Review: Avianca Business Class Boeing 787 (BOG-CDG)

For the second segment of my Le Premier in the new La Premiere adventure, I flew Avianca’s Boeing 787-8 business class on the 9hr35min flight from Bogota (BOG) to Paris (CDG).

In 2024, Avianca rebranded its business class experience as “Insignia,” and suggested it was an upgraded product. Unfortunately that didn’t really match my experience. It’s not that the flight was terrible, but rather, I just found it to be utterly forgettable.

On the plus side, the airline offers reasonably comfortable reverse herringbone seats with good bedding, the crew was friendly enough, and the food was edible. However, there were so many aspects of the experience that disappointed me, which could (for the most part) be easily fixed. We’re talking everything from no Wi-Fi, to no toothpaste in the amenity kit, to no milk for coffee, to meal choices consistently running out (with no choice to pre-order), etc.

I’d fly Avianca again if the airline had by far the best pricing or schedule, but otherwise, I’d generally prefer a different airline.

How I booked my Avianca business class ticket

I flew Avianca all the way from Miami to Paris via Bogota. I booked the entire ticket with Avianca Lifemiles. Specifically, I paid 94,450 miles plus $28.50 in taxes & fees for the following itinerary in business class:

4/06 AV5 Miami to Bogota departing 7:55AM arriving 10:25AM
4/06 AV228 Bogota to Paris departing 1:35PM arriving 6:45AM (+1 day)

Since I earned those points with a transfer bonus (which are often available from transferable points currencies), I thought that was a solid value.

Avianca business class lounge & boarding

In the previous installment, I reviewed the Avianca Diamond Lounge Bogota Airport (BOG), which exceeded my expectations. It wasn’t too crowded, and had a good selection of food and drinks.

My flight was departing from gate A10, with boarding scheduled for 12:35PM, a full hour before departure. The gate was quite a trek from the lounge, but I appreciated the opportunity to get some steps. Interestingly, gate agents went around to passengers to ask them to come to the podium and weigh their bags. It’s rare to see that on such a widespread basis, though I managed to evade detection, or something.