Avianca upgrades business class on long-haul, regional flights

Avianca is making some noteworthy upgrades to its business-class experience.

The Colombian flag carrier is rebranding its premium cabin, as well as introducing additional amenities for flyers splurging for the fanciest seats.

Going forward, the airline will market the forward cabin on long-haul flights as Avianca Insignia. Plus, those traveling on short-haul regional flights will now see the business-class cabin sold as the Executive Cabin.

Avianca will also add some new amenities for those flying on single-aisle aircraft within the Americas. This includes a new main meal service (breakfast, lunch or dinner, depending on the time of departure), a full drink service and a prearrival snack service. The airline will also debut several comfort essentials, such as a blanket, pillow and amenity kit on these flights.

This represents a major strategy shift for Avianca, as the carrier scrapped regional business-class cabins on short-haul flights during the pandemic. The airline maintained its spacious front cabin but just sold these seats with a premium extra-legroom surcharge on top of the economy fare.

Travelers splurging for these seat assignments would receive the standard economy service.

Going forward, the new regional business-class cabin will maintain the existing seats that are already flying in the first three rows of the Airbus A320 aircraft; it's just the "soft product" — the part of the experience that isn't bolted to the plane — that's changing.

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This new offering will be available beginning July 1 on routes from Bogota, Colombia, to Santiago, Chile; Sao Paulo; Buenos Aires; Montevideo, Uruguay; Rio de Janeiro; Miami; Washington; New York; Boston; Toronto; and Mexico City. Depending on how the rollout goes, I wouldn't be surprised if Avianca expanded this new service to additional routes that are shorter than five hours.

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I'd also expect that the reintroduction of business class will also usher in a more expensive upcharge for these seats on trips that are longer than five hours.

Meanwhile, the long-haul business-class experience isn't changing that much. The airline will maintain lie-flat business-class pods in a reverse herringbone configuration on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.

While these may not be the latest cutting-edge suites with doors, Avianca's business class is certainly above average.

The airline will launch new long-haul amenity kits with collectible cases designed by Mola Sasa in collaboration with the Gunadule Indigenous community, with beauty products and other essentials from Loto del Sur, a Colombian beauty brand focused on promoting its hometown culture.

"Avianca Insignia represents the consolidation of a superior experience in our Boeing 787, one of the most modern aircraft in the world," said Manuel Ambriz, Avianca's chief commercial officer, in a statement. "And these Bogotá to Europe flights also feature a unique design, gastronomy and wellness selection representing the best of Colombia: a menu by chef Álvaro Clavijo—one of the top 35 in the world—and a leading brand amenity kit."

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