AV441
DFW-SAL
Takeoff: 1350
Landing: 1551 (-1 hour)
Premier Class
May 23, 2024
Hello from El Salvador. I am currently on a weekend getaway to Costa Rica. It is a place I have been almost a dozen times. The options to get to Central America are plentiful but I chose Avianca because I last flew them in 2019 and decided it was time for an updated review. Especially, since the company went bankrupt and eliminated business class on regional jets.
I booked the ticket for $750 roundtrip. The first two segments are in premier class while the last two are in economy on the return.
I arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport two hours prior to departure. When I came off the escalator near D20, I asked an American Airlines agent for directions to Avianca Airlines’ check-in she pointed to the right and said “I hope they are still there”. WTF?
I walked up and went straight to the self check in counter. I printed the bag tags and asked the guy working the area to come over because I ALWAYS have issues get the baggage tags situated. He said, in a firm tone, “give me a minute”. After five minutes, he came over to help.
Then I moved to the “baggage” lines. There were two of them: Business Class/Star Alliance Gold and “Baggage Drop”. The Business Class line was closed because some kids were playing with the rope so when the kid opened it, I walked up. The lady with the three kids said the line was closed and that was not an entrance. When I asked if she was in line, she said “no, I’m just waiting until he checks in”. Please get out the way ma’am.
Upon seeing this, the guy who helped me check in comes aver and asks if I am Star Alliance Gold, to which I responded, “no, but I am flying business class today”. He responded by saying I was in the wrong line and that I should be in the “economy baggage” line.
I get in that line and talked to this family from Nebraska who were headed to El Salvador. Sebastian and Charli were cool kids. When I made it the counter, the same freaking guy that I interacted with comes over to take over for the agent. WTF?! I smiled and provided him the documents and was soon on my way.
I was through security in 15min. This allowed me some time to visit The Club near D26, so I thought. The line was out the door. I tried to just grab a beer but the host would not allow it so I left.
I hung around the gate area until it was time to board. Boarding, on the A320 in the Star Alliance livery, began with group A and we were onboard a minute after getting our face scanned.
I selected seats 1A and 1C in Premier Class. It was basically the Big Front seats on Spirit Airlines. Since the bankruptcy, Avianca has taken premium seats out of the A320s. The seats were economy seats with a blocked middle seat.
The tray table was stored in the window armrest. It could be used halved or whole and it included a device stand for those who wanted to watch movies, play games, etc.
The was a charging port in the center armrest. I did not use it because the flight was super short.
There were no announcements during boarding. It was refreshing and scary at the same because there was no noise but no guidance either. The AC was on blast throughout the cabin and people were super respectful to one another.
I checked out the lavatories and they were in desperate need of some TLC. However, they got the job done.
Boarding was complete 15 minutes prior to departure which is unheard of on Avianca’s regional departures. I appreciated it greatly.
The welcome aboard announcement was completed a few minutes. We were informed of our 2hr 50min flight time. The flight attendants then performed the safety demonstration.
Pushback began six minutes early. I was happy because the flights from the previous days were at least 30 minutes late.
After a 10 minute taxi, we had a rolling takeoff on runway 18L.
The climb out was bumpy but we were at altitude six minutes later. The flight attendants sprung into action by closing the curtain between premier class and the galley.
We were enroute for 20 minutes when I asked one of the flight attendants for a drink. She spoke to her colleague and then returned…he told her that he would attend to us in a bit. At that point, I remembered that Avianca allows passengers to order through their website by using WiFi. Unfortunately, WiFi was not available.
The flight attendant working the front of the plane came out 10 minutes later with a table and asked our order. I asked for a vodka cranberry but was denied. He stated that he only had whiskey, white wine and beer. I ordered a whiskey coke and Imperial beer. I then asked what were the food options and he stated there was a ham/cheese croissant, chicken sandwich and a veggie sandwich. The ham and cheese seemed like the safest option.
The Cokes and Johnny walker were brought out minutes later. The attendant told me he would return with ice and the sandwich, he then asked if I would be paying cash or card.
Only a minute later did he return with the sandwich and imperial beer.
The sandwich was very unappealing. The croissant bread was too much and the meat did not appear fresh.
After taking a bite of mostly bread, I took off the top half of the croissant which made the sandwich more appetizing. While this is not what I would like on an airplane, it came through for me.
I ate the sandwich and sipped on my beer in a sort of content stage. At this point, I check back with the WiFi and it appeared to be online. The log in was painless.
Once inside, I was able to browse movies, current flight info, and even the menu.
There were 19 shows and 40 movies. There was not anything new showing.
I did not watch anything, as I usually do, so I just relaxed for a bit eating my backup snacks of jerky and dill sunflower seeds.
I asked for a black label Johnny. It was delivered within a minute.
Our descent began 45 minutes out from El Salvador. The flight attendants stopped by to ask if I wanted another Johnny Walker, which I declined.
We had a Navy landing but the roll out was smooth. After a quick taxi, we were at the gate.
Final Word
Avianca Airlines is not the best, nor worst airline in the Northern Hemisphere, but I will say that it is consistent. I can appreciate a company that sticks to their guns, bankruptcy and all, to provide a service. Thank you to the flight attendants and pilots on this journey to El Salvador.
