That Ecojet is actually a BAE146 not a Dornier. They used to be a staple in Europe and the UK indeed that aircraft used to fly for Lufthansa Cityline. Another great vlog by the way. Interesting airline
Heard a pilot once say about landing at La Paz that it is the only airport in the world where you have to actually pull up for a landing. The elevation is insane.
@4:46 | @Patrick: Thats not a Dornier, thats one of the rarest jets flying these days, aa 4 Engined Avro RJ-100 or BAE-146 | Aka the Whisper jet,, or more commonly known as, the baby 747!
When you fly back from Madrid to Santa Cruz, you're actually given a pass at one of the lounges in Madrid airport and also a fast pass for security lines. They are now showing check-in lines for Business class, but if not, the best thing is to ask airline staff and they will let you skip all lines. I'm not sure why they're not doing the same at Santa Cruz airport. Funny thing is that Air Europa shows access to that lounge for Business class but the plane from Santa Cruz to Madrid doesn't offer Business, only "premier" class which doesn't have access to that lounge. I still don't get why they advertise that in that lounge as no one would qualify if flying from Bolivia. To San Francisco, you can do Santa Cruz-Miami-San Francisco or Santa Cruz-Panama-San Francisco (I've done both, and both are incredibly tiring). I hope airlines start seeing a market in Bolivia as anywhere you want to go, you are destined to make a ton of connections.
BOA saved money by leasing these former Virgin Australia planes and keeping the hard products. They didn't have to re-invent and retrofit the plane with their own version of business class, premium economy & economy. They re-used what was already a decent product from Virgin Australia, slapped on their livery and made their own. It's Virgin Australia in BOA skin.
that permeating Cinnabon smell has got to be their best marketing tactic (never fails for me to beeline straight for it and get a roll or 4 lol) who travels with 200 suitcases?? nothing worse than randomly waiting in limbo before boarding eh. maybe BoA is slowly working to get their own lounge (?) but bummer that they don't have one. reverse herring bone is an ideal config for biz - yay air vents! soo ya, i'd welcome a diabetic coma from a Cinnabon over a dulce de leche crêpe any day. cabin crew offering to speak English gets special props. for the price, agree that this is a good product
Heyy Patrick, it would be helpful if you can include the seat product name, for example I’m very sure this one is Collins super diamond, but for many seats you reviewed we also wants to know which product the airlines use🎉
How many hours did you sleep on the plane on the red eye flight to Madrid? Bolivia airlines business class almost lie flat bed is comfortable and hope you sleep well and like it, better than Latam Brazil's business class lie flat bed.
Ohhhhhh my Gosh, I flew from EZE to Barajas their Business Class and was a TERRIBLE MESSSSSSSSSSS………OUTDATED !!!!!!!!. Terrible MESS, everything including the cabin crew.
I’ve got a fun Ezeiza to Rome plan for later this year. Buenos Aires is one of my favorite cities in the world and I am very excited to try their airline for the first time!
American citizenship test? what are you talking? are you in your senses? they are Americans too you meant studying for the United States citizenship test don't forget AMERICA hast 35 countries.
Idk I think that it’s one of the best options in South America. Obviously they’re working with a much smaller budget and I think they’re using it in great ways
@@PatrickSheaAviation Truth be told. the seats on the old 767 were MASSIVE and the pitch between seats was great. They offered a great opportunity to fly in comfort and pay economy class fares. There are still some customers who just value comfort as opposed to an IFE screen, for example. I strongly recommend Sir Chandler's review on that flight: th-cam.com/video/rKl6lrf0xD4/w-d-xo.html
Great video about an underestimated airline. You mentioned the fact that large jets use Santa Cruz rather than El Alto at La Paz. I visited Bolivia in 1977 and had a great time touring around; it certainly is safer than other nations on the continent. But I left on a flight to Panama from El Alto but it took an age for the plane to finally lift off!
With Bolivia's tourism rise and the A321XLR coming soon, I can see American returning and even restarting previous Brazilian services I wonder why that lady got detained
Thanks, Patrick. I enjoyed the video. i happened to have flown Boliviana into and out of Santa Cruz in October 2023, but in Economy. My outgoing flight was international, but only to Asuncion, Paraguay. I did not have the check-in or security problems you did . As a Priority Pass member, I and some friends used the same lounge as the one you visited, only it was packed solid. Still, the seats were comfortable and what they offered in terms of food was good. In our case, an attendant came to our seats with a food menu and took our orders. On board, I was very pleasantly surprised that the Economy seats had very ample leg room (pitch). Though our flights were barely an hour long, we were served a tasty meal and drinks on board at no charge. Flight attendants were pleasant and helpful. I was interested that their trans-Atlantic Business class was only $1000, and I would definitely use Boliviana again if they were an option for the route I need.
Fun fact about this A330, the previous operator Virgin Australia has it leased from Commonwealth Bank one of the big banks of Australia. This A330 is still leased till this day.
36:15, Bolivia airlines is a good airline to fly (except your airport experience in Santa Cruz) and I will give it a 3 star airline, making it a safer airline to fly to Europe and the US from South America and the safety record is good.
The prices are incomparable. Flights depart and arrive on time. The food is reasonably good. The airport service can be improved but with the fare difference being so big I think that is just a detail. It is impossible to provide a service like Emirates if the rate is up to 80% lower per mile flown. I think BOA offers a product with excellent quality-price ratio.
When I see the reduced quantity meals served these days in premium cabins compared to the past, I do take into account the fact that passengers would usually have had access to a lounge where food is normally available these days. However, in this case, with no lounge provided and therefore no pre-flight food, that dinner and breakfast come across as pathetic for a flight of this length.
Not a bad thought. The lounges are a good way for most people to eat up before a flight so they don’t need anything huge. Otherwise it really falls on aircraft catering. Kinda sucks not to get lounge access at your main international hub
I agree with you aboutcthe long wait initially before ypur flight. And then te having to place your luggage towards the wall to have a dog smell the luggage!! Hmm. Unfortunately, does or have they had a lot of drug problems coming from there before the recent government charge? And them when you had a great flight, the security stops people from coming off the aircraft but pulls one lady off. Ok now, something is fishee.😮😮😮??? The security took that lady and escorted her to a police car????😮😮😮oh boy!!!😮😮 Well, other than that, I am glad you had a good flight..😊😊
As it appears the former President of Bolivia Jeanine Anez is still serving a ten year sentence for having served as President after Evo Morales suddenly fled the country fearing an insurrection and despite the fact that her Presidency was in fact validated by the Supreme Court of Bolivia. So much as to Bolivian due process thank you very much and enjoy your evening 😊😊
BOA looks like another hidden gem! Our boy Pat once again inadvertently expanded people's bucket lists and at the same time given another geography lesson! I wish "2 Broke Girls" was featured more on the domestic IFE here in the US. My go-to has been "Big Bang Theory" lately. - Red
Spanish has the *letter* "V", but not the "V" "sound* as in English (at least in most Spanish accents, of which there are predictably many, and a few of them do have the "V" sound). "V" is usually pronounced as a "B" in Spanish. So, "Viru-Viru" is still pronounced "Biru-Biru" anyway. Now, Bolivian airports are famous for their disorganization, lack of clear rules, and seemingly unnecessary red tape. Curiously, entering or leaving the country by a land border is usually more straightforward. It can still be a lengthy and bureaucratic process, but at least there are more definite rules that are usually enforced. Still, I remember seeing a video from the TH-cam channel of a Brazilian couple who travel the world, and they took a bus from Brazil to a Bolivian border town, from where they would travel further into the country. The bus simply didn't stop at the border (nor did the border officials stop it), and they were left at the Bolivian town (actually several miles after the border) without having gone through any immigration or customs formality whatsoever - and that was not the Schengen zone! They could probably have continued their trip onward into Bolivia without any problem, but they decided to be on the safe side and took a taxi back to the border just to go through the formalities and be documented with a legal entry into the country. With its erratic border controls and ineffective and corrupt law enforcement, Bolivia, along with its neighbor Paraguay, is a nightmare for its neighbors, especially Brazil and to a lesser degree Argentina, and it's a well-known operational base for those countries' organized crime. Bolivia's production of coca leaves and cocaine is an obvious problem, but the Bolivian border is also a problem in the other direction: for example, many cars and trucks stolen in the neighboring countries end up in Bolivia, where it's extremely easy to legally register a foreign vehicle without many questions asked, let alone documentation. Still, with all its problems, Bolivia is a wonderful country whose visitors always come back with stars in their eyes. The popular culture is extremely rich, diverse, and beautiful, so are the country's landscapes and biodiversity, with many unique places that seem to be from another planet (including the world's largest salt desert, Salar de Uyuni), one of the few ski stations within the tropics at over 15,000 ft high, priceless architectural and art treasures both from ancient indigenous civilizations and from the Spanish colonization, and much, much more. Bolivia may be off the beaten track, but it's an outstanding destination country. I'm yet to see anyone who was there and didn't love it all the way.
Don’t judge an airline or an airport based off a SkyTrax rating. Their 5 star ratings are usually purchased. (I’m looking at you Lufthansa and Doha Airport! 😡)
I loved the video but I was thinking you were upset with no club/lounge but you have to remember that you are in a different country and because the U.S. and other countries may have a club/lounge they are not required to as it says if you read the contract of carriage for your airline. Other countries are not required to have a lounge and just do things differently.
I mean it's fair, but like if we are being honest, in this day and age, a lounge is kind of needed to remain competitive. I think their product is improving greatly, so I'd just hate to see the airport hold them back
I flew to Santa Cruz in the 1980s, that time the only airline that connected Bolivia with Europe was Lufthansa: a 747 Frankfurt - San Juan (Puerto Rico) - Quito - Lima - La Paz. On the last leg there were less than 30 passengers on the Jumbo Jet. It was spooky. I had to spend the night at El Alto and beg for oxygen. After 15 minutes, they took the bottle away from me “Now you’ve got enough”. A few months prior a plane had crashed into the Illimani mountain (I believe it Was Eastern Airlines) and they 36:50 stopped all night flights out of El Alto, first flight in the morning with Aero Lloyd Boliviano to Santa Cruz. My suitcase with some Toyota parts never arrived, I guess that one of the luggage screeners saw what was inside and decided that those parts were exactly what he needed. Viru Viru was built by the Japanese, that’s why the airport resembles some Japanese airports
Wow, great review; thanks for providing! I did not know they revamped their hard and soft products. I've been planning to go to Bolivia for the past few years and I have wanted to fly them direct as I live in Miami. However, the old planes and business class put it off. I'm happy to see they have a better product now between Miami and Bolivia. And I really like those types of business class seats.
06:52 - Reason they didn't let you thru was the capacity of immigration and security (space and officers) to process one flight a time. Imagine 700 pax in a queue which handles 350.
A great video patrick but the music has to go is anoying and also the speeding of the video and also de duration of the flight nowhere to be seen your narrationof the flight was great l love 💕 it l am a new subcriber looking for more of your videos cheers jerry
Thank you for another Awesome Flight Report, Patrick. Always put a smile on me when I hear the word Food again. A B777-200ER will be too big for them, a B787-8 will be expensive to lease, a A330-200 just fit their bill. Even though the lease was expensive, it is still viable for long term. Bolivia government will need to construct a new airport terminal if they really wanted to attract more passengers to transit in their country.
24:40, 25:54 and 26:01, Wow, the purple mood lighting is similar to Virgin Australia's wide body jet, very cool. Hope you like the purple mood lighting.
Not similar to Virgin Australia’s mood lighting it’s because those aircraft did come from Virgin Australia after they were withdrawn from service here in 2020. They’re only 10 years old this year too these airframes. Plenty of service ahead for them.
Interesting and good to see an emerging airline - looked a great deal. For me the business class req is mostly seat room and sleeping - the food etc is nice but given a choice I'd go for seat room and lie flat and forego food etc. Thanks for a great vlog!
@@PatrickSheaAviation How is it going? To me I planned 2 domestic flights for summer that I'm gonna review, my very first ones hopefully to do more in the future 😏🤫🧏🏻♂️
Patrick checkout PAL new Mabuhay lounge at NAIA terminal 1 as other vlogs featured this as you mentioned the worst business class lounge last year as the airline doesn't have their own lounge at its own hub
Excellent report as usual !!!!!!. BOA Business Class product it’s completely LOW STANDARD, BUT I MUST SAY THAT THE SEAT ITS A GOOD ONE, MUCH BETTER THAN LUFTHANSA 2-2-2 BUSINESS CLASS PRODUCT. HOW WAS THE CREW ?????, DO THEY WERE NICE AND EFFICIENT?????.
Crew was absolutely incredible! All of them were nice and interacted with the passengers and even offering to speak English or Spanish with me when I first got on board. Totally would fly with BoA again to South America!
$250,000 a month to lease their A330 fleet is around $8,333 a day. I can’t imagine they are operating this fleet at a profit after all expenses (not just lease expenses, but all expenses) are factored in…
Yea that was my thought. But maybe they have bigger picture plans and they need this step. I guess we will find out in a year or so when profits are announced and we have a better look at their plans
That Ecojet is actually a BAE146 not a Dornier. They used to be a staple in Europe and the UK indeed that aircraft used to fly for Lufthansa Cityline. Another great vlog by the way. Interesting airline
I flew the Dornier into Cataclan,Borocay.
Good plane but short runway
Now closed I believe.
I was going to say the same thing. I flew on them a lot when FlyBE used them on the LGW-GCI route.
It’s actually an RJ85
Heard a pilot once say about landing at La Paz that it is the only airport in the world where you have to actually pull up for a landing. The elevation is insane.
Ha! Love that!
I thought Kathmandu in Nepal is the highest airport.
Thanks Patrick for sharing this video. I guess this works also if you aren't in a rush to get to your destination.
would be cool to see you do a southern hemisphere-only RTW, like SCL-AKL-SYD-JNB-GRU-SCL!
I think you’ll be happy with this year’s plans 👀
@4:46 | @Patrick: Thats not a Dornier, thats one of the rarest jets flying these days, aa 4 Engined Avro RJ-100 or BAE-146 | Aka the Whisper jet,, or more commonly known as, the baby 747!
More like a baby A340 or A380
The same signs in Santacruz are the same ones in all Spanish airports!!
When you fly back from Madrid to Santa Cruz, you're actually given a pass at one of the lounges in Madrid airport and also a fast pass for security lines. They are now showing check-in lines for Business class, but if not, the best thing is to ask airline staff and they will let you skip all lines.
I'm not sure why they're not doing the same at Santa Cruz airport. Funny thing is that Air Europa shows access to that lounge for Business class but the plane from Santa Cruz to Madrid doesn't offer Business, only "premier" class which doesn't have access to that lounge. I still don't get why they advertise that in that lounge as no one would qualify if flying from Bolivia.
To San Francisco, you can do Santa Cruz-Miami-San Francisco or Santa Cruz-Panama-San Francisco (I've done both, and both are incredibly tiring). I hope airlines start seeing a market in Bolivia as anywhere you want to go, you are destined to make a ton of connections.
Cool flight vlog! I had never heard of Boliviana de Aviación. I would have just assumed that it defaulted to Latam. Nice seat.
Totally! That’s why I love it! They were able to make their own brand, separate from LATAM’s dominance and growth!
BOA saved money by leasing these former Virgin Australia planes and keeping the hard products. They didn't have to re-invent and retrofit the plane with their own version of business class, premium economy & economy. They re-used what was already a decent product from Virgin Australia, slapped on their livery and made their own. It's Virgin Australia in BOA skin.
I’ll take it! Still way better than what they had before. I really enjoyed this product
Yoo Patrick big fan of your channel and a big fan of the 49ERS ever since ever.
How we feeling bro? 😢
It is what it is right😪😬
Thanks man. We ain’t talkin about that game 👀🥲
@@PatrickSheaAviation all good bro 🤙🏽
“Glory to God”- BP
#FTTB
@PatrickSheaAviation Please fly Plus Ultra from TFN to CCS!!!!
that permeating Cinnabon smell has got to be their best marketing tactic (never fails for me to beeline straight for it and get a roll or 4 lol) who travels with 200 suitcases?? nothing worse than randomly waiting in limbo before boarding eh. maybe BoA is slowly working to get their own lounge (?) but bummer that they don't have one. reverse herring bone is an ideal config for biz - yay air vents! soo ya, i'd welcome a diabetic coma from a Cinnabon over a dulce de leche crêpe any day. cabin crew offering to speak English gets special props. for the price, agree that this is a good product
Cinnabon is always too tempting! Ha! But I was able to avoid it this time. Now if only BoA gets a lounge, they are up there with some amazing airlines
Heyy Patrick, it would be helpful if you can include the seat product name, for example I’m very sure this one is Collins super diamond, but for many seats you reviewed we also wants to know which product the airlines use🎉
How many hours did you sleep on the plane on the red eye flight to Madrid? Bolivia airlines business class almost lie flat bed is comfortable and hope you sleep well and like it, better than Latam Brazil's business class lie flat bed.
I got like 6 hours. Could have spent more time sleeping, but wanted to enjoy the flight
Wow that's a long sleep. I see, thanks.
that replaced the 767-300s
Noel Philips lmao
Not a new A330 but seems nice still…
New to them at least 🤷♂️
Aerococa.
Try Aerolineas Argentinas please!!!
Ohhhhhh my Gosh, I flew from EZE to Barajas their Business Class and was a TERRIBLE MESSSSSSSSSSS………OUTDATED !!!!!!!!. Terrible MESS, everything including the cabin crew.
I’ve got a fun Ezeiza to Rome plan for later this year. Buenos Aires is one of my favorite cities in the world and I am very excited to try their airline for the first time!
American citizenship test? what are you talking? are you in your senses? they are Americans too
you meant studying for the United States citizenship test don't forget AMERICA hast 35 countries.
never heard of this airline. The seat is great, but anything else ... wtf
Idk I think that it’s one of the best options in South America. Obviously they’re working with a much smaller budget and I think they’re using it in great ways
With those 25 dollars to enter into the lounge they should be able to buy decent paintings LOL. look like a cheap motel
Ex air force Bolivia pilots renowned for their flying skills.
Safe travels.
What a surprise! Never knew the A330 is having such a nice product. A REAL update from the old, aging 767-300 they had around. Awesome review!
Totally agree. Night and day from the 767 days
@@PatrickSheaAviation Truth be told. the seats on the old 767 were MASSIVE and the pitch between seats was great. They offered a great opportunity to fly in comfort and pay economy class fares. There are still some customers who just value comfort as opposed to an IFE screen, for example. I strongly recommend Sir Chandler's review on that flight: th-cam.com/video/rKl6lrf0xD4/w-d-xo.html
Great video about an underestimated airline. You mentioned the fact that large jets use Santa Cruz rather than El Alto at La Paz. I visited Bolivia in 1977 and had a great time touring around; it certainly is safer than other nations on the continent. But I left on a flight to Panama from El Alto but it took an age for the plane to finally lift off!
That’s awesome! I can imagine the ground roll from El Alto taking forever
With Bolivia's tourism rise and the A321XLR coming soon, I can see American returning and even restarting previous Brazilian services
I wonder why that lady got detained
I would believe that. Much more efficient than the 757 so they don’t have to have as high of load factors to make it work
That plane is the former VH-XFD of Virgin Australia.
Thanks, Patrick. I enjoyed the video. i happened to have flown Boliviana into and out of Santa Cruz in October 2023, but in Economy. My outgoing flight was international, but only to Asuncion, Paraguay. I did not have the check-in or security problems you did . As a Priority Pass member, I and some friends used the same lounge as the one you visited, only it was packed solid. Still, the seats were comfortable and what they offered in terms of food was good. In our case, an attendant came to our seats with a food menu and took our orders. On board, I was very pleasantly surprised that the Economy seats had very ample leg room (pitch). Though our flights were barely an hour long, we were served a tasty meal and drinks on board at no charge. Flight attendants were pleasant and helpful. I was interested that their trans-Atlantic Business class was only $1000, and I would definitely use Boliviana again if they were an option for the route I need.
Fun fact about this A330, the previous operator Virgin Australia has it leased from Commonwealth Bank one of the big banks of Australia.
This A330 is still leased till this day.
Excellent flight report so many useful tips and facts about just everything. Great !
36:15, Bolivia airlines is a good airline to fly (except your airport experience in Santa Cruz) and I will give it a 3 star airline, making it a safer airline to fly to Europe and the US from South America and the safety record is good.
The prices are incomparable. Flights depart and arrive on time. The food is reasonably good. The airport service can be improved but with the fare difference being so big I think that is just a detail. It is impossible to provide a service like Emirates if the rate is up to 80% lower per mile flown. I think BOA offers a product with excellent quality-price ratio.
Totally agree. For what you’re getting with this route and service, the price is incredible!
9:20 Gate lice. I thought I'd only hear that on the delta subreddit🤣
This looks like the old Virgin Australia a330 business class. They retired them in 2020(ish).
Yep! Good eye. Three of the ex-VA A330s that went away with the long haul network, now flying with BoA
When I see the reduced quantity meals served these days in premium cabins compared to the past, I do take into account the fact that passengers would usually have had access to a lounge where food is normally available these days. However, in this case, with no lounge provided and therefore no pre-flight food, that dinner and breakfast come across as pathetic for a flight of this length.
Not a bad thought. The lounges are a good way for most people to eat up before a flight so they don’t need anything huge. Otherwise it really falls on aircraft catering. Kinda sucks not to get lounge access at your main international hub
Thank you for sharing your nice flight here.😊
I agree with you aboutcthe long wait initially before ypur flight. And then te having to place your luggage towards the wall to have a dog smell the luggage!! Hmm. Unfortunately, does or have they had a lot of drug problems coming from there before the recent government charge? And them when you had a great flight, the security stops people from coming off the aircraft but pulls one lady off. Ok now, something is fishee.😮😮😮??? The security took that lady and escorted her to a police car????😮😮😮oh boy!!!😮😮 Well, other than that, I am glad you had a good flight..😊😊
Thank you for the review. Would you give Venezuela a chance? Laser airlines for example. MAD-CCS A330-200 Thank you again. Saludos.
They actually brought back one 767 for capacity reasons I presume so there technically not all retired
Interesting. Good to know!
As it appears the former President of Bolivia Jeanine Anez is still serving a ten year sentence for having served as President after Evo Morales suddenly fled the country fearing an insurrection and despite the fact that her Presidency was in fact validated by the Supreme Court of Bolivia. So much as to Bolivian due process thank you very much and enjoy your evening 😊😊
BOA looks like another hidden gem! Our boy Pat once again inadvertently expanded people's bucket lists and at the same time given another geography lesson! I wish "2 Broke Girls" was featured more on the domestic IFE here in the US. My go-to has been "Big Bang Theory" lately.
- Red
You can never go wrong with some big bang theory 👀🤷♂️
Spanish has the *letter* "V", but not the "V" "sound* as in English (at least in most Spanish accents, of which there are predictably many, and a few of them do have the "V" sound). "V" is usually pronounced as a "B" in Spanish. So, "Viru-Viru" is still pronounced "Biru-Biru" anyway.
Now, Bolivian airports are famous for their disorganization, lack of clear rules, and seemingly unnecessary red tape. Curiously, entering or leaving the country by a land border is usually more straightforward. It can still be a lengthy and bureaucratic process, but at least there are more definite rules that are usually enforced.
Still, I remember seeing a video from the TH-cam channel of a Brazilian couple who travel the world, and they took a bus from Brazil to a Bolivian border town, from where they would travel further into the country. The bus simply didn't stop at the border (nor did the border officials stop it), and they were left at the Bolivian town (actually several miles after the border) without having gone through any immigration or customs formality whatsoever - and that was not the Schengen zone! They could probably have continued their trip onward into Bolivia without any problem, but they decided to be on the safe side and took a taxi back to the border just to go through the formalities and be documented with a legal entry into the country.
With its erratic border controls and ineffective and corrupt law enforcement, Bolivia, along with its neighbor Paraguay, is a nightmare for its neighbors, especially Brazil and to a lesser degree Argentina, and it's a well-known operational base for those countries' organized crime. Bolivia's production of coca leaves and cocaine is an obvious problem, but the Bolivian border is also a problem in the other direction: for example, many cars and trucks stolen in the neighboring countries end up in Bolivia, where it's extremely easy to legally register a foreign vehicle without many questions asked, let alone documentation.
Still, with all its problems, Bolivia is a wonderful country whose visitors always come back with stars in their eyes. The popular culture is extremely rich, diverse, and beautiful, so are the country's landscapes and biodiversity, with many unique places that seem to be from another planet (including the world's largest salt desert, Salar de Uyuni), one of the few ski stations within the tropics at over 15,000 ft high, priceless architectural and art treasures both from ancient indigenous civilizations and from the Spanish colonization, and much, much more. Bolivia may be off the beaten track, but it's an outstanding destination country. I'm yet to see anyone who was there and didn't love it all the way.
Lots of great info and stories. Thanks!
Great channel. You’re one of the few flight channels I watch without seeing the host. Your narration is well thought out and enjoyable to listen to.
Thanks man! I appreciate it
Nice video,thanks for sharing.
Your aviation videos are the best these days!! Keep up the great work!!
Thanks man! I appreciate it!
Yeah, but I wish they were much longer. Haha.
It’s not really “new” as it came from Virgin.
Very interesting blog.i enjoy your content. I think I need to brush up on Bolivia!
Totally! Bolivia is incredible! And this is a great way to get there now
Don’t judge an airline or an airport based off a SkyTrax rating. Their 5 star ratings are usually purchased. (I’m looking at you Lufthansa and Doha Airport! 😡)
Ha. Fair enough
I loved the video but I was thinking you were upset with no club/lounge but you have to remember that you are in a different country and because the U.S. and other countries may have a club/lounge they are not required to as it says if you read the contract of carriage for your airline. Other countries are not required to have a lounge and just do things differently.
I mean it's fair, but like if we are being honest, in this day and age, a lounge is kind of needed to remain competitive. I think their product is improving greatly, so I'd just hate to see the airport hold them back
9.775 👍
I flew to Santa Cruz in the 1980s, that time the only airline that connected Bolivia with Europe was Lufthansa: a 747 Frankfurt - San Juan (Puerto Rico) - Quito - Lima - La Paz. On the last leg there were less than 30 passengers on the Jumbo Jet. It was spooky. I had to spend the night at El Alto and beg for oxygen. After 15 minutes, they took the bottle away from me “Now you’ve got enough”. A few months prior a plane had crashed into the Illimani mountain (I believe it Was Eastern Airlines) and they 36:50 stopped all night flights out of El Alto, first flight in the morning with Aero Lloyd Boliviano to Santa Cruz. My suitcase with some Toyota parts never arrived, I guess that one of the luggage screeners saw what was inside and decided that those parts were exactly what he needed.
Viru Viru was built by the Japanese, that’s why the airport resembles some Japanese airports
Thanks for the info + video!
Thanks!
Wow, great review; thanks for providing! I did not know they revamped their hard and soft products. I've been planning to go to Bolivia for the past few years and I have wanted to fly them direct as I live in Miami. However, the old planes and business class put it off. I'm happy to see they have a better product now between Miami and Bolivia. And I really like those types of business class seats.
06:52 - Reason they didn't let you thru was the capacity of immigration and security (space and officers) to process one flight a time. Imagine 700 pax in a queue which handles 350.
A great video patrick but the music has to go is anoying and also the speeding of the video and also de duration of the flight nowhere to be seen your narrationof the flight was great l love 💕 it l am a new subcriber looking for more of your videos cheers jerry
There are NO rare countries, Just weird superpowers!!
Fair enough 🤷♂️
Thank you for this. I went to Bolivia in 2008. Gracias!
Thank you for another Awesome Flight Report, Patrick. Always put a smile on me when I hear the word Food again.
A B777-200ER will be too big for them, a B787-8 will be expensive to lease, a A330-200 just fit their bill. Even though the lease was expensive, it is still viable for long term.
Bolivia government will need to construct a new airport terminal if they really wanted to attract more passengers to transit in their country.
I do agree. Very exciting new step for them nonetheless
24:40, 25:54 and 26:01, Wow, the purple mood lighting is similar to Virgin Australia's wide body jet, very cool. Hope you like the purple mood lighting.
Not similar to Virgin Australia’s mood lighting it’s because those aircraft did come from Virgin Australia after they were withdrawn from service here in 2020. They’re only 10 years old this year too these airframes. Plenty of service ahead for them.
You can fly SFO - VVI or SFO - LAP with just one airline (Avianca) with stops at SAL and BOG. No need to fly via ORD and GRU.
Still requires two connections. Just makes it a single airline. Slightly more convenient, but not exactly easy
Interesting and good to see an emerging airline - looked a great deal. For me the business class req is mostly seat room and sleeping - the food etc is nice but given a choice I'd go for seat room and lie flat and forego food etc. Thanks for a great vlog!
Thanks! This sounds perfect for your situation. Legroom and a lie flat bed for a fraction of the normal cost
Very good review. I like your channel a lot it's very different from the other bloggers who are always reviewing the same big airliners .👍
Thanks man. I appreciate it
Certainly hope they not spending 9 billion dollars on their A330s
Ha the finances on them don’t make sense in my head unless it’s a stepping stone to something bigger and better (and more profitable) to come!
Can’t believe you flew BoA! Big Bolivian fan!
It was totally worth it! BoA ftw!
I actually love your content.
Thanks!
Great video!
Thanks!
Great Video
Thanks!
Great video 😂
Thanks g
Hi there Pat 👋🏻☺️
Hey!! 👋
@@PatrickSheaAviation How is it going? To me I planned 2 domestic flights for summer that I'm gonna review, my very first ones hopefully to do more in the future 😏🤫🧏🏻♂️
@@abdelkadermehiz9407 awesome!
Even Bolivia has a better airport than lima. Even with that, thanks but no thanks going there
Patrick checkout PAL new Mabuhay lounge at NAIA terminal 1 as other vlogs featured this as you mentioned the worst business class lounge last year as the airline doesn't have their own lounge at its own hub
True. I do want to try that out. I am also kind of waiting for the A350-1000s to arrive so I can fly the SFO route on the new fleet
Excellent report as usual !!!!!!. BOA Business Class product it’s completely LOW STANDARD, BUT I MUST SAY THAT THE SEAT ITS A GOOD ONE, MUCH BETTER THAN LUFTHANSA 2-2-2 BUSINESS CLASS PRODUCT. HOW WAS THE CREW ?????, DO THEY WERE NICE AND EFFICIENT?????.
Crew was absolutely incredible! All of them were nice and interacted with the passengers and even offering to speak English or Spanish with me when I first got on board. Totally would fly with BoA again to South America!
$250,000 a month to lease their A330 fleet is around $8,333 a day. I can’t imagine they are operating this fleet at a profit after all expenses (not just lease expenses, but all expenses) are factored in…
Yea that was my thought. But maybe they have bigger picture plans and they need this step. I guess we will find out in a year or so when profits are announced and we have a better look at their plans