and you want to return for a slower life" YES! but I know better, AVIANCA is not your run of the mill business... don't they fly planes? (grin)

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Rikito says on Sep 30, 2004, 07:04:

Avianca Don't blame the Colombians. Avianca is not a Colombian airline, it is a French airline with a contract to conduct operations in Colombia. Blame the frogs they deserve it.

It is not life that matters, but the journey.

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vladimiro says on Sep 30, 2004, 09:07:

Avianca was sold I also read in Semana that Santo Domingo sold Avianca to a Brazilian company recently. A big deal was made out of it because Avianca wasn't going to be a Colombian company any more.

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AmyEnMontreal says on Oct 12, 2004, 22:38:

LOL I find that strange about Avianca and their website, considering their reservations system is computerized and it's a program that is used by many other airlines.

You should try booking with expedia or something similar, they always have the same fares as the airline itself with a $6.50CAD/$5.00USD charge to book. Subtract $5.00USD from the fares of any flight on that site and you have the airline price. I know this because I once worked for an airline reservations line myself. All you're going to get from the airline is a bunch of agents on minimum wage trying to con you into paying them commision.

Of course, this is only for airlines, like Avianca, which for some reason don't have an automated website reservations system. If you're booking on say American, use their website because their agents are only there to book people with lack of internet. Booking through the net also gets you real good web only fare discounts! So only use expedia to book a full vacation (hotel + car + package)... or if the airline is so behind in the times it won't let you book through it's on webpage.

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sloopskipper says on Jan 17, 2008, 10:14:

Avianca USED to demand use of a Colombian credit card to pay on-line. Still true?

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sloopskipper says on Jan 17, 2008, 10:20:

(Today)

Sorry, there has been an error and we cannot process your solicitude.
Please try later.
We recommend you
We have a connectivity problem with our reservation system, please try again later or call our Contact Center.

hmmm

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toneloc24 says on Jan 17, 2008, 10:23:

No, not true.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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sloopskipper says on Jan 17, 2008, 10:25:

I saw that verbage on their website (re. credit card), when trying to book Panamá-Cali about a year ago. Booked Copa instead.

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Man Tequila says on Jan 17, 2008, 13:08:

Avianca's website is pretty bad and I have had problems with their poor service by times. But I don't have good things to say about Aerolineas Argentinas, which also has a primitive website.

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

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toneloc24 says on Jan 17, 2008, 15:41:

I've used my bankcard and credit card from the USA many times by internet. To the tune of being able to fly on Avianca Plus miles twice already.

Only hiccup in the system is the need to call with your record locator to confirm that your payment was received by internet. That should be done if you haven't received an e-ticket by e-mail after 3 hours. Just call the 1-800-AVI-ANCA reservations number and they can process it through within minutes. Be proactive. They already have all of your info in the system under your record locator.

Not perfect, but why bitch about it? Asi es Colombia. Either deal with it or don't.

If you think Avianca's website is bad, try Gol Airlines website in Brasil.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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sloopskipper says on Jan 17, 2008, 16:33:

Wah, don't tell me that toneloc, I am invested in GOL AND Copa (including Colombia's Aero República). Gonna meet with them tomorrow at Copa Investor's Day, in Panamá.

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sloopskipper says on Jan 17, 2008, 16:38:

BOTH are dogs, at the moment. I had been trying to buy LAN, but could never get it at a good price.

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toneloc24 says on Jan 17, 2008, 17:11:

Well, if there is good news, Gol is a very well-run low-cost airline. No frills, always on time, friendly flight crew, HOT women working the domestic airport in Sao Paolo (man is that airport a neck breaker), etc. Only issue, for foreigners, is you have to buy tickets at the airport, at a generally higher price than the listed internet price. At least that's how it was when I last used them in 2004 or 2005. Now Varig was a major dog.

Avianca is the major domestic carrier in Colombia. I mean, it is what it is. I can't consider it a dog, if it's the main option. Rather than beating one's head against the wall, just work in their space even if it ain't perfect. Avianca kills Aires, Aerorepublica, and Satena domestically by sheer volume and accessibility. Meaning it's everywhere in Colombia. Also, I hate connections. Avianca generally flies direct from Bogota to most of the cities that I visit.

Making a reservation from the USA, it's easy as hell now that I know the routine. And the people at the call center are very helpful WHEN you're prepared and know exactly what you want. That should be easy since all of the info is on the website. It's just that the website functionality sucks ass. The employees even acknowledge that. Book the reservation online and call with the record locator to confirm the same day. You will receive your e-ticket once the payment is processed.

Again, I've managed to flip 27,000 miles into two mileage award domestic roundtrips in the past few months. I just go online to get the flight options on the days that I want to fly, I reserve it online and if I don't receive an e-ticket in 3 hours, I just call to get it straightened out. It's not rocket science, and only takes 5-10 mins at most. This method has worked for both mileage award travel and ticket purchases. Best of luck.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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manINred says on Jan 17, 2008, 19:33:

I've only ever heard bad things about Aerolineas Argentinas from my friend and people in the airline industry. The airline still exists by the way, you can use it if you choose.

But then again, I've only ever heard bad things about Avianca Airlines (on this site), and I've only ever had wonderful experiences with them and the helpful employees.

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Man Tequila says on Jan 17, 2008, 19:43:

I have flown Avianca perhaps twelve times. I don't think it is a bad airline, however I do have some mild gripes:

1. I don't like their habit of bumping your flight up an hour or back an hour, they seem to have a lot of cancellations.

2. I had one terrible experience where after an international flight, they asked if I would be a "voluntario" and take a flight 40 minutes later than my scheduled flight roughly an hour from when I checked in. Free ticket! Our thanks since the flight is "super lleno". Then they took away my seat on my first flight, made me stand in a room for an hour and a half though I was starving, wouldn't answer polite questions then shoved me on the first flight anyway. I was kind of pissed, and told them this airline was una porquería.

3. Their website sucks. Can't make a payment. Prices differ when you call from Canada.

I would say I've never been late, lost luggage, missed a connection, had a bad landing or encountered rude stewardesses or unhelpful agents at check-in.

Aunque no me creas/ si me lo propongo/ lograre olvidarte/ porque a fin de cuentas/ no soy tan cobarde./ Y termino todo una de estas tardes/ no sera dificil buscar algún sitio donde refugiarme/ donde nunca mas vuelvas a encontrarme. (Polo Montañez)

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