Avianca: opinions on long-haul flights to Chile

Hi there. I’m planning a trip to Chile, and the fares from the Colombian airline Avianca are really appealing. Way cheaper than Air France, for example. That said, the reviews I’ve seen online aren’t great. What do you think of this airline? Have any of you taken long-haul flights with Avianca? Thanks in advance for your replies. Eric

Hi Eric,

Just so you know, a well-known YouTuber (Josh Cahill) just posted a review video about a flight he took with AVIANCA (pretty recent—about 2 weeks ago). It’s only in English, and the title is "the tragic downfall of Avianca." That says it all...

You might like—or not—Josh Cahill and his reviews and comments on airlines. I find him pretty "fair" and very detailed.

Cheers, Chris

PS Go to YOUTUBE and search for Josh Cahill

Hi there,

It’s normal that Air France is more expensive than Avianca—the AF flight is direct to Santiago, while Avianca stops in Bogota. I took Air Canada with a layover in Toronto and paid around 800 € round-trip.

I've traveled many times with my family on Avianca, both on international flights from CDG and domestic flights within Colombia. The onboard service was better than Air France’s. Never had any issues. No cancellations and very few delays. Avianca was long at the top of the list for flight safety before dropping in the rankings due to a crash. Avianca is the oldest South American airline and one of the oldest airlines in the world.

Hi there,

Saying Avianca is a better airline than Air France is just your opinion. There’s a huge difference between the two. Avianca ranks near the bottom of the Skytrax rankings. AF, on the other hand, is ranked 8th best airline in the world and first in Western Europe.

2025 ranking of the top 100 airlines: Air France improves

I said: -The in-flight service was better than Air France’s -Avianca was at the top of the list for safety for about ten years. If Air France is ahead of Avianca now (?) it’s because just one accident can cause an airline to drop dozens of places in the rankings. Rankings that change every year... For info, Air France’s last crash: an Airbus A330 over the Atlantic in 2009. PS: Is *Le Figaro*’s ranking really a reference for safety?

Yes, everyone has their own feelings and experiences. I’ve flown with both airlines, and for me, AF is way ahead in every aspect.

Yes, everyone has their own feelings and experiences. I’ve flown with both airlines, and for me, AF is way ahead in every aspect.

Personal experience is one thing, but safety is another. If it’s just about the onboard service, all the Gulf airlines, Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, Qantas, etc. are far superior to Air France! No doubt about that.

Reviews and flights on Avianca - Tripadvisor

As I said, I’m not here to convince anyone—everyone will have their own opinion. 😉

Fair enough, everyone’s got their own opinion. And thanks for sharing yours here! As soon as I have one about this airline too, I’ll do the same. The trip is planned for late May. Thanks again to everyone!

Hi

Have a great trip! 😉

Hi Djalma – aka Jean-Michel,

In which safety ranking was AVIANCA "at the top of the list for about ten years"?

Could you share a reference for that statement?

Thanks, Chris

In which safety ranking was AVIANCA "at the top of the list for about ten years"?

I spent my entire professional career at the DGAC. The list we had dates back to before the internet. So no website. From what I remember, Avianca was ranked in the top 5 global airlines for flight safety. This ranking changed every year based on incidents and air accidents. I don’t know its current ranking, but there’s a site that gives safety ratings to airlines: airlineratings.com. This rating isn’t given by passengers like other ratings for punctuality, in-flight services, or legroom! (see TripAdvisor!)

Avianca received a safety rating of 7/7 https://www.airlineratings.com/airlines/avianca

Hi Jean-Michel,

Ah, a career at DGAC, so a fellow professional :-) (I’m/was in ATC). Yeah, you’re absolutely right in the sense that Safety isn’t the same as punctuality, in-flight service, or legroom! Totally agree...

If we look at Avianca’s safety stats, we can see that up until the 1990s, it was pretty "horrible" (around 15 accidents total), though we have to admit that aviation in general was much less safe in the 1980s/1990s (with accident rates way higher than in 2025/2026).

Yep, a lot of progress has been made in safety since the 1990s—Avianca included. Cheers, Chris

I am/was in the ATC

Same here

Yes, you're certainly right in the sense that Safety isn't the same as punctuality, in-flight services, or legroom! Totally agree...

Absolutely, because the "Safety" criterion is solely tied to the number of notable incidents, ground accidents, and crashes. I was just sharing what I had on hand from the 80s/90s... Far from claiming it's still the case, though some sites covering the "Safety" criterion in 2025 or 2026 give Avianca a good rating (on that criterion only...). For everything else, when it comes to passenger reviews, it's always very subjective. Generally, when everything goes "normally" (punctuality, decent in-flight service, no boarding issues, etc.), passengers rarely speak up to share their opinion. When things go wrong, though, it's more common—even when delays (for example) aren’t the airline’s fault😉