how strict are they with bags? I have XS fare which only allows for a personal item. Technically, I'd have to pay for my backpack as a carry-on (I will be on backpacking trip) but I heard people getting away with pretty big backpacks as a "personal item" and not needing to pay.
That's a very good question.... I didn't notice any baggage checks at the gate - my stuff certainly wasn't examined... As you saw in the video, I was the first person through the gate so perhaps it got stricter later on...
Spanish is helpful certainly... I speak little Spanish - I understand it better than I can speak it... But even trying a few words breaks the ice and people are generally nice so you'll be fine... The google translate app is quite helpful...
Great video Matt! Stumbled upon your channel in the last 6 months and now it's a firm favourite! This might be the wrong forum but can we share our Amex referral codes here as you have pointed out in previous videos?
Thank so much... Been at this for 3 years now so there's a few videos in the back catalogue... I would prefer people to ask me for my Amex referral code!! But I deliberately don't put it in videos as I don't really want it to be generally accessible on the internet... It's supposed to be "friends and family" rather than "anyone who can use google" and I don't want to annoy Amex if I can avoid it... I'd probably recommend you keep yours relatively private too....
I loved living in Bogota for a short while, and San Andres has an excellent reputation among Colombians. One of my friends used to own a beach mansion on San Andres. I've never visited San Andres, and your video is welcome!
Check-in areas for international and domestic departures are very separate. The lounge access confused me. From the views it looks like you were in the international part of the terminal but not having Star status I'm not sure. I've never seen duty free on the domestic side, maybe San Andres has some special quasi-international status? Some years ago I walked that road with the houses with the good airport views to the other end where I found live cock fighting. You'll be pleased to hear that the local airport workers had created additional entry points to the airport along that wall to facilitate their own access. Hashtag security no security?
Thanks Ian! Amazed to have found someone else who's been there! Only about 5 departures a day to San Andres and several hundred to other domestic destinations so I don't think that's the answer... And when it comes to security, ignorance may very well be bliss!!!
@@MattsPlanet I have a home in Bogotá so I'm slightly familiar with the airport there. I've only been to San Andres once though, as I was somewhat unimpressed with the place. I'd certainly go to Providencia though, seems rather nice. Though the availability of transport seems to vary widely: sometimes there are flights, other times only boats. Swmbo is pressuring me to take her though so maybe I'll find out shortly. Fwiw I've had terrible problems with AV cancelling my tickets without notice, so I try to avoid them these days.
Another interesting and useful flight review, Matt. Avianca has, it seemed, to struggle to decide what to do with their premium offer on their regional routes so it was interesting to see these ‘compromise’ seats between armchair style and eurobusiness. If it’s priced at a reasonable level, I’d consider it. I wonder if Avianca is still offering included meal service in international regional economy. I was served breakfast a few years ago Santiago - Lima and a sandwich last year Bogotá to Curaçao. On the domestic legs Bogotá - Cartagena, zilch even to buy. Their service seemed very confused so I hope it’s settled down now. Cabin crew, by and large, were very pleasant. I’m enjoying this trip vicariously. You’ve inspired me to return to Latin America next year - maybe Ecuador, Colombia and Honduras this time. I have to say I was most verklempt that LATAM left OneWorld - they were my go-to option in that part of the world before.
I'd be interested in exploring Avianca further although I'm not sure the opportunity will arise anytime soon... Very keen to get back to Nicaragua - loved it when I was there 15 years ago.... Honduras was good too but we only really saw Copan and Roatan...
Possibly the duty free checkouts check your boarding pass to see if you are leaving the country like they used to do in the Uk on european flights when we were still a member.
I also have a really old phone which can quickly lose its charge!!! I still have physical boarding passes from around 810 of the 844 flights I've ever taken... I have thought about making a video about them, but it feels a bit boring, even for me....
Imteresting review. Bonus points for staying off the beaten-track. Triple word-score for leveraging status with a small carrier on the other side of the world. Columbia? Not for me - but I've given some thought to Panama and greatly enjoyed Costa Rica.
@MattsPlanet Off topic, interesting article in the Sunday Times today about Sean Doyle's efforts to put BA back on track. I suspect that we'll be happier with them in a year or so.
Good. More Colombia for the rest of us. Nomad Capitalist (another TH-cam channel) owns a private residence in Bogota. I didn't realize it was 9,000 feet! Cartagena is lovely and historical. Some day, I'll get to San Andres; meanwhile, I am enjoying this video.
Sounds like an option for the next 241, I’m off to BAH to use mine up. Middle East is my next continent to conquer then maybe South America not sure yet.😊😊😊Shame about the lounge 😢 still always like your videos Matt and I see you sharpened the intro again 😀. Till the next time Oliver
Thanks Oliver. One for the list for sure. Bahrain next... I believe its easy enough these days to pop over the causeway to Dammam these days and get a Saudi stamp in the passport... If you get an evisa that allows entry by road... Never been myself but I believe there's not a lot to see there if you do get over!
Soooo happy you've covered my adopted Country! Writing this from cold London I'm jealous. Service there is fantastic. Y a todos.......es ColOmbia no Columbia jajaja.
Living in Colombia (but traveling to Europe relatively frequently) your positive comments on Avianca surprise me and likely other Colombians. Up until the recently introduced Avianca hybrid concept Avianca has business class on domestic flights which was not bad. There were also free refreshments in both classes on all flights even short legs like Bogota to Medellin. The new Avianca is not well loved. Colombia has also lost two airlines recently Viva and Ultra which has led to capacity constraints. It also appears that Avianca and Viva were involved in rather underhand merger negotiations which would have led to a near monopoly. Of the other airlines Latam also has an Premium economy and it is arguably better than Avianca although with a fairly strange route timetable. Flights in Colombia are relatively cheap, although not subsidized. Annual monthly earnings in Colombia are around $200 so the airline staffing costs, including pilots are low. However those low earnings have often seen frequent and prolonged strikes. One of the beauties of flying in Colombia are the approaches to airports, like into Medellin’s JMC Rio Negros airport. Although Airbus 319/319/320/321 are the most common equipment you also may see some older equipment on routes to say Venezuela and even 727s hauling freight. One other airline to try is COPA who fly to Panama using some of the few 737s in service in the region. On the weather storms are increasingly frequent and end of day flights, catching up from earlier delays are often late. Medellin also suffers quite badly from fog in the early morning.
Thanks so much! Really appreciate you taking the time... I do sometimes wish I wasn't bound by a weekly posting schedule as this sort of info would have been good to know and include (or refer to) in the video... And its always hard to draw deep conclusions from as sample of 1 flight (or 2 in this case!)... But I report my thoughts as I experienced them and having a few Euro airlines as my baseline then Avianca did quite well!!! Flying Latam in Brazil next year hence my choice here! Interesting about no subsidies - very good value!
While domestically Avianca has changed its on the long haul routes where this hybrid concept probably fares the worst. Domestically the pricing and service is sort of LLC with an addition of a scaled back Premium Economy idea. On the long hauls, so for Europe Spain and the UK, you have a sort of LlC concept at the back with up front a business class (not named as such) where the one real perk is the lie flat seats, a hangover from when they had a real business class offering. However the rest of the business class amenities are gone. Whether this can survive internationally alongside the airlines flying into Colombia (KLM, Iberia, Lufthansa, Air France and the US carriers) is a question yet to be answered. The mix of 330s and 787s they had internationally has now been pruned to the 787s but again the financial health of the carriers is an impediment to new leases. Viva went the route of sparkly new A320 neos and quickly imploded. One big element is the USD/COP rate. Many of the expenses like leases are in dollars. At one point the peso had dropped to nearly 5000 to the USD. There’s been a recovery to around the 4,200 level but any retracement back to a weaker peso immediately puts Colombian airlines under pressure.
@@MattsPlanet similar experience in Cancun, Mexico. The Duty Free shop is only for international passengers. They will ask for your international ticket prior to finalizing the sale, and if you don't have one, they will not sell to you.
Great video Matt! I’d only ever seen one Avianca video before and that one didn’t end well if you know what I mean. All the best!
Cheers Steve. Loving the Faroes by the way... Very keen to never feature in the series I think you're referring to!
how strict are they with bags? I have XS fare which only allows for a personal item. Technically, I'd have to pay for my backpack as a carry-on (I will be on backpacking trip) but I heard people getting away with pretty big backpacks as a "personal item" and not needing to pay.
That's a very good question.... I didn't notice any baggage checks at the gate - my stuff certainly wasn't examined... As you saw in the video, I was the first person through the gate so perhaps it got stricter later on...
Colombia - Bogota/Medellin has been on my list of places to visit for a while now. Do you need a good level of Spanish to get by?
Spanish is helpful certainly... I speak little Spanish - I understand it better than I can speak it... But even trying a few words breaks the ice and people are generally nice so you'll be fine... The google translate app is quite helpful...
Great video Matt! Stumbled upon your channel in the last 6 months and now it's a firm favourite!
This might be the wrong forum but can we share our Amex referral codes here as you have pointed out in previous videos?
Thank so much... Been at this for 3 years now so there's a few videos in the back catalogue... I would prefer people to ask me for my Amex referral code!! But I deliberately don't put it in videos as I don't really want it to be generally accessible on the internet... It's supposed to be "friends and family" rather than "anyone who can use google" and I don't want to annoy Amex if I can avoid it... I'd probably recommend you keep yours relatively private too....
@@MattsPlanet Cheers for the reply Matt, I've been binge watching! That makes complete sense, got to keep Amex on side!
I loved living in Bogota for a short while, and San Andres has an excellent reputation among Colombians. One of my friends used to own a beach mansion on San Andres. I've never visited San Andres, and your video is welcome!
It must be wonderful to have a place like San Andres within your country if you're Colombian!
I just read your bio and it’s funny xD good video 👊💜
Thanks!
Check-in areas for international and domestic departures are very separate. The lounge access confused me. From the views it looks like you were in the international part of the terminal but not having Star status I'm not sure. I've never seen duty free on the domestic side, maybe San Andres has some special quasi-international status?
Some years ago I walked that road with the houses with the good airport views to the other end where I found live cock fighting. You'll be pleased to hear that the local airport workers had created additional entry points to the airport along that wall to facilitate their own access. Hashtag security no security?
Thanks Ian! Amazed to have found someone else who's been there! Only about 5 departures a day to San Andres and several hundred to other domestic destinations so I don't think that's the answer... And when it comes to security, ignorance may very well be bliss!!!
@@MattsPlanet I have a home in Bogotá so I'm slightly familiar with the airport there. I've only been to San Andres once though, as I was somewhat unimpressed with the place. I'd certainly go to Providencia though, seems rather nice. Though the availability of transport seems to vary widely: sometimes there are flights, other times only boats. Swmbo is pressuring me to take her though so maybe I'll find out shortly.
Fwiw I've had terrible problems with AV cancelling my tickets without notice, so I try to avoid them these days.
Look forward to the video on the island itself, I visited in 2015 and had a great time.
It was a fascinating couple of days!
Another interesting and useful flight review, Matt. Avianca has, it seemed, to struggle to decide what to do with their premium offer on their regional routes so it was interesting to see these ‘compromise’ seats between armchair style and eurobusiness. If it’s priced at a reasonable level, I’d consider it. I wonder if Avianca is still offering included meal service in international regional economy. I was served breakfast a few years ago Santiago - Lima and a sandwich last year Bogotá to Curaçao. On the domestic legs Bogotá - Cartagena, zilch even to buy. Their service seemed very confused so I hope it’s settled down now. Cabin crew, by and large, were very pleasant. I’m enjoying this trip vicariously. You’ve inspired me to return to Latin America next year - maybe Ecuador, Colombia and Honduras this time. I have to say I was most verklempt that LATAM left OneWorld - they were my go-to option in that part of the world before.
I'd be interested in exploring Avianca further although I'm not sure the opportunity will arise anytime soon... Very keen to get back to Nicaragua - loved it when I was there 15 years ago.... Honduras was good too but we only really saw Copan and Roatan...
Great watch as always 🙌
Thanks Matt! Great name....
Possibly the duty free checkouts check your boarding pass to see if you are leaving the country like they used to do in the Uk on european flights when we were still a member.
No way I could have chugged a litre of spirits in the 36 hours I was in San Andres to find out!
@@MattsPlanet Lightweight! lol
Matt, we must be of similar age as I also like a paper boarding card rather than relying on electronic stuff. Cheers!
I also have a really old phone which can quickly lose its charge!!! I still have physical boarding passes from around 810 of the 844 flights I've ever taken... I have thought about making a video about them, but it feels a bit boring, even for me....
Imteresting review. Bonus points for staying off the beaten-track. Triple word-score for leveraging status with a small carrier on the other side of the world.
Columbia? Not for me - but I've given some thought to Panama and greatly enjoyed Costa Rica.
Thanks! I appreciated Costa Rica but thought its neighbours were more interesting.... Nicaragua is more interesting than Panama in my opinion...
@MattsPlanet Off topic, interesting article in the Sunday Times today about Sean Doyle's efforts to put BA back on track. I suspect that we'll be happier with them in a year or so.
Good. More Colombia for the rest of us. Nomad Capitalist (another TH-cam channel) owns a private residence in Bogota. I didn't realize it was 9,000 feet! Cartagena is lovely and historical. Some day, I'll get to San Andres; meanwhile, I am enjoying this video.
Sounds like an option for the next 241, I’m off to BAH to use mine up. Middle East is my next continent to conquer then maybe South America not sure yet.😊😊😊Shame about the lounge 😢 still always like your videos Matt and I see you sharpened the intro again 😀. Till the next time Oliver
Thanks Oliver. One for the list for sure. Bahrain next... I believe its easy enough these days to pop over the causeway to Dammam these days and get a Saudi stamp in the passport... If you get an evisa that allows entry by road... Never been myself but I believe there's not a lot to see there if you do get over!
Nice video Matt. A better product than most European Airlines’ business class.
Sadly so! Thanks
Depressing how Columbia’s flag carrier is better than the UK’s
Extremely...
Soooo happy you've covered my adopted Country! Writing this from cold London I'm jealous. Service there is fantastic. Y a todos.......es ColOmbia no Columbia jajaja.
Thanks so much! I think Colombia still suffers a bit from its old reputation and I'm pleased to report that its open for business!!!
Living in Colombia (but traveling to Europe relatively frequently) your positive comments on Avianca surprise me and likely other Colombians. Up until the recently introduced Avianca hybrid concept Avianca has business class on domestic flights which was not bad. There were also free refreshments in both classes on all flights even short legs like Bogota to Medellin. The new Avianca is not well loved. Colombia has also lost two airlines recently Viva and Ultra which has led to capacity constraints. It also appears that Avianca and Viva were involved in rather underhand merger negotiations which would have led to a near monopoly. Of the other airlines Latam also has an Premium economy and it is arguably better than Avianca although with a fairly strange route timetable. Flights in Colombia are relatively cheap, although not subsidized. Annual monthly earnings in Colombia are around $200 so the airline staffing costs, including pilots are low. However those low earnings have often seen frequent and prolonged strikes. One of the beauties of flying in Colombia are the approaches to airports, like into Medellin’s JMC Rio Negros airport. Although Airbus 319/319/320/321 are the most common equipment you also may see some older equipment on routes to say Venezuela and even 727s hauling freight. One other airline to try is COPA who fly to Panama using some of the few 737s in service in the region. On the weather storms are increasingly frequent and end of day flights, catching up from earlier delays are often late. Medellin also suffers quite badly from fog in the early morning.
Thanks so much! Really appreciate you taking the time... I do sometimes wish I wasn't bound by a weekly posting schedule as this sort of info would have been good to know and include (or refer to) in the video... And its always hard to draw deep conclusions from as sample of 1 flight (or 2 in this case!)... But I report my thoughts as I experienced them and having a few Euro airlines as my baseline then Avianca did quite well!!! Flying Latam in Brazil next year hence my choice here! Interesting about no subsidies - very good value!
While domestically Avianca has changed its on the long haul routes where this hybrid concept probably fares the worst. Domestically the pricing and service is sort of LLC with an addition of a scaled back Premium Economy idea. On the long hauls, so for Europe Spain and the UK, you have a sort of LlC concept at the back with up front a business class (not named as such) where the one real perk is the lie flat seats, a hangover from when they had a real business class offering. However the rest of the business class amenities are gone. Whether this can survive internationally alongside the airlines flying into Colombia (KLM, Iberia, Lufthansa, Air France and the US carriers) is a question yet to be answered. The mix of 330s and 787s they had internationally has now been pruned to the 787s but again the financial health of the carriers is an impediment to new leases. Viva went the route of sparkly new A320 neos and quickly imploded. One big element is the USD/COP rate. Many of the expenses like leases are in dollars. At one point the peso had dropped to nearly 5000 to the USD. There’s been a recovery to around the 4,200 level but any retracement back to a weaker peso immediately puts Colombian airlines under pressure.
I think duty free works domestically as long as you're going to a different country later on and don't open the items till you get there.
I'm leaving the country.... Honest....
@@MattsPlanet similar experience in Cancun, Mexico. The Duty Free shop is only for international passengers. They will ask for your international ticket prior to finalizing the sale, and if you don't have one, they will not sell to you.
Colombians not residents of the Island have to pay that fee as well.
Oops! Thanks for the correction.
They should have renamed the city as San Andreas haha
I guess there's a reason for the name which makes it tricky to change...