Trip Report: Avianca Airlines, Medellin to Bogota (August 2019)

Trip Report: Avianca Airlines, Medellin to Bogota
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling from Medellin to Bogota and there are a couple of options for intra-Colombia flights: LATAM Colombia, Avianca Colombia, and Viva Air.  LATAM and Avianca are more legacy carriers while Viva is a low-cost carrier.  I was looking to fly in the evening and was flying without any luggage so when comparing everything, LATAM and Viva were close in price while Aviana was almost twice as expensive.  Despite this, I selected to fly with Aviance because I wanted to try the airline and also Avianca is a member of Star Alliance so I would receive points for this flight. 

It was very easy to book the flight through Avianca's website and easy to manage the reservation through the app (tip: there was a price difference on the same flight between Avianca's US website and its Colombian website - so if you understand Spanish and have a credit card that can be charged in international currency, book through other websites).  Unlike its competitors, Avianca does not have a basic economy option.  It is a full-service airline so its lowest fare option includes a meal and complimentary checked baggage, but you have to pay to select a seat.  Since the flight time is only 1hour, I decided to take my chances and not to pay for the seat.  Once the flight was booked, it was very easy to manage the reservation either through the app or through the website and 24-hours prior to the flight I was able to check-in and receive my boarding pass through the app.  While checking in I could also select my seat for free based on seat availability.    

My flight - AV9333 - was scheduled to depart Medellin at 8:52p and arrive into Bogota at 9:49pm.  Due to traffic in Colombia, I arrived at the airport earlier than usual and with my mobile boarding pass (and no luggage to check-in) went through security and directly to my gate (with virtually no interaction with anyone from the airline).  We were scheduled to board at 8:15pm but we were delayed and did not end up boarding until 8:30p.  We were boarded by groups and boarding was somewhat efficient so that we were seated and ready to go by 9:15pm.   The operating aircraft was an Airbus A321 with a 3-3 seat configuration.  The seats were very comfortable with nice padding, nice seat width, and excellent seat pitch (I had a lot of legroom and I'm 6'1).  The seatback had a nice and new PTV which was touchscreen and contained a USB port underneath (to charge your phone and small electronics).  Below that was a full tray table and below that was a seat pocket for your personal belonging as well as the airline magazine and safety card.  Above the seat was an air vent, a flight attendant call button, and new screens which showed no cellphones and buckle seatbelt signs.  The PTV was on and operational from the time you sat down so you can start browsing the selection and start watching immediately.  Even though this was a domestic flight, there were TV shows, music, and games available; while there were no movies, there was enough selection of the other entertainment to cover the 45min flight. 

After the safety video was shown, we started our slow taxi to the runway.  It took more than 25 minutes from the time we left the gate to the time we took off, and during that entire time no communication happened from the flight deck - in fact there was little communication throughout the entire flight.  Once we reached cruising altitude, the inflight service commenced.  As it was night time, complimentary tea, coffee, and water were provided.  Even though the flight was only 45min, it was nice to receive these complimentary items - and the water was a full mini-bottle of water so it was nice to receive it as another amenity of Avianca as a full-service airline.  Once the inflight service was finished, the FA's came around to collect trash as it was already time to descend into Bogota.  We landed behind schedule, taxied to the gate, waited, and finally deplaned.  

Overall, it was a pleasant flight with Avianca.  As I said before, the prices for this flight were double

those of both Viva Air and LATAM so in that aspects Avianca is not competing; however, Avianca wins in every other category from inflight entertainment to service options to overall satisfaction.  Yes you do pay a higher price (as I said, double that of both LATAM and VivaAir) but with the higher price you get a higher quality of service and a higher quality onboard product.  The positives were free checked luggage included in the ticket price, great onboard product, good service, and Star Alliance partnership; negatives included late departure, no communication regarding delays, and higher price.  Would I fly them again - if I had luggage that I needed to check and it was a longer flight, then definitely yes for long-haul, but for short-haul I am not sure the higher fare, again more than double the fare, justifies the good onboard service.

Stay Report: ibis Medellin (Medellin, Colombia - August 2019)

Trip Report: ibis Medellin
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was going to be in Medellin for one night and basically needed a clean place to just rest for the night.  I looked and found the ibis Medellin - I have stayed at ibis' before (see review here) and know that they provide a basic room at a low cost but usually in locations that are convenient and close to where I want to be - so given that I decided to book the hotel.  It was very easy to book the hotel through the website and manage the reservation through the app.  The hotel is located about a 20-30 minute walk to the city center and about a 45-minute car ride from the airport.  In most locations, ibis' do not provide hotel shuttle but sometimes partner with airport transportation - in this you chose your own method to get to and from the airport.  24-hours prior to my arrival, I received an email indicating I could 'check-in online to save time' and so I went through the process and checked in but nothing happened and I had to check-in again at the hotel.  

The lobby of the hotel was compact, as are most ibis' lobby's.  As you entered the door, in front were the elevators while to the left were the check-in desks and then the restaurant/bar.  In front of the check-in desks was a small waiting area as well as trolleys to help in transporting your luggage.  Check-in at the hotel was very quick and convenient - I was given my key as well as an explanation of the hotel amenities which included complimentary wifi, no room service but a bar and a kitchen in the lobby, and breakfast also available in the lobby.  Most of these are standard amenities in ibis hotels so I was familiar with them and proceeded to the room.  The elevators are located in the middle with rooms on either side - my room was 817 all way down the end of the right hallway.

  

The room itself was a basic and standard ibis room - small but comfortable.  As you opened the door, there was a wall to the right and an entryway the led into the room.  As you stepped into the room, the bed was against the left hand wall and along the right wall was the TV and below that a little space for the restaurant menu and do not disturb sign.  On other side of the bed were mini-nightstands, and the nightstand on the right side of the bed continued into a mini-seating area/storage area.  This ran into the wall and above it, against the wall, was another counter that faced the window - this counter contained additional storage space as well as the telephone.  The storage space connected to the open closet and in front of the closet were open shelves - on the top shelf was a safe.  The room was compact but you had enough room to move around and overall it was comfortable for one or two nights.  The bed was also a standard ibis bed with minimal sheets and a duvet - again it was comfortable for one or two nights and comfortable given the price you are paying, but it would not be my choice for a long term stay.

The bathroom was also a standard ibis bathroom - compact and contained the basics.  There was a sink, a toilet, a walk-in shower, and towels.  I will say this bathroom and specifically the shower was more spacious than some of the other ibis I have stayed at - and the shower was more of a rain shower so that was a nice touch.  Bathroom amenities include hand washing dispenser next to the sink and a body wash/hair wash dispenser in the shower, two towels (not the highest thread count but workable), a shower cap, and two plastic cups.  Again, it was a standard and compact ibis bathroom but it contained the basics and served its purpose.  I would say I prefer the body wash they provide in Europe as it seems to be of higher quality and it has a better smell.

The best part of the ibis experience is the complimentary wifi.  The wifi speeds are strong, you can connect many devices, and you can stream youtube videos as well as check email and social media.  The free and fast wifi is one the best reasons to choose ibis.  Overall, it was a standard stay at the ibis.  If you are expecting a 5-star experience than the ibis hotel/brand is not for you but if you are expecting a decent and clean room and free/fast wifi at a low price than you will be satisfied at the ibis. 

Trip Report: LATAM Colombia Airlines, Bogota to Medellin (August 2019)

Trip Report: LATAM Airlines, Bogota to Medellin
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling from Bogota to Medellin and there are a couple of options for intra-Colombia flights: LATAM Colombia, Avianca Colombia, and Viva Air.  LATAM and Avianca are more legacy carriers while Viva is a low-cost carrier.  I was looking to fly in the evening and was flying without any luggage so when comparing everything, LATAM and Viva tended to be the better options in terms of price.  I choose to fly with LATAM because I wanted to try the airline and also LATAM is a member of Oneworld Alliance so I would receive points for this flight. 

It was very easy to book the flight through LATAM's webiste and through the app I was able to manage my booking.  LATAM has a couple of options in terms booking ranging from basic economy with no checked luggage to full business class.  As I said, I was traveling with no checked baggage so I could book the basic economy seat - this meant a complimentary carry-on but no complimentary checked baggage and no complimentary seat selection; both of these could have been done for a fee but given the flight is 1hr I decided not to purchase any of these extras.

48hours prior to my departure I received a notification and an email stating that check-in was now open for my flight.  Usually airlines only allow 24-hours prior check-in, especially for domestic flights, so receiving the notice 48hours in advance made me check and recheck my flight time and dates to ensure I had everything correct.  I was correct and 48hours prior to my flight I had checked-in and received my mobile boarding pass.  I was assigned a seat at check-in but if I wanted to change it then the same seat charges during the booking process applied during the check-in process.  Even though I had no luggage to check and I already had my boarding pass, due to traffic in Bogota I arrived at the airport about 2 hours prior to my scheduled departure time.  At the airport, there were two sections of the check-in desks; one for international departures and one for domestic departures.  I bypassed everything since I already had my mobile boarding pass and proceeded thru security to the departure gate.  

According to the boarding pass, my flight was scheduled to board at Bogota at 6:46pm, doors closing at 7:21pm, departure at 7:36pm, and arrive into Medellin at 8:32pm.  When I first got the airport around 5:30pm, I checked the departure screens and everything said 'on time'.  Around 6pm, the screen changed and my new departure time would now be at 8:35pm with an estimated arrival time of 9:31pm.  Around 7:20pm, LATAM sent an email stating that since they had delayed my flight I now had the following options available at no cost - I could change the time/date of my flight, change the destination of my flight, or request a total refund.  While these options are nice, they would have been better more than 10 minutes before the scheduled departure and an hour before the revised departure time.  Finally around 8:15pm they started the boarding process - the airlines boards by groups and I was in the last group.  Despite the late departure, the passengers were boarded and seated by 8:35pm and we pushed backed generally around that time.  

The operating aircraft was an Airbus A320 with a 3-3 seat configuration.  I was initially assigned 27C but when I went to the gate agent, she allowed me to change my seat for no charge and assigned me 8J.  From the outside, the airplane still had the old LAN livery and the old age of the plane continued inside; the plane looked old but still in decent shape.  The seats were cushioned well but they were older seats and usually these are comfortable but these seats were very uncomfortable, there was no leg room, and the seat width was also very tight; overall, it was an uncomfortable place to sit.  The seat itself was also basic - there was a magazine storage at the top, followed by a tray table, and then a small pocket for your personal belongings below; no PTV screens and no USB ports.  After manual safety demonstrations, we pushed back and took off to Medellin.

The flight was very basic and uneventful - I am not sure if LATAM is a full service airline, a low-cost carrier, or a hybrid of the two.  The service I experience onboard LATAM was more akin to that of a LCC because nothing is complimentary and everything is now a 'buy on-board' (this was a domestic flight so I am not sure if this applies to their international flights).  In fact, the FA's did not even come down with a service cart but rather one FA came quickly down the aisle with the buy on-board menu and if a passenger wanted anything, they needed to stop the FA and request something; again, it was very basic and LCC.  LATAM supposedly does offer wifi and LATAM Play which is their on-demand entertainment options but I could not get the wifi to work and thus the LATAM Play would not work either - the FA's did not seem to be in the mood to help or provide any more service than that which was required of them.  After about 45 minutes, we landed in Medellin and deplaned.

Overall, I was disappointed with my experience with LATAM.  I had heard good things about the airline and was excited to try their product.  I have previously flown with LAN from Buenos Aires to Santiago and enjoyed their service so I was expecting a great full-service airline.  What I got was a low-cost airline service and poor service from the FAs.  LATAM has two main competition in Colombia: Avianca, a full-service airline (see review here), and VivaAir, a traditional low-cost carrier.  Reputation wise, they are normally in competition with Avianca but price wise on this sector they were in competition with VivaAir.  Being in competition with both a full-service and a LCC at the same seems to have made LATAM lose their own identity.