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Avianca Airlines introduces new fare options

Avianca Airlines is revamping its fare structure to offer enhanced simplicity, flexibility, and convenience across its routes in the Americas and Europe.

Commencing from 1 February will commercialize four fare tiers, both for flights in the Americas and Europe.

This ticketing move aims to cater to diverse traveler preferences while ensuring competitive pricing.

Simplifying Choices for Travelers

Avianca’s Chief Commercial Officer, Manuel Ambriz , emphasizes the airline’s dedication to providing an inclusive flying experience.

With the introduction of four distinct fare categories—tailored for both economy and business class travelers—customers now have greater control over their journey preferences.

Economy Class Options within the Americas

• Basic Fare : Ideal for minimalist travelers, the basic fare includes a personal item and convenient web or app check-in.
• Classic Fare : Offering enhanced benefits, the classic fare encompasses a personal item, a carry-on bag (up to 10kg), a checked baggage allowance (up to 23kg), seat selection options, and mileage accrual through Avianca’s LifeMiles program.
• Flex Fare : Designed for maximum flexibility, the flex fare comprises amenities such as personal items, a carry-on bag, checked baggage, seat selection preferences, change and refund capabilities prior to the flight, and LifeMiles accrual.

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Business Class Luxury

For those seeking premium comfort and services, Avianca presents the Business Class Fare.

This comprehensive package includes perks like priority boarding, access to Avianca lounges, a generous checked baggage allowance, dedicated business class seating, and personalized assistance throughout the journey.

Options for European and Brazilian Routes

Traveling to and from Europe, along with routes originating in Brazil, presents similar fare choices:

• Light Fare : Offering essential amenities including a personal item, a carry-on bag, and hassle-free web or app check-in.
• Classic, Flex, and Business Fares : Mirroring the attributes of their American counterparts, these fares provide a seamless experience for travelers heading to Europe or departing from Brazil.

Elevated Experience for European Travel

In addition to fare enhancements, Avianca is elevating the travel experience on European routes. Passengers can indulge in a revamped business class experience featuring a gourmet menu curated by the renowned El Chato restaurant owner.

Complementing this culinary journey are exclusive amenity kits showcasing products from the esteemed Loto del Sur brand and intricately designed Mola Sasa cases, crafted in collaboration with the Gunadule indigenous community.

Personalized Touchpoints

Avianca remains committed to personalized service, offering over 16 complementary products across all fare categories.

From lounge access and business class upgrades to priority boarding and tailored travel assistance, the airline ensures every passenger enjoys a seamless and memorable journey.

About Avianca Group

AVIANCA includes Avianca, LifeMiles and Avianca Cargo. In passenger transportation, Avianca, with more than 103 years of continuous operation since 1919, is the leading airline in Colombia, Ecuador, Central America.

The carrier is one of the largest air operations in Latin America with 144 routes, 4,200 weekly flights and a fleet of 128 Airbus 320 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, connecting to around 71 destinations in 24 countries in the Americas and Europe.

In 2022, Avianca carried 24.6 million passengers with the operation of more than 187,000 flights. Its loyalty program, LifeMiles, is one of the largest in Latin America with more than 12.4 million members and 500 allied brands.

In cargo transportation, Avianca Cargo is a leader in the region and is the main operator in different markets in the Americas.

It serves more than 50 destinations with a fleet of Airbus 330 freighters, in addition to operating bellies in passenger aircraft.

In 2022, Avianca Cargo transported more than 450,000 tons of cargo. Avianca today has a team of more than 12,000 people committed to providing safe, convenient, affordable and friendly service to its customers. 

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Avianca LifeMiles Program Guide: Everything You Need to Know

December 28, 2023

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In 2023, United Airlines increased award prices offered through its MileagePlus program significantly, with certain award rates increasing by over 100%. So, as United MileagePlus is no longer a good program for booking Star Alliance awards, points/miles enthusiasts have had to look to foreign carriers’ frequent flyer programs for Star Alliance sweet spots. Specifically, LifeMiles, the rewards program of Colombian flag carrier Avianca, is a great program through which to book Star Alliance (and other) awards.

Avianca LifeMiles offers many wonderful sweet spots with Star Alliance partner awards starting at just 6,000 miles, Star Alliance partner business class flights between the U.S. and Europe for just 60,000 miles and Star Alliance partner first class flights between the U.S. and South America for as little as 50,000 miles.

You don’t even need to fly with Avianca to rack up a balance of LifeMiles. You can earn LifeMiles by flying with partner airlines or by making transfers from popular credit card rewards programs such as American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards Program and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

Unfortunately, the LifeMiles program is known for having poor customer service and a website that’s rife with technical issues. However, if you’re willing to deal with some potential frustration, then you can find some seriously great deals through this program.

In this article, we’ll discuss the Avianca elite status program, the different ways to earn LifeMiles, the different ways to redeem LifeMiles and which of those redemption methods offers the most value per mile.

Avianca LifeMiles Program Overview

Avianca is the largest airline in Colombia and also the country’s flag carrier. The airline’s main hub is in the country’s capital of Bogota and it also has secondary hubs in the cities of Cali, Cartagena and Medellin. The airline was formed under the name SCADTA ( which stands for Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aereos ) in 1919, making it the second-oldest airline still in existence behind KLM.

In 2012, Avianca became a full member of Star Alliance, a move which significantly expanded its list of airline partners. That list has continued to grow as Star Alliance has added more members. Today, the roster of Star Alliance member airlines is as follows:

LifeMiles can be both earned and redeemed with any of the 26 aforementioned Star Alliance member airlines. On top of that, Avianca has partnerships with Aeromexico, GOL, Iberia and Easyfly. However, earning and redeeming LifeMiles with these partners is limited to certain geographic regions. Additionally, members can earn LifeMiles by flying with Easyfly but cannot redeem LifeMiles for Easyfly-operated flights.

You can also earn qualifying miles toward elite status by flying with either Avianca, Easyfly or a Star Alliance partner. Flying with Aeromexico, GOL and Iberia can’t help you earn elite status with Avianca LifeMiles.

Avianca LifeMiles Elite Status Program

Avianca’s elite status program currently has four tiers: Red Plus, Silver, Gold and Diamond. You can achieve each of these tiers by earning a certain number of elite status qualifying miles in a calendar year (from January 1st to December 31st). On top of that, a certain number of the qualifying miles that you earn must be earned on Avianca flights or Avianca additional services.

You’ll earn a different number of qualifying miles for different kinds of spending. Here are the rates at which you’ll accrue qualifying miles for different categories:

• Earn 1 qualifying mile per 1 LifeMile earned on flights with Avianca (base miles), additional services from Avianca or flights with Star Alliance members.
• Earn 1 qualifying mile per 2 LifeMiles earned on Avianca LifeMiles credit and debit cards, Club LifeMiles, LifeMiles Pay, commercial partners, miles purchases, hotels and rental cars.
• Earn 1 qualifying mile per 20 LifeMiles earned on bonus miles, miles transfers, points to miles and others.

Once again, in order to achieve a certain elite status, you’ll need to accrue a certain number of qualifying miles and a certain number of those miles must have been accrued from flights with Avianca and/or Avianca additional services.

The following table includes how many qualifying miles you’ll need to achieve each elite status tier as well as the benefits you’ll be entitled to at each status tier:

As you can see, most of the benefits included with Avianca elite status are geared toward people who fly with Avianca frequently. If you don’t fly with Avianca often, the only benefits that are of real use to you will be the Star Alliance partner benefits.

How to Earn Avianca LifeMiles

You can earn LifeMiles either by flying with Avianca, by flying with one of its Star Alliance partners or by flying with one of Avianca’s other partners in certain regions. However, there are other ways to earn LifeMiles that don’t include flying, such as transferring points from other rewards programs, spending on an Avianca LifeMiles co-branded credit card, booking hotel stays and renting cars.

In the following sections we’ll cover the different ways to earn LifeMiles and which of these ways makes the most sense.

Flying with Avianca

Of course, the most straightforward way to earn Avianca LifeMiles is to take flights with Avianca. The number of LifeMiles that you’ll earn for a specific Avianca flight depends on a few factors: the amount of money that you pay for your base fare, the fare type and whether or not you added any travel extras to your reservation.

Here’s how many miles per dollar you’ll earn with each fare type:

• 0X LifeMiles per $1 spent on XS fares
• 3X LifeMiles per $1 spent on S fares
• 5X LifeMiles per $1 spent on M fares
• 7X LifeMiles per $1 spent on L fares
• 7X LifeMiles per $1 spent on XXL fares

For instance, if you spent $200 on an Avianca flight with an M fare, you’d earn 1,000 LifeMiles. However, if you spent $200 on an Avianca flight with an XXL fare, you’d earn 1,400 LifeMiles.

You can also earn 5X LifeMiles for every $1 spent on certain additional services from Avianca, including seat selection, Avianca Lounge access, travel assistance, empty seats and upgrades to Business Class.

For instance, if you paid $300 for an upgrade to Business Class on an Avianca flight, that would earn you 1,500 LifeMiles.

Flying with Partners

Since Avianca is a member of Star Alliance, you can earn LifeMiles by flying with any member airline of Star Alliance. However, the specific earnings rate will depend on the partner that you’re flying with as each partner has its own earnings chart.

For instance, here is the LifeMiles earnings chart for United Airlines:

As you can see, unlike with Avianca flights (which are based on the amount of money spent), partner flights earn LifeMiles based on the distance and fare code. For example, if you were to take a 1,000-mile flight operated by United in Business class (fare code Z), you’d earn 1,000 LifeMiles. However, if you were to take the same flight in Economy class (fare code T), you would earn 500 LifeMiles.

In addition to earning LifeMiles with Star Alliance partners, you can also earn LifeMiles by flying with Aeromexico, GOL, Iberia and Easyfly. However, with these partners, you can only accrue LifeMiles for flights in certain regions. Here are the eligible regions for each of these partner airlines:

• Aeromexico—flights within Mexico, North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia
• GOL—flights within Brazil, South America, United States, Mexico and the Caribbean
• Iberia—flights within Spain, Central America, between Spain and Central America, Spain and Colombia, Spain and Ecuador, Spain and Peru and between Madrid (Barajas) and Paris (Orly)
• Easyfly—flights within Colombia

In order to earn LifeMiles on partner flights, you’ll need to select Avianca LifeMiles as your frequent flyer program of choice at the time of booking and enter your LifeMiles membership number.

Transfer Partners

For most U.S.-based travelers, the best way to boost your balance of LifeMiles is going to be to transfer points from one of Avianca’s several credit card transfer partners. Avianca is partnered with several major credit card rewards programs including American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards Program and Citi ThankYou Rewards, all of which transfer at a 1:1 ratio.

These credit card rewards programs will occasionally offer limited-time transfer bonuses for transferring points to certain airline partners. So, it’s worth checking to see if your credit card issuer is offering a transfer bonus for Avianca LifeMiles.

You can also transfer points from several different hotel rewards programs to Avianca LifeMiles. Unfortunately, none of these programs offer very favorable transfer ratios. Still, here are the different hotel rewards programs that allow transfers to Avianca LifeMiles and their respective transfer ratios:

As you can see, all of these transfer ratios are very poor. You’re much better off spending those hotel points in their native programs than transferring them to Avianca LifeMiles.

Spending with Avianca Co-Branded Credit Cards

Up until March 2022, Avianca offered two co-branded credit cards that were available to U.S. citizens, both of which were issued by Banco Popular de Puerto Rico. However, these cards are no longer accepting new applicants. So, as of right now, there are no Avianca co-branded credit cards available to U.S. citizens.

There are, however, several Avianca co-branded credit cards available in countries across Central America and South America.

Booking Hotel Stays

Through Avianca’s LifeMiles Hotels portal (powered by Booking.com) you can earn LifeMiles for making hotel bookings in cash at over 500,000 hotels across the globe. To do so, you can simply visit hotels.lifemiles.com and enter your destination, travel dates and number of guests. Then you can select the “Pay cash and earn miles” option and hit the “Search” button.

LifeMiles Hotels will then present you with a list of options that match your search query and tell you how many LifeMiles you could earn for completing each booking.

It’s unclear how LifeMiles Hotels determines how many miles you’ll earn for a particular booking as there doesn’t seem to be any consistent miles-per-dollar earnings rate. So, if you want to know how many miles you could earn for a specific hotel booking, you’ll just have to search for that booking through LifeMiles Hotels.

Car Rentals

Avianca also has a rental car booking portal called LifeMiles Cars (powered by Rocket Travel) that allows you to earn LifeMiles for booking rental cars around the world. To do so, you can visit cars.lifemiles.com and enter your destination, pick-up time and drop-off time. Then, you can press the “Search” button and you’ll see a list of results that match your search query. From there, you can filter for price, location and type of vehicle.

The number of LifeMiles you earn on your vehicle depends on the type of vehicle you rent, how long your rental period is and the cash price of your rental.

Buying Merchandise

Avianca has partnerships with a variety of retail partners that allow you to earn between 1X and 5X LifeMiles per $1 spent on merchandise. Unfortunately for U.S. readers most of these partners are located in Central America or South America. You can view the complete list of shopping partners on the LifeMiles website here .

Buying Miles

As a LifeMiles member, you also have the option to buy miles. However, doing so is almost never a good idea. Avianca charges a fixed rate of 3.3 cents per mile regardless of how many miles you purchase at once. Since you can rarely get more than 3.3 cents per mile in redemption value out of LifeMiles, this is a very bad deal.

The minimum number of LifeMiles that can be purchased per transaction is 1,000 and you can’t purchase more than 200,000 LifeMiles per calendar year.

You may want to consider buying miles if you’re 1,000 or 2,000 miles short of a specific redemption. But, even in that case, you may want to just pay with cash and save your LifeMiles for a future redemption.

Avianca also has a subscription service called Club LifeMiles which essentially rewards you with a monthly sum of LifeMiles for paying a monthly fee.

While paying for Club LifeMiles does offer a better value than one-time purchases of LifeMiles, it’s still a bad deal and should be avoided.

How to Redeem Avianca LifeMiles

There are many ways that you can redeem Avianca LifeMiles, some of which provide far more value per mile than others. In general, the best way to maximize the value of your LifeMiles is going to be to redeem them for flights operated by Avianca or one of its airline partners.

In the following sections, we’ll cover the different ways that you can redeem LifeMiles and which of these redemption methods offer the best value per mile on average.

Award Flights

As Avianca is a member of Star Alliance, you can also use your miles to book award flights with any member of Star Alliance. Avianca prices Star Alliance awards (including Avianca-operated award flights) using a single award chart that splits the world into 14 regions. Star Alliance award prices are based on which of these regions you’re flying to and from as well as what cabin class you’re flying in.

One important thing to note about Avianca LifeMiles is that this program doesn’t pass along carrier-imposed surcharges on award flights. This makes Avianca a great program through which to book award flights on airlines that typically levy large surcharges, such as Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines.

You can view Avianca’s Star Alliance award chart here .

The cheapest award flights that you’ll find on Star Alliance partners are Economy flights within Mexico for 7,000 miles one-way. You can fly many routes within the United States for just 7,500 miles one-way. There are also plenty of excellent deals on intercontinental premium-cabin award flights in Avianca’s Star Alliance award chart.

Additionally, you can redeem your LifeMiles for award flights on Aeromexico, GOL and Iberia. LifeMiles can be earned but not redeemed through Easyfly. Aeromexico, GOL and Iberia each have their own LifeMiles award chart, which you can find on the LifeMiles website here by clicking on the specific partner and then navigating to the “How to redeem your LifeMiles” section.

Notably, you can book one-way economy flights within Brazil for just 6,000 LifeMiles. Other than that, though, you’re usually better off redeeming your LifeMiles for Star Alliance awards.

Here are a few sweet spots in the Avianca LifeMiles program that you should look out for:

One-Way U.S. Domestic Flights on United Airlines from 7,500 Miles

Avianca’s Star Alliance award chart divides the United States into three regions and one-way economy flights within these regions are always 7,500 miles. For instance, you can fly from Florida to Texas, from Oregon to Colorado or from New York to Ohio for 7,500 miles one-way.

These routes often provide excellent value. We found a United Airlines-operated one-way economy flight from Portland (PDX) to Albuquerque (ABQ) for just 7,500 miles (plus $5.60 in taxes and fees) through the Avianca LifeMiles program.

If you were to book the exact same flight with cash through the United Airlines website, it would cost you $270.

That means that this redemption would yield a value of 3.5 cents per mile, which is outstanding, especially for an economy flight. There are plenty of amazing deals such as this one on U.S. domestic award flights operated by United Airlines through Avianca LifeMiles that offer great value and are super practical for U.S.-based travelers.

Flights within the same region of the U.S. are 15,000 miles in business class one-way and 35,000 miles in first class one-way, both of which provide great value per mile if you’re able to find availability.

One-Way Flights Between the U.S. and Australia on United Airlines from 40,000 Miles

Flights between the U.S. and Australia can often be in the thousands, even in economy class. However, Avianca’s Star Alliance award chart starts pricing for one-way economy flights between the U.S. and Australia (as well as New Zealand and Tahiti) at just 40,000 miles.

For instance, we found a United-operated one-way economy flight between Los Angeles (LAX) and Sydney (SYD) for 40,000 miles (plus $46.70 in taxes and fees).

If you were to purchase the same exact flight with cash through the United Airlines website, it would cost you $1,436.

This redemption would yield a value of about 3.5 cents per mile, which is fantastic for an economy flight. In theory, you could probably find even more value per mile by booking this route in business class or first class. Unfortunately, it’s notoriously hard to find premium cabin award space through Avianca LifeMiles.

One-Way Business Class Flights Between the U.S. and Europe on United Airlines from 60,000 Miles

According to the Avianca Star Alliance award chart, you can book one-way business class awards from the U.S. to the “Europe 1” region for as low as 60,000 miles. You can also book one-way business class flights from the U.S. to the “Europe 2” and “Europe 3” regions for as little as 63,000 miles.

For instance, we found a United-operated one-way business class flight between Washington, D.C. (IAD) and Frankfurt (FRA) for 63,000 miles (plus $26.70 in taxes and fees).

If you were to book the same flight on the same date with cash through the United Airlines website, you would have to pay $6,897.

That means that this redemption would yield a value of over 10 cents per mile, which is amazing. If you’re looking to fly United’s Polaris business class, booking through Avianca LifeMiles is often one of the most affordable ways to do so.

One-Way Business Class Flights Between Honolulu and Japan on ANA from 48,000 Miles

One of the best sweet spots in the Avianca LifeMiles program is for business class flights between Honolulu and Tokyo operated by ANA, starting at just 48,000 miles one-way according to Avianca’s Star Alliance award chart.

For example, we found a one-way business class award from Honolulu (HNL) to Tokyo (HND) for 48,000 miles (plus $26.70).

If you were to book this same exact flight with cash through the ANA website, it would cost you $6,068.20.

That means that this redemption would yield a value of about 12.5 cents per mile, which is incredible.

As you can see, Avianca’s favorable award chart makes it one of the best programs for booking Star Alliance awards. If you have an American Express, Capital One or Citi credit card, this is a program that you should look into often when transferring your points to buy award flights.

Hotel Stays

Through the LifeMiles Hotels portal (powered by Booking.com), you can redeem your LifeMiles for hotel stays at thousands of hotels across the globe. To do so, visit hotels.lifemiles.com and enter your destination, travel dates and number of guests and select the “Pay with my miles” option. You’ll be presented with a list of hotels that match your search query and their respective rates in LifeMiles.

Unfortunately, redeeming your LifeMiles this way typically provides very poor value. For instance, you could book a one-night stay at the PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore for 60,400 miles.

Alternatively, you could book the same stay with cash through the LifeMiles Hotels portal for $350.

At that rate, this redemption would yield a value of about 0.6 cents per mile, which isn’t very good, especially when considering the great value you could get out of your LifeMiles by redeeming them for award flights.

Rental Cars

You can also redeem your miles through the LifeMiles Cars portal (powered by Rocket Travel). Visit cars.lifemiles.com and search your pick-up and drop-off times and your location and select the ”Pay with my miles” option. You’ll be presented with a list of rental options and their respective prices in LifeMiles.

Redeeming your miles this way also doesn’t provide very good value per mile. For instance, we found a rental at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport for 5,147 miles per day.

If you were to book the same rental with cash, it would cost you $32 per day.

Thus, this redemption would give you a value of about 0.6 cents per mile, which isn’t very good. You’re better off paying for your car rentals in cash and saving your LifeMiles for award flights.

Avianca gives you the option to redeem LifeMiles with certain retail partners. However, most of these partners are located in Colombia or other countries in Latin America. So, this option isn’t very applicable to U.S.-based travelers. Plus, redeeming your miles this way provides very poor value.

Still, if you live in Colombia or happen to be traveling there, you can redeem LifeMiles in-store at certain retailers such as Adidas, Totto and Bosi. Some of these retail partners require you to present your ID, LifeMiles number and physical LifeMiles membership card in order to make a redemption. Other retail partners allow redemptions using a QR code in the LifeMiles Mobile App.

Make Purchases on Amazon.com

You can use your miles to make purchases online through Amazon.com by downloading an online extension for Google Chrome. Simply search for products on Amazon.com as you normally would and click the “Pay with miles” button on the checkout page.

As to be expected, redeeming your LifeMiles through Amazon.com provides fairly poor value and you’re typically much better off redeeming your miles for award flights.

Donate LifeMiles

Like most frequent flyer programs, Avianca LifeMiles gives you the option to donate your miles to benefit one of their partner charities. Avianca partners with several charities across several different causes, including:

• Infancy and childhood
• Humanitarian aid
• Inclusive ventures
• Organ transport
• Employment inclusion
• Gender equity
• Environmental and animal care
• Human rights

There are no minimums or maximums for the number of miles you can donate. So, if you want to use your LifeMiles to make the world a better place, donating them to one of Avianca’s partner charities is a great way to do so.

Avianca LifeMiles Expiration

Every frequent flyer program has unique rules about when its miles expire. In the case of Avianca LifeMiles, your miles will expire after just 12 months of account inactivity. So, you’ll want to make sure that you perform some sort of activity on your account every 12 months in order to prevent your miles from expiring.

Luckily, booking flights isn’t the only thing that’s considered account activity. According to Avianca’s policies, you simply need to “make one accrual transaction every 12 months” to extend the expiration date on your miles for another 12 months.

So, if your miles are in danger of expiring, you might want to consider downloading the LifeMiles Google Chrome extension for Amazon.com and making a low-cost purchase with miles. This redemption may not provide great value, but it’ll prevent your miles from expiring for another 12 months.

The Bottom Line

U.S.-based travelers often overlook LifeMiles because it is the frequent flyer program of a Colombian airline. However, LifeMiles is a program that’s full of high-value redemptions thanks to its favorable award charts and the fact that it doesn’t pass on carrier-imposed surcharges. In many cases, LifeMiles is the best program with which to book award flights on airlines such as Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, United Airlines and many other Star Alliance partners.

You can also accrue LifeMiles by flying with any Star Alliance member airline as well as with Aeromexico, GOL, Iberia and Easyfly. But, for most, the best way to boost your balance is going to be to transfer credit card points from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards Program or Citi ThankYou Rewards, all of which offer a 1:1 transfer ratio.

Unfortunately, Avianca LifeMiles is known for poor customer service and a website ridden with technical issues. However, if you’re willing to deal with a little bit of frustration, you can find some amazing deals on award flights through this program.

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Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

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Travis Cormier

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Matt Fitzgerald

34 Minute Read

Julie Neafach

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About Avianca Airlines

Earn avianca lifemiles, avianca lifemiles calculator, redeem lifemiles using avianca's award chart, when do avianca airlines lifemiles expire, avianca’s elite status program, bonus: no expensive copays on award bookings, avianca lifemiles, recapped.

Even if you don't have plans to fly Colombia’s national airline, you may want to know about the Avianca LifeMiles mileage program. From 6,500-mile award flights on United to 60,000-mile business class awards to Europe, there are a variety of ways to redeem Avianca LifeMiles.

Even better, you don’t need to fly Avianca to earn LifeMiles. Instead, you can transfer points from 10 different loyalty programs — including AmEx, Citi, Capital One and Marriott — to take advantage of reward sweet spots. And, based on our most recent analysis, NerdWallet values Avianca LifeMiles at 1.2 cents each.

Here’s your guide to Avianca Airlines and what you need to know about Avianca LifeMiles.

Avianca traces its roots back to 1919 and continues to operate as Colombia’s flag carrier. It operates extensive routes throughout Central America and northern South America. Beyond that, Avianca stretches its wings into North America, southern South America and even a few European routes. Before diving into the loyalty program, let’s do a quick guide to Avianca Airlines:

Avianca fare types

Avianca recently rebranded its fare classes using a (somewhat obnoxious) size-based naming scheme.

XS is the airline’s basic economy-style fare, offering no changes or mileage earnings.

S, M and L are economy fares with varying fee, bag and seat selection policies.

XL and XXL are business class fares, with XXL fares being freely changeable and fully refundable.

Avianca doesn’t offer a premium economy or first-class product.

Avianca's main U.S. routes

Avianca currently operates flights to 10 U.S. airports in four regions:

California: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Ontario.

Florida: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando.

Northeast U.S.: New York-JFK, Washington-Dulles.

Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Bush.

Most U.S. routes are to Avianca’s hubs in San Salvador, El Salvador, and Bogota, Colombia.

Points currency and the Avianca LifeMiles loyalty program

Avianca’s mileage program and mileage currency are called LifeMiles. NerdWallet values Avianca LifeMiles at 1.2 cents each.

Unlike many U.S. airlines, the LifeMiles loyalty program is a separate legal entity from the actual Avianca airline itself. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, as this structure helps provide some separation — especially useful now as Avianca declared Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy in May 2020.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

There are three primary ways to earn LifeMiles: flying, spending on Avianca credit cards or transferring points from other programs. Let’s explore these and other ways of earning LifeMiles.

Earn by flying on Avianca

The most obvious way of earning LifeMiles is by flying on Avianca. In 2021, LifeMiles switched to a revenue-based earning method for Avianca flights. As of Feb. 1, 2022, flyers can earn up to 7x LifeMiles per U.S. dollar spent, dependent on fare class.

Elite members will enjoy an additional multiplier on top of that earning rate, up to 180% for Diamond members.

Earning on Star Alliance member flights

Avianca is a member of the Star Alliance . That means you can earn LifeMiles when flying on any of the other 25 alliance-member airlines. However, the earning rates are going to depend on which airline you’re flying and the fare booking class.

For example, you’ll earn LifeMiles when flying on United based on an accrual chart.

A United flight between Newark and San Francisco is 2,565 miles in length. So, you’ll earn at least 1,282 LifeMiles when booking the cheapest United economy fare on this route (50% rate). The lowest business class fares will earn 2,565 LifeMiles each way (100% rate).

You can also earn and spend LifeMiles on three non-alliance partners: AeroMexico, GOL and Iberia . However, earning and redeeming on each of these partners are limited to certain geographic regions.

Earn by spending on Avianca credit cards

Avianca LifeMiles offers two co-branded credit cards to U.S. travelers: the Avianca Vuela Visa and the Avianca Vida Visa. Both cards are issued and managed by Banco Popular de Puerto Rico.

The $59 annual fee Avianca Vida Visa offers a 20,000-mile sign-up bonus just for signing up and using the card once. Then, you’ll earn 2 LifeMiles per dollar spent on Avianca purchases and 1 LifeMile per dollar spent on all other purchases. The card offers a few perks — such as a 15% discount on Multiply Your Miles purchases — but little else to be excited about.

The Avianca Vuela Visa Card charges a $149 annual fee and offers more valuable perks. You’ll get 40,000 bonus miles the first time you use your card. Avianca purchases earn 3 LifeMiles per dollar spent. You’ll get 2x LifeMiles at gas stations and grocery stores and 1x LifeMiles everywhere else.

The card grants you a free checked bag when flying Avianca between the U.S. and Central America. Cardholders can also spend their way to a 50% discount on award redemptions between the U.S. and Central America or Colombia, and there are no foreign transaction fees. Still, the Vuela Visa Card is only going to be a good fit for die-hard LifeMiles users and Avianca travelers.

Earn by transferring from travel credit cards

LifeMiles wouldn’t be a very relevant program if the only way to earn them was through flying and spending on Avianca-branded credit cards. However, Avianca LifeMiles can effectively be earned on many other credit cards thanks to LifeMiles’ partners.

You can transfer points to LifeMiles from three different U.S. bank and credit card programs:

American Express: Transfer 1,000 Membership Rewards to get 1,000 LifeMiles.

Capital One: Transfer 1,000 Capital One Miles to get 1,000 LifeMiles.

Citi: Transfer 1,000 Citi ThankYou Points to get 1,000 LifeMiles.

Bilt: Transfer 1,000 Bilt Rewards points to get 1,000 LifeMiles.

This gives you a wide range of ways to earn LifeMiles. For example, you can effectively earn 1-10x LifeMiles per dollar by spending on the below transferrable point cards and transferring those points to Avianca.

on Citibank's application

on American Express' website

on Bilt's website

• 3 points per $1 on air travel and hotels, supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants.

• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

• 4 points per $1 at restaurant plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.

• 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per year).

• 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.

• 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 3 points per $1 on dining.

• 2 points per $1 on travel.

• 1 point per $1 on rent payments up to 100,000 points per year.

Note: You must use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points.

• 5 miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

• 2 miles per $1 on all other purchases.

Also, you can convert hotel points from seven different hotel loyalty programs into LifeMiles:

Marriott: 3:1 transfer ratio.

Hilton: Transfer 10,000 Hilton Honors points to get 1,000 LifeMiles.

IHG: Transfer 10,000 IHG Rewards points to get 2,000 LifeMiles.

Accor: 2:1 transfer ratio for transferring Accor Live Limitless Rewards points.

Best Western: Transfer 5,000 Best Western Rewards to get 1,000 LifeMiles.

Radisson: Transfer 2,000 Radisson Rewards Points to get 200 LifeMiles.

Wyndham: Transfer 6,000 Wyndham Rewards to get 1,200 LifeMiles.

Other ways to earn Avianca LifeMiles:

Buying LifeMiles: LifeMiles is famous for its significant mileage sales of up to 200% bonus miles — for a purchase rate of just 1.1 cents per LifeMile.

Hotel stays: Earn up to 20 LifeMiles per dollar spent at LifeMiles hotel partners.

Rental cars: Earn up to 5 LifeMiles per dollar, 50 per day or 500 per rental through LifeMiles’ rental car partnerships.

Shopping: Earn up to 5 LifeMiles per dollar spent through LifeMiles’ shopping partners. However, many are located in Central and South America.

Dining: Members can earn up to 3 LifeMiles per dollar on dining partners, but this is only available in certain Central and South American countries.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

What are Avianca LifeMiles worth? Based on our analysis , Avianca LifeMiles are worth 1.2 cents each. Use the Lifemiles-to-dollars calculator below to figure out how much your Avianca LifeMiles are worth based on our estimated value.

LifeMiles uses an award chart to price award flights on Star Alliance partners, plus a separate chart for its non-alliance partners AeroMexico, GOL and Iberia. The Star Alliance chart splits the world into 21 different regions, including three regions for the contiguous United States.

That award chart is enough to make any traveler’s eyes glaze over. But, if you dig into this overly complicated chart, you’ll find plenty of sweet spots.

Domestic U.S. award flights

Domestic U.S. flights on United start at just 7,500 LifeMiles each way as long as you stay within the same region. However, LifeMiles will price some award flights even cheaper than this.

Award flights to other regions inside the contiguous U.S. cost 10,000 to 12,500 miles in economy. Business class awards cost a reasonable 15,000 to 25,000 LifeMiles each way.

For flights between the mainland and Hawaii, the award chart lists the rate as 22,500 miles in economy or 40,000 miles in business class. But again, LifeMiles will sometimes price economy awards at less than the award chart price:

Award flights to Europe

Award flights to Europe start at just 20,000 LifeMiles in economy or 60,000 LifeMiles in business class. However, this great pricing is only for flights between United States 1 (generally the U.S. East Coast) and Europe 1 — which includes the British Isles and Scandinavia.

Other contiguous U.S.-Europe flights cost 30,000 LifeMiles in economy and 63,000 LifeMiles in business class. This includes flights from the far side of one region to the far side of the other.

Business class awards to Asia

If you want to head to Asia in style, business class award flights from any contiguous U.S. region to South Asia costs a quite reasonable 78,000 LifeMiles each way.

That beats the 99,000-mile award rate that United is charging for the same flights.

» Learn more: The latest in travel news

Other ways to redeem (that you should pass on)

You can use LifeMiles on more than just flights, but the value is so poor that we rarely recommend it. If you're truly never flying on Avianca or one of its airline partners again, then you might as well buy an overpriced item on Amazon with them. Otherwise, save your miles for flights. That said, here are some ways that you can redeem Avianca LifeMiles that are not flights:

Using LifeMiles for hotel bookings

As we covered above, LifeMiles members can earn miles by booking hotel stays through LifeMiles Hotels . Alternatively, you can redeem LifeMiles for hotel stays. Avianca elite and co-branded credit cardholders can even use 10% fewer miles than other members.

The exact redemption rate is going to vary on the property, but we're generally finding redemption rates under 0.7 cent per LifeMile. That means you’ll generally want to pass on this option and look for something travel-related, where you can get at least 1.2 cents per mile.

Using LifeMiles for Amazon Purchases

Generally, the best options for redeeming your LifeMiles are going to be for flights and other travel purchases. But, there are ways to redeem Avianca LifeMiles for non-travel purchases.

You can use your LifeMiles for Amazon purchases by installing a special Chrome extension. At checkout, you’ll be given the option to “Pay with LM” instead of paying with a credit card or Amazon gift card. However, the redemption rate is an abysmal 0.56 cent per LifeMile:

Every loyalty program has its own policies around when frequent flyer miles expire , but Avianca LifeMiles have among the shortest expiration periods of them all.

LifeMiles expire after just 12 months of account inactivity. That said, you don't necessarily need to fly just to show activity. You simply need to "make one accrual transaction every 12 months," which then extends the expiration date on all the LifeMiles in your account for another 12 months (or until you again show activity). Activity could be earning or redeeming Avianca Airlines LifeMiles through flights, spending on an Avianca LifeMiles credit or debit card or using LifeMiles for Amazon Purchases. Purchasing a low-cost item from Amazon, like socks, won't be a great redemption, but it won't cost you too many points. And better yet, it'll prevent you from losing all your other points entirely.

Avianca's elite status program has four tiers: Red Plus, Silver, Gold and Diamond.

As of Jan. 1, 2023, Avianca has lowered requirements for qualifying/requalifying for elite status. Specifically, the minimum number of qualifying miles that must be earned on trips flown with Avianca has gone down across all elite tiers.

These are quite reasonable rates for earning elite status. However, a crucial aspect to remember is that Avianca requires that a minimum number of these qualifying miles must be earned on Avianca flights. So, you should focus on earning elite status with another Star Alliance partner if you aren’t planning to primarily fly Avianca.

If you've got an Avianca LifeMiles credit card, 25% of miles earned through spending on the card will count toward earning status, up to 20% of the status threshold, giving you another way to earn toward elite status.

All elite members get priority check-in, priority phone line, advanced notice of LifeMiles promotions and an extension of elite benefits during maternity leave.

Starting with Silver status, elite members get:

Free upgrades to business class.

Access to Avianca lounges on international flights.

Priority boarding.

Additional checked baggage.

Gold elites receive all of the above, plus:

Earlier upgrades.

Lounge access whenever flying.

Preferential seat selection at booking.

Even more free checked bag allowance.

Star Alliance Gold elite status, which grants access to partner lounges.

If you make it up to Diamond elite status, you’ll also get:

LifeMiles upgrade certificates.

Access to Diamond VIP lounges.

Any seat selection at booking.

A LifeMiles redemption fee waiver.

A rollover of up to 16,000 qualifying miles.

One thing that you need to know about Avianca LifeMiles is that it doesn’t pass along carrier-imposed surcharges on award tickets. That means you won’t have to pay sky-high cash copays to get a reasonable award rate.

For this reason, LifeMiles is the go-to mileage program for booking award tickets on airlines that charge hefty fees — such as Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines.

For example, Lufthansa first class is considered one of the best first class products in the skies. However, when you book this award using some Star Alliance partners, carrier-imposed surcharges can add up to several hundred dollars or more each way.

However, you won’t have to pay these fees when booking with Avianca LifeMiles. That means you don’t have to factor in how much an airline charges in carrier-imposed surcharges; instead, you’re just paying taxes and other government fees when booking an award.

As it’s a mileage program of a Colombian airline, it’s easy to ignore LifeMiles; however, by doing so, you’re missing out on some excellent award rates with minimal out-of-pocket costs.

One of the great parts of LifeMiles is that you don’t need to build up a mileage balance over time. You can simply transfer points from one of four major transferable point programs (AmEx, Citi, Capital One or Marriott) to LifeMiles just before you want to book an award flight.

Make sure to price out an award on LifeMiles the next time you’re planning to book an award flight on United or another Star Alliance partner. You may be pleasantly surprised by just how affordable the miles and cash prices are.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On a similar note...

Review: Avianca 787-8 Business Class

From London to Bogota I flew in Avianca Business Class on the Boeing 787-8. While the food was deplorable, I do think Avianca has potential (or perhaps better put, still maintains some premium elements) on its longhaul flights.

In This Post:

Avianca 787-8 Business Class Review

Instead of enjoying dinner in one of the four Star Alliance lounges in Heathrow T2, I went into town and spent some time with my sister-in-law and her family. That was a lovely time, but I got back to the airport just before boarding commenced.

Before leaving, I picked up my boarding pass from the transit counter.

Had I returned earlier, I would have visited the lounges in this order:

• Air Canada  (for coffee)
• United Airlines
• Singapore Airlines

But as I mentioned, I got back to the gate at 9:32 pm and boarding began promptly at 9:45 pm, more than one hour before departure.

I stepped from the jet bridge onto the plane with a greeting in Spanish and turned left into business class.

Avianca 121 London (LHR) – Bogota (BOG) Friday, April 8, 2022 Depart: 10:40 PM Arrive: 03:29 AM+1 Duration: 10hr, 49min Distance: 5,265 miles Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Seat: 1A (Business Class)

You may recall in my “teaser” for this flight that I focused on the poor food onboard. I’ll get to that in a moment, but I do want to state at the outset that it wasn’t a bad flight, just a sad one.

Avianca chose the Safran Cirrus reverse herringbone seat for its business class cabin, which includes 28 seats. in a 1-2-1 configuration. The front cabin includes five rows of seats while the rear mini-cabin, behind door 2, includes two rows of seats.

I prefer these reverse herringbone seats to some of the competition because the meal tray is located on the side rather than cutting into your knee room.

I chose seat 1A, which was quite private and another thing I love about these seats is the personal storage, including a cabinet in the side console and another area for storage in the armrest.

Seat controls, a power outlet, and a USB-A outlet were all within reach at shoulder level (along with a reading light and remote control for the IFE screen).

The aircraft was not old, but was already showing a lot of wear and tear.

Truth be told, the pillow was plush, the duvet soft and warm, and with individual air nozzles above I spent most of the flight soundly asleep. In terms of the single most important element of business class, namely a comfortable seat with good bedding, Avianca gets it right.

IFE + Wi-Fi

Speaking of IFE and Wi-Fi, the library included a small selection of movies (mostly Hollywood movies, but also some from Latin America since I always try to find more local movies on a flag carrier) as well as music, TV shows, and games.

Noise-canceling headphones were provided prior to takeoff:

Wi-Fi was not available onboard. Theoretically, Avianca offers wi-fi, but no network showed up on my flight. This was less of a problem on an overnight flight.

Food + Drink

Here’s where the flight really disappointed me. Menus were not offered. After takeoff, the following meal was served:

Yes folks, this is business class. And yes, this is a crew meal with a sandwich and a little chocolate dessert.

Flight attendants were clearly embarrassed, but they should have been more embarrassed that it was served lukewarm . It was disgusting.

To be fair, Avianca blamed the catering on its (then) recent restart of service to London. But it’s not like London catering had no notice it was flying out of London…ultimately, I found that excuse to be weak (and other readers claimed Avianca serves meals like this out of Madrid as well).

Before landing, breakfast was served. This cheese omelet was thankfully warm, but the bread was stale and the coffee tasted like water.

What a missed opportunity!

I decided to “re-arrange” the meals myself…just to see if I could make them look more appetizing. I think it helped…the crew could have done this as well.

I am hopeful that the food on this route is now better, but would welcome your comments below.

Water bottles were frequently offered…at least there was that.

Amenity Kit

Passengers in business class were offered an attractive Salvatore Ferragamo-branded amenity kit that included:

• toothbrush + toothpaste
• wipe for glasses

Service was actually lovely onboard. The flight attendant who worked my side of the aisle was very friendly and apologetic over the food (which she had absolutely no control over). I thought the entire crew was very kind.

I visited the lavatory toward the end of the flight and found it quite messy.

We landed on-time in Bogota…at 3:30am in the morning, the one downside to these so-called “reverse redeyes” from Europe to South America.

I would still say Avianca has the potential to be a competitive carrier. The seat and bedding were great, the service warm, and I liked the amenity kit. But the food desperately needs to improve and the lavatories should be cleaned more often.

Perhaps, under the right circumstances, I’d fly Avianca again on a transatlantic flight. But the carrier really has a lot of room for improvement.

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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23 comments.

You mention the Air Canada lounge for coffee, but your lounge calls the coffee weak – is Air Canada the best lounge for coffee at Heathrow T2?

This might seem minor but, since the flight attentand gave you such great service if would have been nice of you to mention him/her by name. When I get great service I also like to email the airline directly with a compliment. Airlines get so many complaints that complements tend to stand out and are appreciated by the employee involved. If you did do this then kudos to you.

Are you going to try AV again this year or next year to see if they improved?

It’s crazy what they are doing to themselves. They fly 787s with business cabins on overnight long hauls to Brazil, Chile and Argentina without selling business class. I hope they refocus their strategy sooner rather than later.

I took the business class from bogata to Sao Paulo Brazil, No pillow, No blanket, No food, The crew was hidden most the flight. LA to bogata was better but the food was horrible.

Was it just a sandwich from Bogota to LA?

We did JFK-BOG-EZE in Nov. Sometime between when we bought the ticket to when we flew, our ticket went from A fare to Y fare. JFK – BOG on the way got A32N with Y only with blocked middle and sandwich as service. BOG-EZE on both ways got A332 with angled flat but again just sandwiches. Funny enough FAs referred to the section as business class and closed the curtains. Return from BOG-JFK was the infamous modified Recaro seat. It is weird. Weird still there is no power, not even USB. After the flight they proactively offered flight credit or partial refund which came through some weeks later, which I thought was a nice gesture.

Yes and water or coffee. They’ve been claiming forever that “they are working tirelessly to bring an up to par business class service” but to be honest. They love to treat their customers mostly Colombia. Like s**** because they know they have a monopoly on those routes

A few years ago I flew Avianca and enjoyed their Business service, and in fact I flew LAX to EZE a month prior to Covid and thought their Business service was very good. Since Covid it is horrid! What you received is much better than their Business class food and service when they began flying again. They now only offer Business to Europe. I used the last of my miles recently for a trip MVD to BOG. Nothing was free. Complete lack of service. In row 15 my seat was not designed to recline. Hopefully I will never have to fly them again.

As a Colombian, I can tell you that this is the new reality of the company and is not getting any better. They’ve decided to go for a ultra low cost model. In a recent trip from Bogotá to Lima, not even a cup of water. Since the hard product is very correct, my approach would be to take advantage of a good deal if available, and eat a lot in the airport before boarding.

Avianca was once a proud airline with great standards. It seems that the company does not care any longer. The meal looks like something on AA rather than Avianca. I hope they read this blog and improve.

Avianca has decided to be a low cost carrier. They have eliminated selling business class seats in South America and to/from North America, even if the plane is a 787. If you buy a UA business ticket with an Avianca flight, you will not be able to puchase a better up front seat on the Avianca flight. United will tell you they do not sell partnes seat upgrades and Avianca will tell you they cannot change a partners ticket. Even if you buy the most expensive seat up front, you will not even get a bottle of water free.

Even worse that nasty meal was loaded with 2000 mg of sodium, an entire day’s allotment in a small airplane plate.

Avianca business seats can be purchased, I bought 2 round trips BOS-BOG. The trick is buy economy but at seat selection pick your seat in business class. The choice cost me $160 RT.

It will be a more comfortable seat, use of upfront restroom, but no premium check-in, lounge (but I have alternate options), and probably no food/cocktail service.

Is it me, or is there no date mentioned of when this flight was taken? It would be really helpful for reference.

Date is there near beginning.

Almost a year ago, which kind of makes this review kind of useless without comparing it to what is offered today (though from other comments on here, it doesn’t seem like things have improved).

The only thing that may have changed is the food (I certainly hope it is at least properly plated). Everything else is the same based upon the many comments I’ve read (beyond here). Wish I could churn out reports quicker, but this particular trip was delayed…

Avianca is the biggest joke amongst all the other carriers that belong to any alliance. Their new ultra low cost model should not be allowed within Star Alliance. I flew last month LHR BOG and their check in area was an absolute chaos, even in Business Class. People don’t read the entry requirements for Colombia and find themselves filling out a very annoying immigration form whist queuing to check in. The annoying thing is thats this form is not even requested when standing of front of an immigration officer upon arrival, then there’s also the Covid pass issue. On board, the service takes for ever, and you only get a small cup of wine with your meal. After nearly 2 hours the crew clear up, put the lights out and off to sleep they go. If you fancy a drink, then walk down amigo before your body shuts down due to dehydration. No liquids are offered during the rest of the flight, until 2 hours before landing when breakfast is served. The domestic flight was quick, 25 minutes and I paid for the so called premium seat, 1A, nothing out of this world, however on their Airbuses these are the only seats that recly slightly, otherwise you’re on the Ryanair type a few rows down. I promise myself and my family will never touch these company again, however, due to the demise of VivaAir we have no other option but to use these buggers as they have better timings than Latam, which I don’t use. I really do feel sorry for anyone travelling from the USA sitting for over 6 hours on those seats. Why can’t they use AA DL UA or even the real low costs US carries that know what they do. To finish off my disgust at this airline, I’m waiting for a refund of over £2K since February, according to them, they’ve tried to refund me 3 times and my bank refuses to accept the funds??? My advice? Save your money, your credit card points and use them elsewhere

Is dinner still a crew meal wrapped in plastic? I hope that at least has improved.

one more question – do they still require masks? Thanks

“Whine and Dine” …

Avianca doesn’t want to be a better airline. They want to be a s—hole airline.

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Is Avianca A Good Airline? 13 Things To Know (Pros & Cons)

by waynekask | Mar 31, 2024 | Blog , Travel Tips | 0 comments

Last Updated on March 31, 2024

Is Avianca a good airline?  Avianca Airlines is one of the leading low-budget Latin American carriers, based out of Colombia. 

The airline provides excellent rates for domestic and international flights from the United States to over 70 different destinations around the world. 

However, plenty of people still have reservations about booking budget airlines, especially when it comes to flying internationally.

My first flight with Avianca was in October of 2022 while traveling to El Salvador .  But I’ve been traveling extensively since 2016 so I know a great deal about the airlines, including the pros and cons.

Below, we’ll break down the pros and cons so you can answer the question “Is Avianca a good airline?” before booking your next flight!

Ready to book your next flight?  Take a look at the best flight prices here.  

Table of contents.

Several Fare Classes

LifeMiles Program

Largest Airline In Columbia, Second Largest In Latin America

Second Oldest Airline In The World

Low-Cost Airline

Great For International Travel

High Safety Rating

In-Flight Entertainment

Flying Experience

Flexible But Confusing Cancellation Policies

Fewer Destination Options For U.S.-Based Travelers

Long Customer Service Hold Times

Meals No Longer Included In Fares

Flying on an Avianca plane from Nicaragua to El Salvador 

Is Avianca A Good Airline?  Pros

1. several fare classes.

As of 2021, they offer customers a range of six flight classes to choose from.

Depending on your budget and preferences, travelers have the option of picking from their XS class all the way up to XXL. XS-M are economy class-like seats.

The farther up in size, the more comparable the seat to business class tickets and first class options on other airlines.

Each class offers various amenities like extra legroom, complimentary meals and beverages, Wi-Fi access, and a priority boarding pass.

So, you have the option to customize your journey based on your individual needs!

Unlike the budget airlines in America, Avianca Airlines has upgraded some of its fleet to include lay-flat seats.

2. LifeMiles Program

If you’re a frequent flyer, Avianca is no different than other major airlines like United Airlines, Air Canada, and Delta when it comes to rewards for your travels.

You can earn up to seven LifeMiles per dollar spent when flying with them, along with extra bonus points for purchases made with their credit card offers.

The red, silver, gold, and diamond cards offer you miles when using them – meaning your travels can take you even farther than before.

You can also use transfer programs to convert your Marriott Rewards or Capital One points for LifeMiles.

Your points through Avianca can be used for cabin upgrades, additional services, business-class seats, and more.

So, in terms of rewarding you for your frequent travels, this is a big pro to choosing Avianca Airlines offers the best value.

3. The Largest Colombian Airline And Second Largest In Latin America

Avianca has made its mark on air travel in Latin America.  In 2022, they carried 24.6 million travelers over 187,000 flights across their routes in South America, Latin America, Europe, and beyond.

Despite a rough period coming out of the pandemic, they were still able to launch 21 new routes and plan to continue growing.

As the airline continues to grow in size, they are also expanding its destinations and fleet.

4. Second Oldest Airline In The World

With a remarkable 100+ year history, Avianca is the world’s second-oldest airline.

Founded in 1919 just after KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the proven veteran airline has adapted and evolved in order to survive a rapidly changing flight industry.

Known for its strong presence throughout Latin America, the carrier continues to live up to its reputation as an experienced global leader.

There’s something to be said about an airline with the ability to stand the tests of time.

5. Low-Cost Airline

If you’re considering a trip abroad, Avianca Airlines may be the perfect match for you.

With their low-cost fares and international options, and convenient check-in process, they make it easier to find affordable flights outside of your country.

We all know that flight costs can quickly pile up when planning an international trip.

It’s nice to have access to international budget-friendly rates.

For both leisure and business trips, Avianca is definitely worth looking into for cost savings on your next trip overseas!

From my personal experiences with Avianca, they have great rates that are hard to beat when compared to other large carriers.

6. Great For International Travel

Avianca is the perfect airline for budget travelers who want to explore outside of the United States.

There are definitely no frills to flying Avianca, but if you’re willing to make the sacrifice, Avianca offers some of the lowest ticket prices for international flights out there.

With tickets as low as $100 one way, you can find your way to Latin America or Europe at unbeatable prices.

Giving up those flight frills means extra money for experiences and souvenirs when you land!

7. High Safety Rating

When it comes to total safety, passenger comfort, and a secure boarding process, Avianca is an excellent choice.

As a 3-star airline, the airline is top-notch and puts the safety of its passengers first above all else.

8. In-Flight Entertainment

Most Avianca planes now have an in-flight entertainment system. 

All you need is your own device – phone, tablet, or computer – and you’ll have access to a library of videos, games, and flight information.

Whether you like playing classic board games, watching comedies, or watching the flight tracker, Avianca’s in-flight entertainment options have got it all.

No need to stare out the window and wonder when your flight will end.

Enjoy the ride and take advantage of the in-flight entertainment Avianca now offers.

Is Avianca A Good Airline?  Neutral

9. flexible but confusing cancellation policies.

Changing or canceling your whole flight itinerary can be a hassle depending on your fare level, especially at the last minute can be a tough time.

Customers often find themselves dealing with complicated policies, as well as long wait times when they contact an Avianca agent for customer service.

Additionally, it may take some time to process refund requests and other necessary changes.

Understanding these policies may come with complications, and be difficult or confusing.

To be more certain about your flight, it is best to check their official website and visit their advertising policy page for more information.

It’s worth taking the time to research the rules and fees prior to booking so you can plan accordingly if you choose to fly Avianca.

Is Avianca A Good Airline? Cons

10. poor reviews.

According to reviews on Yelp, Trust Pilot, and BBB, Avianca Airlines consistently gets poor ratings that do not completely meet high international standards.

Many reviewers claim to have dealt with unprofessional cabin crew members, unclean facilities, and uncomfortable seats and flying experiences on the airline.

A term that comes up frequently is to fly Avianca “at your own risk”.  A few reviewers also mentioned that Spirit Airlines and JetBlue’s seats are more comfortable.

If flying in comfort is your priority, Avianca may not be the airline that best suits you.

With that said, the budget Latin American airline seems to have ruffled quite a few feathers in many different areas of service that can be an annoying thing mostly for all travelers.

11. Fewer Destination Options For U.S. Based Travelers

While the airline offers one of the best deals on international flights, they only have flights departure flights from airports in a limited number of US destinations: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Washington, and a few major cities for destinations.

Therefore, if you live in a different city or far from their departing cities, finding a flight that works for you might be challenging.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of their exceptional fares.

12. Long Customer Service Hold Times

When deciding if “ is Avianca is a good airline “, many people weigh their options carefully.

While choosing an inexpensive flight is hard to turn down, the low cost at Avianca seems to be matched with poor customer support and long wait times from the customer service department.

Customer feedback and reviews have reported unsatisfactory experiences, from long wait times on the phone, unreliable help at the airport, and long call center case review times.

In my dealings with Avianca, their customer service seems a bit unorganized and I had a couple of really long, frustrating phone conversations because I had to change my travel plans.

Because of these downfalls, fliers have found themselves unable to resolve their claims leaving them without refunds for long periods of time.

Knowing you may be on your own or out your ticket price could sway you in the opposite direction of this international airline carrier.

13. Meals No Longer Included In Fares

Starting December 1, 2022, Avianca began an in-flight service for snacks and meals.

So, unless you’re flying to Europe, you’ll have to purchase any snacks, meals, or drinks including a bottle of water during your flight.

On the bright side, they do offer an extensive menu of options to choose from.

They accept available credit cards from credit card companies such as Visa, American Express, and Mastercard in the air.

If you are flying their Los Angeles to Bogota route or flights from and to Europe, you will have a hot meal with an appetizer and dessert included in your fare.

What Kind Of Airline Is Avianca?

Avianca is an airline that caters to all kinds of travelers.

For those looking for a full-service experience, they offer an array of first-class offerings from lay-flat seats with seat controls to a generous rewards and loyalty program.

On the other end of the spectrum, they primarily operate as a low-cost carrier.

As one of the few airlines offering international low-cost flight options, it could be argued that they are changing the game for traveling internationally on a budget.

Avianca is one of the world’s oldest airlines – founded over 100 years ago as of 2023 – and continues to grow.

Each year, they expand their domestic and international routes map and fleet to offer customers even more.

Barely anyone on my Avianca flight! 

Is Avianca A Good Airline FAQ’s

Is avianca a safe airline.

Yes, Aviance is known as a safe airline with a 3-star alliance and good overall safety standards and ratings.

They have recognition within the aviation industry as a trusted service provider for air travel requirements throughout the territories they fly.

Is Avianca Owned By United?

United partners with Avianca, and even assisted with their bankruptcy claims in the past.

However, due to United’s contract with its employees, the company is unable to hold majority ownership of another airline carrier.

Is Avianca A Full-Service Airline?

Avianca historically was a full-service carrier.  Some of their fleet and flight options still operate as a full-service carrier.

However, the majority of their domestic and short-haul and domestic flights are moving towards a low-cost carrier model.

Is Avianca A Star Alliance Airline?

Yes, Avianca Airlines holds a high reputation as a 3-Star member of the Star Alliance Airline.

Final Thoughts: Is Avianca A Good Airline?

All in all, is Avianca a good airline?  Well, we can’t say it’s bad, and it’s definitely not the worst airline available. 

This is especially true if you’re looking for cheap international flights!

Avianca does have some qualities worth noting.  Their fare class options and rewards program allows you to make the low-cost carrier a more comfortable experience.

However, poor customer service and lack of basic luxuries during long-haul flights may deter you from wanting to risk the low cost.   According to World Airline Awards , Avianca is ranked 5th for the best South American Airlines in 2023.

Overall, for me, other than a few minor issues, Avianca turned out to be a good choice for international travel.  

So, will you be flying Avianca for your next flight? The right choice is really up to you!

You may be interested in these related posts:

Is American Airlines Good? 12 Things To Know (Pros And Cons)

Is JetBlue A Good Airline? 14 Things To Know (Pros And Cons)

How To Overcome Fear Of Flying- 12 Tips To Try!

Is Sun Country A Good Airline?  12 Things To Know (Pros And Cons)

Is Southwest A Good Airline? 15 Things To Know (Pros And Cons)

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Complete guide to earning and redeeming Avianca LifeMiles

After United increased award rates on some MileagePlus awards by over 100% , the best Star Alliance " sweet spot " awards now largely come from foreign carriers. While navigating a foreign airline's frequent flyer program may seem daunting, the rewards can be significant.

This is particularly true for Colombian airline Avianca and its LifeMiles frequent flyer program.

LifeMiles offers highly appealing redemption rates for Star Alliance awards and additional unique features that make this program worth your attention. Let's delve into everything you need to know about Avianca LifeMiles.

How to earn Avianca LifeMiles

There are many ways to earn Avianca LifeMiles, but the most likely avenue for TPG readers is through its partnerships with major transferable points programs . You can currently transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles and Citi ThankYou Rewards to your LifeMiles account at a 1:1 ratio. These programs sometimes offer transfer bonuses — though there aren't any currently in effect.

If you're looking to top up your transferable points balances, you can do so by applying for these top offers:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express : Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership.
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express : Earn 120,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the card within the first three months of card membership.
• Citi Premier® Card : (see rates and fees ) Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees ): Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Additionally, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio. Unlike most major programs, you won't receive the 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer; LifeMiles was one of the programs that lost this feature in 2022.

Beyond credit cards, Avianca often offers discounts on LifeMiles purchases . In the past, we have seen prices drop as low as 1.2 cents per mile, although the typical sale price ranges from 1.3 to 1.35 cents per mile. These rates are significantly lower than TPG's valuation of LifeMiles at 1.7 cents each. While buying points speculatively is generally not recommended, these sales can be a good option if you have a specific redemption in mind.

If you frequently travel on paid tickets with Star Alliance carriers , it might be worth considering crediting your miles to Avianca. This can be advisable if you find more value in the LifeMiles program than in other options like United MileagePlus or Air Canada Aeroplan . Crediting your miles to Avianca is also beneficial if you don't travel enough to earn elite status but still want to maximize your redemption opportunities.

Related: Where to credit paid flights in each alliance for the most possible points

How to redeem Avianca LifeMiles

As a member of the Star Alliance, Avianca allows you to use your LifeMiles for flights on Avianca or any of its alliance partners. Additionally, Avianca has partnerships with GOL and Iberia, providing opportunities to earn and redeem LifeMiles on select flights operated by these airlines.

LifeMiles follows a standard zone-based award chart for most flights. However, flights within the U.S. sometimes deviate from the standard award chart. Dynamic pricing is typically unfavorable. However, these discrepancies have often worked in favor of travelers, offering advantageous redemption options.

Here's a one-way economy flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) that prices out 1,000 miles cheaper than Avianca's award chart suggests:

Redeeming LifeMiles is typically a straightforward process that involves logging into the LifeMiles website and searching for your desired award flight.

However, it is important to note that while Avianca should have access to the same Star Alliance award availability as United and Air Canada, the carrier's information technology is known to have limitations. This can result in phantom award space , where seats appear online but are not bookable.

Conversely, Avianca may not always display available award space on United or Aeroplan. Therefore, it is advisable to double-check your search using another Star Alliance search engine or tools like ExpertFlyer (owned by TPG's parent company, Red Ventures) before transferring points to Avianca. This ensures you have accurate and up-to-date information before proceeding with your redemption.

Related: The best websites to search for Star Alliance award availability

LifeMiles sweet spots

In most cases, you are faced with a trade-off between low award rates and high fuel surcharges or spending more miles to avoid extra costs. However, LifeMiles is one of the few programs that excels in both aspects. It offers highly competitive rates for Star Alliance awards and does not pass on fuel surcharges to LifeMiles members. As a result, you can expect to pay minimal taxes and fees when redeeming an award ticket.

Lufthansa first class from the U.S. to Europe

Between Porcshe amenity kits and gourmet inflight dining, Lufthansa's first class is often a dream come true for award travelers.

United often prices Lufthansa first-class awards to Europe at around 121,000 miles each way. Air Canada Aeroplan charges 100,000 points when there's award space. While Asiana and Lufthansa offer lower rates, both programs impose high taxes and fees.

Meanwhile, Avianca offers one of the best ways to book Lufthansa first class on miles. Award rates start at just 87,000 miles each way and carry minimal taxes and fees.

At 30,000 and 63,000 miles, Star Alliance economy and business class awards aren't bad deals, either.

To compare, here's what you'd need from other Star Alliance programs that partner with transferable point currencies:

• United MileagePlus: 44,000 miles for economy; 88,000 miles for business; 121,000 miles for first
• Air Canada Aeroplan: 40,000 points for economy; 70,000 points for business; 100,000 points for first
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: 30,500 miles for economy; 81,000 miles for business; 121,000 miles for first (note that these would also incur much higher fuel surcharges in addition to the extra miles)

ANA business and first class from Honolulu to Tokyo

If you want to travel to Japan on a shorter daytime flight, you might consider going from Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).

LifeMiles charges just 27,500, 48,000 and 66,000 miles for one-way flights in economy, business and first class (respectively) between Honolulu and Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT). These award rates are at least 10% less than what Aeroplan, KrisFlyer and MileagePlus charge for the same route.

Business class from the U.S. to Asia

As expected, award rates from the mainland U.S. to Asia are higher, with one-way flights from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) costing 47,000 miles and 90,000 miles in economy and business class, respectively.

Nevertheless, this can still be a decent way to reach the continent for fewer miles than you'd see through other programs.

Business class to New Zealand

Although premium-cabin award space on Air New Zealand is notoriously difficult to find, another LifeMiles sweet spot is the carrier's business class to Auckland Airport (AKL), with flights costing just 80,000 miles.

As Aeroplan sells these awards for 75,000 points, you might consider booking through Air Canada — though if you're buying LifeMiles, it's still a sweet spot worth knowing about. For reference, this award costs 110,000 miles with United MileagePlus.

Business class to South America

LifeMiles also offers great award rates on certain South American flights. Lie-flat, business-class awards cost just 35,000 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) in Lima, Peru — a hidden gem for a flight of this length.

Longer haul business-class flights like from Washington's Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) cost 52,800 miles. Still, that's lower than the 60,000 points and 80,000 miles that Aeroplan and United charge.

Mixed-cabin awards

When traveling in long-haul business or first class, it's common to encounter mixed-cabin awards through LifeMiles. This happens in the following situations:

• When airlines don't offer first class on shorter routes, requiring passengers to connect in business or economy class
• When there isn't award space in your desired cabin

Most loyalty programs determine the award rate by the highest cabin of service used. However, LifeMiles takes a different approach. They price each leg of the journey separately based on the class of service booked. This often leads to a discounted rate for mixed-cabin tickets.

In the above example, you can save 3,040 miles on a one-way ticket to Europe by starting your trip in economy class at Orlando International Airport (MCO). The total cost would then be just 59,960 miles. The flight from Orlando to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) doesn't have award availability in United's domestic first class, so this is a great way to still get the award you want.

Alternatively, even when there is availability for your entire journey, you may decide it isn't worth using extra miles for a shorter connecting flight. Even then, you can pick economy and save some of your rewards for later.

Related: The best ways to travel to Europe using points and miles

Problems with Avianca LifeMiles

Despite LifeMiles offering appealing award rates, it might not be the program for you. The program has a reputation for error-prone information technology and inconsistent customer service.

LifeMiles members often encounter website glitches when redeeming their miles. On one occasion, LifeMiles deducted the miles from my account for a simple round-trip, economy-class Europe award flight but didn't issue the ticket. Although I had hoped an agent would be able to resolve this quickly, it took around three hours and conversations with half a dozen agents to complete this process.

Additionally, if you reserve an economy award ticket and business class becomes available, LifeMiles requires you to pay a cancellation fee to redeposit your miles. You can then rebook your flight in business class.

While you may save thousands of miles booking with Avianca, canceling your ticket could be tedious and costly. You typically can't cancel award bookings online, and Avianca is slow to issue refunds.

Related: Book this, not that: Star Alliance award tickets

Bottom line

Avianca LifeMiles is a frequent flyer program that has proven its worth in the award travel world. With its attractive redemption rates, lack of fuel surcharges and partnerships with major transferable points programs , LifeMiles offers great value and flexibility to its members. While there may be some customer service challenges and quirks to navigate, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for many travelers.

So take the time to explore Avianca LifeMiles, delve into its sweet spots and unlock the possibilities it presents for your future travels. With a little research and planning, you can make the most of this valuable program as you consider where to transfer your credit card points.

Additional reporting by Ethan Steinberg.

4 Options: avianca Revamps Economy & Business Class Fares

• avianca has simplified its ticketing system, offering just four kinds of fares to attract passengers with a simple and accessible fare system.
• The basic fare includes limited benefits, while the classic fare offers a checked bag, and free seat selection.
• The flex fare includes all the benefits of the classic or basic fare, with additional perks like extra-legroom seats.

On January 25th, South American legacy carrier avianca announced a major simplification of its ticketing system and now offers just four kinds of fares. On most international flights, the carrier will now offer basic, classic, and flex fares in the economy cabin and business class tickets in the premium cabin.

These new fares will be effective on Thursday and will be rolled out across the airline's network, including on flights to and from Brazil, Europe, and the United States. The carrier has continued to target an elevated customer experience, with up to 14 complimentary products made available to passengers on most tickets, including additional baggage and seat selection.

This move is the latest in avianca's attempts to continue attracting traffic from both Brazil and the United States, and a simplified booking process should make the carrier's services even more attractive. All of this comes on the heels of an October 2023 rebranding effort that saw the airline revamp its business model to target more of the low-cost market.

What does each kind of ticket offer?

The most bare-bones ticket a passenger can purchase is expectedly the basic fare, which includes relatively little beyond what one would expect of a budget airline ticket. Those with basic tickets can have one personal item and one 10-kilogram carry-on bag and are able to check in via the carrier's mobile app.

For those looking for a little more in terms of offerings, the classic fare is likely to be a better deal. This ticket includes a checked bag and allows passengers to check in at the in-person counter at the airport or on the mobile app. Those with classic tickets are also entitled to free seat selection and are able to accumulate LifeMiles while on their flight.

Nice: avianca Launches New Business Class Experience

The most extensive economy ticket is the flex fare, which includes all the benefits of a classic or basic ticket, but with even more to offer. Passengers can select extra-legroom seats like those in the emergency exit rows and can also cancel or change their ticket at any time while bearing no additional cost.

For the best passenger experience and the highest level of comfort, one should look to the premium cabin. Business class passengers can bring not one but two checked bags and are also able to enjoy the comfort of the cabin's lie-flat seats, premium meals, and the airline's luxury lounge.

Find the latest South American aviation news here!

A simplified business model

By reducing its ticket offerings to just four classes, avianca hopes to attract passengers with a simple and accessible fare system. The airline's rhetoric has also been quick to support this point of view, with the carrier's Commercial Director, Manuel Ambriz, sharing the following words in a statement alongside the announcement:

"The new offer brings simplicity and flexibility, which undoubtedly translates into better prices for customers. The four fare options, in addition to facilitating the purchase process, were designed to meet the needs of all types of travelers."

At the end of the day, avianca is targeting expansion and will likely have to compete with both legacy carriers and budget airlines alike. With a refined ticket system, booking flights with the airline will be easier and simpler than ever.

Following the collapse of major Colombian low-cost carriers Ultra Air and Viva Air , the nation's low-cost market is ripe for expansion. With a simplified business model and ticketing system, avianca could be in a perfect position to cater to this travel demographic.

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30 Best Ways To Redeem Avianca LifeMiles for Maximum Value

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The Pros and Cons of Avianca LifeMiles (Quick Overview)

Transfer points from credit card partners, avianca lifemiles sales, 1. fly lufthansa first class without surcharges to europe (87,000 miles), 2. fly swiss air business class without surcharges to europe (63,000 miles), 3. fly transcontinental business class in the u.s. on united airlines (25,000 miles), 4. fly to europe on united polaris business class (63,000 miles), 5. avianca promo awards, 6. fly to australia and new zealand in economy (40,000 miles), 7. fly to belgium in business class on brussels airlines (63,000 miles), 8. fly to warsaw in business class on lot polish airlines (63,000 miles), 9. fly from japan to australia in business class on ana (40,000 miles), 10. fly between bangkok and japan in thai business class (36,000 miles), 11. fly between bangkok and japan in thai first class (50,000 miles), 12. fly from new zealand to japan in business class on air new zealand (50,000 miles), 13. fly from hawaii to korea in business class on asiana airlines (48,000 miles), 14. fly to portugal in business class on tap portugal (63,000 miles), 15. fly from thailand to australia in thai business class (40,000 miles), 16. fly to turkey in business class on turkish airlines (63,000 miles), 17. fly from hawaii to china in business class on air china (48,000 miles), 18. fly from hawaii to tokyo in business class on ana (48,000 miles), 19. fly to south asia in economy (39,000 miles), 20. fly to the southern tip of south america in economy (30,000 miles), 21. fly to scandinavia in business class on sas (63,000 miles), 22. fly to ghana in business class on united airlines (78,000 miles), 23. fly to cairo in business class on egyptair (78,000 miles), 24. short-haul flights within north asia in business class (22,500 miles), 26. fly to saipan from seoul in business class on asiana airlines (22,500 miles), 27. fly to tokyo from guam in business class on united airlines (22,500 miles), 28. fly to hong kong from tokyo in lie-flat business class on ana (22,500 miles), 29. access southeast asia in eva air business class far in advance (90,000 miles), 30. fly within africa in business class (from 33,000 lifemiles), final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Avianca LifeMiles may not necessarily be one of the most talked about miles like ANA, Virgin Atlantic, or United, but we find LifeMiles extraordinarily useful, particularly for those who have lots of different transferrable points!

Headquartered in Bogota, Colombia, Avianca Airlines has been the national airline and flag carrier of Colombia since 1919! It’s also part of the Star Alliance — the largest airline alliance in the world.

In fact, there are so many good options for using your Avianca LifeMiles that it can often be difficult deciding which flights to take! But in this guide, we will show what we believe to be the best ways to redeem Avianca LifeMiles for maximum value!

To start with, let’s talk about the many benefits of Avianca LifeMiles :

• There are no fuel surcharges levied on any flights
• You can basically book any Star Alliance partner online
• No close-in booking fees, which means you can save big bucks on last-minute award availability
• Miles will not expire as long as you have a qualifying earning activity every 12 months, which includes purchasing LifeMiles or transferring credit card points to LifeMiles
• You can also regularly earn loads of miles from sales of up to 125% to 175% bonus miles!

Avianca does have a few disadvantages, one of which is a not-so-competent phone reservations department. If you do find an award that isn’t bookable online, you will need to call them over the phone, which can be a pain.

There is also a flat $25 award booking fee, and a high set of award change/cancellation fees. For more details on award fees, check out our guide for airline award cancellation and change fees!

It’s also important to be aware that award availability on the website has been inconsistent; it doesn’t always show the same availability as websites like United.com or Aeroplan.com.

How To Boost Your Avianca LifeMiles

Avianca LifeMiles can be transferred from  American Express Membership Rewards ,  Brex Rewards , Capital One , and Citi Thank You Rewards at a 1:1 rate or from Marriott Bonvoy at a transfer rate of 3:1.

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

The Platinum Card ® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card ® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card  is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access , hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• Annual and monthly statement credits upon enrollment ( airline credit, Uber Cash credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, streaming credit, prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, Walmart+ credit, CLEAR credit, and Equinox credit )
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
• Access to Amex International Airline Program
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates and fees )
• $695 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards ® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card ® , Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts ® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card ® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card ® . Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card ® .
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR ® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card ® . Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck ® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card ® . Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card ® . That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card ® . An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card ® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

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American Express Membership Rewards

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American Express ® Gold Card

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

The American Express ® Gold Card  is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

• 4x points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter
• 3x points per dollar on flights purchased directly from airlines or at Amex Travel
• Up to $120 annual dining credit: up to $10 monthly statement credit when you pay with the Amex Gold card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com , Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations
• Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash : get $10 monthly in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. when you add your Gold Card to your Uber account
• No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees )
• Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection
• Access to American Express transfer partners
• $250 annual fee (see rates and fees )
• No lounge access
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards ® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards ® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards ® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards ® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express ® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
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Recommended Capital One Cards (Personal)

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Travel
• Unlimited complimentary access for cardholder and 2 guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• 10,000 bonus miles awarded on your account anniversary each year
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
• Add authorized users for no additional annual fee ( rates & fees )
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates & fees )
• $395 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status
• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck ®
• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card   is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Access to Capital One transfer partners
• $95 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Limited elite benefits
• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
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Hot Tip:  We’ve also got an entire article dedicated to the best ways to earn lots of Avianca LifeMiles , so don’t miss it! 

The last way to earn LifeMiles worth discussing is by purchasing them . We mention this method because there are often gigantic sales of up to 125% to 175% bonus miles!

Be sure to wait until these sales happen (which is quite often) to buy LifeMiles if you need to. If you catch that rare 175% bonus, you’ll be buying LifeMiles for around 1.2 cents each!

The 30 Best Ways To Use Your Avianca LifeMiles

As already discussed, you are best off booking awards online; the phone agents are not as competent as you’d typically like them to be.

In theory, you can book any partner award online, but sometimes availability is blocked.

For example, Air New Zealand is known to have limited award availability shown on the Avianca LifeMiles website. With business class availability being so rare on Air New Zealand, this example might be one of the extreme cases where you want to try calling LifeMiles.

The flat $25 award booking fee is definitely offset by the fact no fuel surcharges will be passed on LifeMiles award bookings. There is also no close-in booking fee, so last-minute awards won’t cost any additional money.

However, once you do make your award booking, change and cancellation fees are no joke , so be sure you understand that before setting plans in stone.

The first choice is definitely one of the most popular: flying on Lufthansa first class! This is a stunning redemption, and flying Lufthansa without surcharges at reasonable rates is often difficult.

Lufthansa first class awards are almost never available more than 15 days in advance to partners, so you’ll have to book pretty close to departure. Luckily, LifeMiles doesn’t assess any close-in booking fees!

Avianca LifeMiles provides the most affordable way to fly on Lufthansa first class from the U.S. to Europe without paying ~$900 in fuel surcharges each way. First class from the U.S. to Europe will cost you just 87,000 LifeMiles + $61 in taxes and fees!

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Boston (BOS) to Frankfurt (FRA)  —  good availability
• Chicago (ORD) to Frankfurt (FRA)  —  good availability
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Frankfurt (FRA) —   availability is tough
• New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA)  —  good availability
• San Francisco (SFO) to Frankfurt (FRA)  —  availability is sporadic
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Frankfurt (FRA)  —  good availability

If Europe is on your list, we’ve written an extensive guide on flying there with points and miles .

Hot Tip: Need help booking?  Check out our step-by-step guide for booking Lufthansa first class!

SWISS Air has a fantastic business class product that generally has solid availability far in advance. It levies fuel surcharges, but luckily LifeMiles doesn’t pass them on!

All but one of its nonstop routes are to Zurich. You can snag a one-way flight for only 63,000 LifeMiles and $61 in taxes and fees!

• Boston (BOS) to Zurich (ZRH)
• Chicago (ORD) to Zurich (ZRH)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Zurich (ZRH)
• Miami (MIA) to Zurich (ZRH)
• New York (JFK) to Geneva (GVA)
• San Francisco (SFO) to Zurich (ZRH)

Another great sweet spot is United Airlines’  premium transcontinental business class between Newark (EWR) or New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) .

You’ll be able to fly transcontinental on United’s awesome Polaris business class with lie-flat seats!

Trying United Polaris across the U.S. will set you back only 25,000 miles each way, as long as you find partner-level availability.

If you want to try United Polaris business class on long-haul flights, you can do so when flying to Frankfurt, London, Paris, and more! It will only cost 63,000 miles each way + ~$61 in taxes and fees.

• San Francisco (SFO) to Frankfurt (FRA)
• San Francisco (SFO) to London (LHR)
• San Francisco (SFO) to Paris (CDG)

Hot Tip: If you want to fly to the Middle East, you can redeem 78,000 LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees for the 2 nonstop United routes from San Francisco (SFO) and Newark (EWR) to Tel Aviv (TLV), as well as the nonstop flight from Newark (EWR) to Dubai (DXB)!

Avianca will routinely run promo awards for different destinations all around the world. There’s some solid opportunity to eke extra value from your LifeMiles due to the discounts offered here.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to read carefully and be sure to book the awards when the sale is actually occurring. The promo awards are typically only valid if booked within a short window of time (2 to 3 weeks).

Some example promos include:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Beijing (PEK)  – round-trip for 144,000 miles in Air China first class (regular price = 180,000)
• New York (JFK) to Seoul (ICN)  – round-trip for 144,000 miles in Asiana Airlines first class (regular price = 180,000)
• San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE)  – round-trip for 136,000 miles in  EVA Air business class  (regular price = 170,000)
• Seattle (SEA) to Taipei (TPE) – round-trip for 136,000 miles in EVA Air business class (regular price = 170,000)

If you wanted to save money when flying to Australia or New Zealand (where round-trip tickets from America regularly cost more than ~$1,200), you could use 40,000 Avianca LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees each way!

Here are some example routes you can take:

• Chicago (ORD) to Auckland (AKL)  on Air New Zealand
• Houston (IAH) to Auckland (AKL)  on Air New Zealand
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Melbourne (MEL)  on United Airlines
• San Francisco (SFO) to Auckland (AKL) on United Airlines
• Vancouver (YVR) to Sydney (SYD) on Air Canada

There are 2 nonstop flights to Brussels from the U.S. on Brussels Airlines. Its business class is solid, with direct aisle access and a 1-2-1 configuration.

It will cost just 63,000 miles + ~$61 in taxes and fees each way to book these routes, but the only ones available are from the East Coast:

• New York (JFK) to Brussels (BRU)
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Brussels (BRU)

If visiting Poland is high on your to-do list, you will be very pleased to find that Star Alliance partner LOT Polish Airlines has 4 nonstop routes from the U.S. to Warsaw.

LOT’s seats are in a 2-2-2 configuration, so direct aisle access isn’t always possible. The seats themselves are not industry-leading by any measure, but it’s certainly a way to fly nonstop to Poland in comfort.

It will cost 63,000 miles each way to fly on LOT Polish business class. Here are the 4 non-stop routes you can take:

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Warsaw (WAW)
• Chicago (ORD) to Warsaw (WAW)
• New York (JFK) to Warsaw (WAW)
• Newark (EWR) to Warsaw (WAW)

Have you ever wanted to fly ANA business class? Well, you can do so for ridiculously cheap prices using LifeMiles! You’ll fly for almost 10 hours nonstop, and it’ll only cost you 40,000 miles !

ANA flies its 787 Dreamliner, which only has business class, but it’s sure to be comfortable with lie-flat seats and delicious Japanese catering.

You can fly on ANA’s only flight to Australia with this route:

• Tokyo (HND) to Sydney (SYD)

Hot Tip: Need help booking? Check out our step-by-step guide to booking ANA business class .

Ever wanted to try THAI business class ? Since Thai Airways operates all different types of aircraft, the business class products are dramatically inconsistent, but a solid business class product is on the A350!

You can fly between Bangkok and Japan (6 hours each way) for 36,000 miles ! This is definitely an affordable way to try THAI’s business class product while traversing around Asia.

Keep in mind that THAI flies both the 777 and A350 on this route, so you’ll want to pick the A350 product if you can.

Here are the routes you can fly:

• Bangkok (BKK) to Tokyo (HND/NRT)

If you want to fly first class between Bangkok and Japan on THAI, you can do so on the 777. The A350 does not have a first class cabin, but the 777 has 2 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration.

One great route operated with a first-class-equipped 777 is TG 676, which flies between Bangkok (BKK) and Tokyo (NRT). You can fly first class on this 6-hour flight for 50,000 miles each way!

Hot Tip: If you take this flight, try to get bulkhead seats 1K and 2K for extra privacy and space!

Want to fly from New Zealand to Japan in business class? You can do so on the 11-hour flight operated by Air New Zealand!

For 50,000 miles and ~$61 in taxes and fees, you’ll be able to fly on Air New Zealand’s great business class product aboard the 787 Dreamliner.

With a 1-1-1 configuration and only 18 seats in the entire business class cabin, you will definitely be spoiled to the max!

If you’re leaving from Hawaii, you can enjoy being closer to Asia with shorter flight times to reach places like Korea.

Asiana Airlines has a pretty convenient route between Honolulu (HNL) and Seoul (ICN) that averages about 9 hours each way for 48,000 LifeMiles.

This flight is typically operated by the 777-200LR, which features lie-flat business class seats.

Flying to Portugal is a pretty niche award redemption, and it’s impossible to fly nonstop from the West Coast.

TAP Portugal , the flag carrier of Portugal, offers lie-flat business class seats on its A330, and it flies the A330 from Boston (BOS), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), and Newark (EWR) from 63,000 miles .

If you want to fly on Thai Airways business class, you can do so for 9 hours from Bangkok (BKK) to Sydney (SYD) and spend only 40,000 LifeMiles one-way!

When you’re flying THAI business class, be sure to arrive early and visit the business class lounge in Bangkok.

Want to visit Turkey and explore the serene scenery there? Itching to enjoy some delicious kebabs and Turkish delight? Now, you can fly comfortably on Turkish Airlines with LifeMiles for only 63,000 miles one-way!

Unfortunately, Turkish Airlines’ business class product is pretty dated with a 2-3-2 arrangement. This means that the cabin is a lot more crowded — but if you care about legroom, these straight forward-facing seats provide lots of it and are completely lie-flat.

Alternatively, Turkish Airlines’ new A350s and 787-9 Dreamliners have business class products in a 1-2-1 configuration that have greater privacy but less legroom and width.

So if you’re a larger person, the 2-3-2 arrangement might end up being more comfortable — but if you value privacy more than the size of the seat, you might opt for the newer business class seat.

As always, you won’t be responsible for the common out-of-pocket fuel surcharges that plague European flights!

Although Air China has a reputation for being a relatively lackluster airline for anything less than first class, you’ll be able to fly from Honolulu (HNL) to Beijing (PEK) in fully lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration on Air China’s A330!

For 11 hours and 25 minutes of flying time, paying 48,000 miles is not bad if you get to enjoy flat-beds and decadent Chinese cuisine.

If you’re based in Hawaii and want to fly to China nonstop, this is definitely your best option! Cash prices for business class are approximately $3,000, and economy is typically no cheaper than $1,000 round-trip — it’s definitely best to use points for this redemption.

Hot Tip: As China begins to reopen, we’ll stay tuned to see whether Air China reinstates flights between Hawaii and China.

If you’re based in Hawaii, finding affordable nonstop flights to Asia can be extremely difficult.

For those who want to fly between Hawaii and Japan, spending 48,000 LifeMiles will get you a very solid business class product between Honolulu (HNL) and Tokyo (HND/NRT).

ANA is using its A380 on its Honolulu service, meaning that you’ll be flying a brand-new, huge, comfortable double-decker with some of the best seats in the business!

Interested in flying to South Asia for the cheapest miles price possible? These are the countries that Avianca LifeMiles considers to be “South Asia:”

• Myanmar (Burma)

Honestly, cash tickets to some of these countries can get hairy pretty quickly. Instead, for just 39,000 miles, you can fly one-way in economy to any of these places from the U.S.!

• Houston (IAH) to Taipei (TPE) to Bangkok (BKK) to Vientiane (VTE) on EVA Air and THAI Airways (average cash price = $2,200)
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Singapore (SIN) to Bandar Seri Begawan (BWN)  on Singapore Airlines (average cash price = $2,500)
• New York (JFK) to Istanbsul (IST) to Dhaka (DAC) on Turkish Airlines (average cash price = $1,000)
• Seattle (SEA) to Seoul (ICN) to Phnom Penh (PNH) on Asiana Airlines (average cash price = $1,000)

Another nice opportunity for economy flyers is checking out the southern tip of South America ! These countries include:

If heading to any of these countries is on your radar and you don’t want to use too many of your hard-earned points and miles, then look at this redemption! Flying in economy will only cost 30,000 miles each way , which is perfect for budget travelers.

• Houston (IAH) to Buenos Aires (EZE)  on United Airlines
• Houston (IAH) to Santiago (SCL) on United Airlines
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Bogota (BOG) to La Paz (LPZ)  on Avianca Airlines
• Miami (MIA) to Panama City (PTY) to Montevideo (MVD) on COPA Airlines
• Orlando (MCO) to Bogota (BOG) to Asunción (ASU) on Avianca Airlines

Scandinavia is a region that contains several countries. A Star Alliance member, SAS is the flag carrier of Scandinavia, and it has hubs in Copenhagen (Denmark), Oslo (Norway), and Stockholm (Sweden).

Here are the airports that fly to each of the hub cities:

With this in mind, you can plan your award travel based on the country you want to visit first or the airport you live closest to.

SAS flies the A321neo (with lie-flat business class seats), A330, and A350 to Scandinavia, and these aircraft all feature lie-flat business class seats. Also, these are staggered Thompson Vantage XL seats, which are very similar to the Delta One Suites (but without the doors). On wide-body planes, this configuration is 1-2-1. And on the A321neo, there’s a 2-2 configuration.

Overall, it is a very solid product with great inflight entertainment, food, service, and comfortable beds that will get you to Scandinavia and leave you pleased!

This next redemption is a pretty niche redemption because it really is only 1 route:

• Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Accra (ACC)

You’ll be able to fly on United Polaris class to Ghana for only 78,000 miles + ~$61 in taxes and fees.

United Airlines operates the only nonstop flight for this route. The seating configuration is completely lie-flat, so you’ll have a comfortable time flying.

This particular redemption is even more niche than the United flight to Accra. Egyptair operates a couple of routes from the U.S. — from New York (JFK) or Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Cairo (CAI) — and its only other route in North America is to Toronto.

Its Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a 2-cabin aircraft with 30 lie-flat, reverse herringbone business class seats and economy seats in a 3-3-3 setup.

And even though this business class product is pretty standard, the soft product tends to be severely lacking, including the service quality.

But then again, if you’re a traveler from New York or Washington, D.C. and need to get to Egypt in the quickest way possible without transiting other airports, it is an option.

Flying this route in business class will cost 78,000 miles each way.

One of the best ways to redeem Avianca LifeMiles is on “short-haul” flights within North Asia. Luckily, Avianca has a very generous definition of North Asia:

• Mariana Islands
• North Korea
• Philippines
• South Korea

Here’s an example route you can try:

• Seoul (ICN) to Taipei (TPE) on THAI, EVA Air, or Asiana Airlines business class

This 2.5-hour flight will cost 22,500 miles each way, and you’ll have the chance to try some solid regional business class products.

This redemption expands on the “within North Asia” sweet spot for 22,500 miles each way that we explained above.

A highly niche redemption, you can fly nonstop on Asiana Airlines’ business class from Seoul (ICN) to Saipan (SPN) in the Mariana Islands.

For a 4.5-hour flight, it’s an excellent nonstop way to get to Saipan directly from Korea.

Yet another sweet spot is to fly from Guam (GUM) to Tokyo (NRT) on United Airlines in business class. This also qualifies for the 22,500-mile cost one-way, even though it is a 4-hour flight!

The not-so-good news is that these seats are simple recliner seats like the ones you’d find on domestic first class flights. They are arranged in a 2-2 configuration on 737-800 planes.

Nevertheless, it’s a great way to get from Guam to Tokyo on a quick 4-hour flight for only 22,500 miles each way.

The last redemption we’ll be discussing in this guide is a darn good one.

How would you like to fly 4-5 hours in ANA’s 787 Dreamliner lie-flat business class from Tokyo to Hong Kong for only 22,500 miles each way ? Yeah, we thought you’d like this redemption!

These 2 countries both fall into “North Asia,” so you can enjoy 4-5 hours in real business class for only 22,500 miles!

Hot Tip: A word of caution — ANA operates a few flights from Tokyo to Hong Kong. Be sure to book flights on the 787 Dreamliner, because that is the only business class product that has lie-flat seats exactly like long-haul flights from America.

If you’re looking to fly to Southeast Asia in style, EVA Air is one of the best options for you. Keep in mind that although EVA Air is awesome about releasing business class seats far in advance, you’ll generally only find 2 seats at a time.

Still, you can enjoy an award-winning business class flight that takes you to Taipei (TPE) and beyond in Southeast Asia.

Best of all, you can use LifeMiles to book these flights. Here are some great example redemptions:

• Chicago (ORD) to Taipei (TPE) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) one-way in EVA Air business class for 90,000 LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Taipei (TPE) to Bali-Denpasar (DPS) one-way in EVA Air business class for 90,000 LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE) to Bangkok (BKK) one-way in EVA Air business class for 90,000 LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees

If you need to fly from 1 city in Africa to another, you may be able to use your LifeMiles for business class flights.

The key airline partners are:

• Ethiopian Airlines
• South African Airways

And here are some great example routes you can book using LifeMiles:

• Addis Ababa (ADD) to Cape Town (CPT)  one-way in Ethiopian Airlines business class for 33,000 LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees
• Cairo (CAI) to Addis Ababa (ADD) one-way in Ethiopian Airlines 787 business class for 35,000 LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees
• Cairo (CAI) to Johannesburg (JNB)  one-way in Egyptair 787 business class for 35,000 LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees
• Lagos (LOS) to Johannesburg (JNB)  one-way in South African Airways A330 business class for 35,000 LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees

Overall, Avianca LifeMiles doesn’t receive enough attention for being a solid all-around frequent flyer program.

Those who live by the mantra of earning lots of flexible rewards points will rejoice since Avianca is a transfer partner with Amex Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

You can also top off your LifeMiles balance with transfers from Marriott Bonvoy and even buy LifeMiles at huge sales of up to 175% bonus miles.

With tons of quality redemptions, no fuel surcharges, no close-in booking fees, and lots of ways to explore the world on Star Alliance partners in first, business, and economy class, you should definitely give Avianca LifeMiles a look when deciding on how to travel!

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click  here .

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i join avianca lifemiles.

You can join Avianca LifeMiles here.

LifeMiles is a separate entity from Avianca, so you will notice that you’re redirected to an external website. You will make all your award bookings through LifeMiles.

Do I need to be an Avianca LifeMiles member to search for awards?

Yes, you must join LifeMiles to search for award availability. Also, keep in mind that Avianca LifeMiles is not the best search engine for multiple connections. The search engine becomes clunky at that point and can display incomplete award availability.

How many Avianca LifeMiles do I have?

Check your Avianca LifeMiles balance by logging in . You may also boost your LifeMiles by purchasing during one of its many sales! With these sales, you’re eligible to receive up to 175% bonus miles! Be sure to hold out for these sales when buying miles.

When do Avianca LifeMiles expire?

Avianca LifeMiles expire after 12 months unless there is qualifying earning activity, which includes purchasing any amount of LifeMiles. If your miles are about to expire, you can always buy a small amount of LifeMiles, such as 1,000 LifeMiles. You can also transfer 1,000 points from Amex, Capital One, Citi, and so on to LifeMiles.

How many Avianca LifeMiles are required for a trip reward?

Avianca LifeMiles has an award chart; partner flights and Avianca flights are priced the same.

Make sure to confirm the award cost online when searching for award flights.

Which credit cards can I use to earn Avianca LifeMiles?

We recommend always using Amex, Capital One, or Citi cards due to the fact that you don’t need to limit yourself to only earning LifeMiles. You can pick when to transfer to LifeMiles or other partners.

How can I contact Avianca LifeMiles?

You can call Avianca LifeMiles at 800-284-2622. You can also email them at [email protected] .

Be prepared to have to call several times to get the outcome you desire.

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Best no-annual-fee travel credit cards of April 2024

Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.  

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Travel rewards cards are a lot like gyms. The best ones may come with tons of added benefits (saunas, yoga class, etc.) but they also cost a lot, usually with a big financial commitment upfront. 

As a result, whether you’re considering a Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card (with its $95 annual fee) or a CrossFit membership, you probably have the same question on your mind: will I really use it enough to justify paying for it? 

While there aren’t any free gyms we know of, there thankfully are plenty of no-annual-fee travel rewards cards that require essentially zero commitment. And just like an ab roller or a Richard Simmons DVD, you can simply use them a few times, forget about them, and put them in a drawer until beach season. Or, you can stick with it and make them part of your daily routine—whatever works for you.

You’re also far more likely to see “instant results” with these cards, too. From 100,000-point welcome bonuses to rewards for paying rent, free travel insurance to 3X on gas, these cards offer way more than you’d expect for a fee of $0 per year. 

The best no-annual-fee travel cards for April 2024

Best overall: bilt mastercard, best for hotel rewards: ihg one rewards traveler credit card, best for airline rewards: united gateway℠ card, best for travel earnings: wells fargo autograph℠ card, best for flat-rate earnings: capital one ventureone rewards credit card.

The Bilt Mastercard allows you to earn points from paying rent and transfer them 1:1 to well over a dozen different travel partners including United MileagePlus and Marriott Bonvoy. Toss in some surprisingly robust travel insurance and you have our unconventional—yet logical—choice for the best overall no-annual-fee travel card of 2024.

Bilt Mastercard®

See Rates and Fees

Special feature

Rewards rates.

• 1x Earn 1X points on rent up to 100K/year
• 1x Earn 3X points on dining
• 2x Earn 2X points on travel
• 1x Earn 1X points on other purchases
• Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points
• Uniquely earns points on rent
• Rent Day bonus every first of the month offers double points (excluding rent)
• Robust travel transfer partners
• Cash redemption rate is poor
• No traditional welcome bonus
• Travel perks: Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection, Trip Delay Reimbursement, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver
• See this page for details
• Foreign Transaction Fee: None

Why we like this card: As mentioned, the Bilt Mastercard’s most compelling feature is that it allows you to pay rent with a credit card—even if your landlord doesn’t take plastic—and avoid the transaction fee paying rent by credit card would typically incur. Then, as long as you complete five transactions each month, you’ll trigger 1X rewards on your rent payments. 

Note that rewards on rent are capped at 100,000 points per year.

In terms of earning potential, if you pay the median ~$2,000 rent in the U.S., you could earn approximately 24,000 points per year which can be used to book travel in Bilt’s portal at a value of 1.25 cents per point or transferred to any of Bilt’s airline or hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio. In other words, you could likely earn a domestic flight with United or a weekend stay at Hyatt, all for simply paying rent on time.

The Bilt card also provides trip cancellation and interruption protection, trip delay reimbursement, and primary rental car insurance (terms apply)—perks you wouldn’t typically find on a no-annual-fee credit card.

If you’re looking for a hotel rewards card that offers the most free nights for no annual fee, wait until you read about the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card. With a six-figure welcome bonus, up to 17X on stays and other compelling rewards, it’s currently the gold standard for no-fee hotel rewards.

IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card

Intro bonus.

• 17x Earn up to 17X points when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts 
• 3x Earn 3X points on dining, utilities, internet, cable, and phone services, select streaming services, and at gas stations
• 2x Earn 2X points on all other purchases
• Generous welcome bonus not typically seen in a $0 annual fee card
• Travel protections that are unusual for a no-annual-fee card
• Fourth night free on award bookings
• Limited redemption options outside of IHG
• IHG points are worth less than some other rewards currencies
• Silver status granted with the card has limited benefit
• Additional perks: Trip cancelation/interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, purchase protection, ability to spend to Gold status
• Foreign transaction fee:None

Why we like this card: We like calling the IHG One Rewards Traveler card the “Liam Hemsworth” of travel rewards cards because it lives in the shadow of its big brother—the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card —but still delivers plenty of quality and substance in its own right (with no annual fee, to boot). 

For starters, you can get a welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, potentially worth around $500 to $700 in IHG redemption. 

Plus, enjoy up to 17X points when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts, instant Silver Elite status and a handy bonus where you redeem points for three consecutive nights and get the fourth night in your stay free. So, if you book a three-night stay using your welcome bonus, you’ll essentially be getting a complimentary four-night stay at a nice IHG property for no annual fee. The IHG One Rewards program could be very rewarding for the right traveler.

Check out our full review of the IHG One Rewards Traveler .

As a no-annual-fee airline card, the United Gateway℠ Card currently edges out its rival the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card by offering a more generous welcome bonus and travel insurance that the Delta card does not provide. If you fly occasionally and would like to earn miles, but aren’t willing to make the commitment of $95 or more for a mid-tier airline card with more perks, the Gateway is a strong choice. 

United Gateway℠ Card

• 2x 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, including tickets, Economy Plus, in-flight food, beverages and Wi-Fi, baggage service charges and other United purchases.
• 2x 2 miles per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare services, taxicabs, train tickets, tolls, and mass transit.
• 1x 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• No annual fee or foreign transaction fee
• Reward bonus categories outside of United Airlines
• Robust travel protections for a no-annual-fee card
• No baggage or expanded award availability benefits like with other United cards
• Subject to Chase 5/24 rule.
• United perks: 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Gateway Card
• Other perks: Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance, Purchase Protection, Extended Warranty
• Foreign transaction fee: None

Why we like this card: The United Gateway card offers 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, at gas stations and on local transit and commuting plus 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. Considering a United Mile is worth roughly around 1.2 cents these days, effectively earning 2.4 cents back on everyday purchases is a solid value proposition. 

You’ll also get a welcome bonus of 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. And, you can save with a discount of 25% back on United in-flight and Club Premium drink purchases. 

New cardholders will enjoy a 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 months, after 21.99%–28.99% variable applies.

If the United Gateway card has a small lead on the Delta Skymiles Blue Amex at this point, it soars ahead (pun intended) when you look at the included travel and shopping protections. Both cards offer secondary rental car insurance, but only the Gateway includes trip cancellation and interruption insurance, purchase protection and extended warranty protection. 

So, if you’re seeking a no-annual-fee card you can use to rack up miles—and you either tend to fly United most of the time or you’re at minimum not devoted to a competing airline—the United Gateway is the card to beat.

Check out our full review of the United Gateway Card for more info.

To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card, see this page  

With a generous welcome bonus in exchange for an attainable spend amount, 3X on travel, and a fancy name, you’d think the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card would command an annual fee of at least $95. But it doesn’t, making it a superb candidate for general travel use.

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Intro bonus.

• 3X 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans
• 1X 1X points on other purchases
• No annual fee
• 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months (that's a $200 cash redemption value)
• Points transfer to partners
• Car rental insurance is secondary
• No travel insurance
• Transfer partners are limited
• Additional perks: Cell Phone Protection: Provides up to $600 in cell phone protection when you pay your monthly cell bill with your Wells Fargo Autograph card. Coverage is subject to a $25 deductible and limited to two claims every 12-month period.
• Foreign transaction fee: N/A

Why we like this card: The Wells Fargo Autograph offers unlimited 3X points on restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services and phone plans and even your landline bill too if you have one, plus 1X points on other purchases—all without charging an annual fee. And, to make traveling a little cheaper/less stressful, you’ll also get $600 worth of cell phone protection (minus a $25 deductible) as long as you pay your phone bill with this card and secondary rental car insurance. 

Cardholders can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to Wells Fargo’s first wave of transfer partners including Air France‑KLM Flying Blue, Avianca Lifemiles, British Airways Executive Club, AerClub, and Iberia Plus and 1:2 to Choice Privileges. 

But even if you aren’t a member of those loyalty programs, earning 3X on dining, travel, gas, and more is hard to pass up. You can redeem points at a value of 1 cent each to offset past purchases on your account, meaning you can wield the Autograph either as a no-annual-fee travel card or as a cash-back card effectively earning unlimited 3% back in a wide swath of useful categories. 

Check out our full review of the Wells Fargo Autograph .

Sometimes, you just want a card that offers a little more than 1X on every purchase—without having to worry about what this quarter’s rotating rewards are, or whether a specific merchant qualifies as “groceries” for the purposes of your card’s rewards. If you value simplicity and the lack of an annual fee in your travel card, you’ll probably be a fan of the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card and its straightforward rewards program.

Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

Reward rates.

• 5x Earn 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 1.25x Earn 1.25x miles on every other purchase
• Flexible travel rewards
• No foreign transaction fee
• Maximizing Capital One Miles requires a learning curve
• Cash redemption value is limited
• The VentureOne offers travel accident insurance, rental car coverage, extended warranty protection, exclusive access to events through Capital One Dining and Capital One Entertainment

Why we like this card: The Capital One VentureOne Rewards offers 1.25X miles per dollar spent on everyday purchases and 5x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. That’s pretty much all that you have to remember. You can also get a nice welcome bonus of 20,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, which is a solid payout for a very attainable spending target. 

Capital One Miles can be transferred to well over a dozen airline and hotel partners, most at a 1:1 rate. Partners include Air Canada’s Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Choice Privileges, Virgin Red, and Wyndham Rewards, among others. Other ways to book travel include redeeming miles through Capital One’s portal or making the purchase directly, paying with your card like normal, then using miles for a statement credit to cover the transaction. 

The Venture One also offers a 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months (after that, the variable APR will be 19.99%–29.99%). There’s an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account during the first 15 months that your account is open , then 4% per transfer for any promotional APR offered after. 

Come to think of it, provided you have the excellent credit needed to apply, the VentureOne could make a great travel companion for a grad student given its simplicity, lengthy intro APR period and low spending threshold required to trigger the welcome bonus.

Check out our full review of the Capital One VentureOne Rewards .

Frequently asked questions

Which card is best for international transactions without extra charges.

Zero foreign transaction fees is actually a common benefit among travel rewards cards, including many with no annual fee. For example, neither the Bilt Mastercard nor the United Gateway card charges a foreign currency conversion fee. 

What is the best travel credit card for a young person? 

If you’re still paying rent, the Bilt Mastercard is an excellent choice since it can generate points from rent payments which can then be transferred 1:1 to well over a dozen airline and hotel partners. If you’d prefer a card with a welcome bonus, which the Bilt card lacks, the IHG One Rewards Traveler card currently offers a massive welcome bonus for a no-annual-fee card—potentially worth hundreds of dollars toward a future IHG hotel stay. 

Is a travel card with an annual fee worth it?

Using a travel rewards card with an annual fee can be worth it as long as you’re extracting enough points and benefits to justify paying the fee each year. If you travel infrequently or just want one less fee to worry about, consider one of the no-annual-fee cards on our list above. But, the best perks and protections are typically available on cards with annual fees.

For example, the Capital One Venture X card offers a $300 annual travel credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel. If you use that every year, you’ve gone a long way toward offsetting the $395 annual fee. You also get 10,000 bonus miles, worth at least $100 toward travel, every year starting on your account anniversary.

Methodology

To bring you our top picks for the best travel rewards cards with no annual fee, the Fortune Recommends surveyed more than a dozen cards currently available from today’s top issuers. From there, we ranked each one based on the following core categories and weights:

• Welcome bonus (10%): Some cards—even those with no annual fee—offer welcome bonuses that you can earn once you make enough purchases within a certain time frame, such as spending $1,000 within three months of account opening.
• Travel earnings (25%): These are the point rewards you’d earn by making travel-related purchases (e.g. 3X on hotels, 2X on airfare).
• Car rental insurance (15%): Many, but not all travel-centric rewards cards include an auto rental collision damage waiver, which allows you to decline a portion of the rental company’s insurance and save potentially up to $30 per day. We gave extra consideration to if a card offers primary rental car insurance versus secondary, because primary kicks in immediately in a covered scenario—whereas secondary only applies after your own, personal insurance. 
• Travel insurance benefits (15%): Some travel rewards cards automatically apply trip cancellation/interruption insurance, lost/delayed luggage reimbursement and even travel accident insurance on travel bookings made using the card.
• Gas earning (5%): Since road trips remain a common form of travel, whether or not a card offers points rewards at the pump factored into our rankings.
• Dining earning (10%): If a no-annual-fee travel rewards card offered 2X or more on restaurant purchases it favored well in this category.

The remaining 20% was based on the card’s main focus: hotel, airline or general travel rewards. 

• For general travel—points transferrable to partners (20%): Points are literally worth more if you can transfer them to certain partners, so a card’s ability to transfer rewards to airline and hotel partners factored into our rankings.
• For hotel rewards—free award night with booking (20%): Some hotel rewards cards offer a BOGO-like perk where if you redeem a certain number of nights with points you get an extra tacked on for free.
• For airline rewards—ability to spend towards status (20%): Most airline rewards cards allow you to earn miles, but not all of them count those miles towards your next loyalty status. If a card treated them as “qualifying miles,” it fared better in this category.

Lastly, just keep in mind that virtually every aspect of a travel rewards card—from the rewards to the welcome bonus and fee structure—is subject to change, which could impact how many miles or points you earn. 

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefits guide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.  

Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.  

EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE : The advice, opinions, or rankings contained in this article are solely those of the Fortune Recommends ™ editorial team. This content has not been reviewed or endorsed by any of our affiliate partners or other third parties.

Guide to travel rewards credit cards

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Houston students travel to Dallas area to view total eclipse for senior trip

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Total solar eclipse day is here!

There are 31 million people in the path of totality across the United States, which is more than 2,000 miles long. The path stretches across 15 states -- from Texas all the way to Maine.

Small towns across the country are bracing for an influx of visitors. Waxahache, which is just south of Dallas, is expecting more than a hundred thousand skywatchers!

"They even told us to maybe be prepared to sleep in our store if we needed to," small business owner Kaylee Hume said.

Hundreds of school districts nationwide are closing for the day or dismissing early.

RELATED: Total solar eclipse 2024: How to watch the eclipse in Texas

In the Houston area, which is not in the path of totality, Houston ISD and Fort Bend ISD will hold class as normal. Fort Bend ISD said recess and P.E. will be held indoors to protect students' eyes.

Meanwhile, Cleveland ISD and Clear Creek ISD canceled classes on Monday.

On Houston's northside, two charter busses left early Monday morning, headed to the Dallas area.

SEE ALSO: Today's the day: Everything to know about Monday's total solar eclipse

In total, 102 students and eight staff members from YES Prep Northline Secondary are making the trip to watch the solar eclipse in the path of totality at Blue Bonnet Park in Ennis, Texas.

Principal Brittany McGruder said the trip full circle for this particular group of students. The seniors were in 6th grade back in 2017 for the last solar eclipse, so this year, they wanted to make it special.

"It's going to be a memorable moment because we did this in the 6th grade. It's been a long time. We're now in 12th grade," student Joscarr Iaga said. "It's crazy because now we're going to experience it, not just learn about it. We're actually going to experience it and actually see what's going to happen. That's actually something nice to see. And then we're actually going to go somewhere else, not just Houston. We're going to go somewhere else and experience it right in front of us."

Watching the eclipse is part of their senior class trip. They also heading to the Astros and Rangers game on Monday night, then coming back to Houston on Tuesday.

For news updates, follow Brandon Hamilton on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

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Opinion | Your View: Lehigh Valley residents are missing…

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Opinion | your view: lehigh valley residents are missing out on travel opportunities.

Spring break is upon us, and with travel plans being made, Americans are once again reminded of how expensive travel has become. Working-class Americans especially feel this impact as a noncompetitive market boxes out smaller carriers who could provide lower travel costs to working-class American families in smaller cities across the country looking for a weekend getaway.

There is a solution to this problem, ultra-low-cost carriers offering reduced fares and more travel alternatives.

The larger, broader problem, however: Proposed joint ventures between lower cost carriers are being ignored by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Joint ventures between more affordable airlines have the potential to create competition in the industry, improve the greater economic and cultural connectivity between the U.S. and other nations, and reduce aviation carbon emissions via increased nonstop routes, especially to Mexico — the most frequent international destination for U.S. travelers.

Most importantly, joint ventures increase access to affordable flights with reduced fares and alternatives for working-class Americans in underserved cities, an effort I worked toward during my time serving the people of Pennsylvania while in Congress.

Ultra-low-cost carriers offer some of the lowest fares in the U.S., with a core focus on promoting nonstop, direct flights from underserved U.S. cities. These carriers — airlines such as Allegiant Air, Avelo and others — serve small-to-mid-sized city markets by providing cost and time saving flight options. Approving potential joint ventures between them sounds like a simple, nonpartisan action that the Biden administration would support, as it is clearly a win-win for American consumers and businesses — right?

Unfortunately, the answer is no.

The Biden administration has instead decided to suspend consideration of such proposals over broad geopolitical concerns. The administration continues to play this game, but what it fails to realize is that American voters decide U.S. elections, not foreign affairs.

In such a critical election year, it is in the Biden administration’s best interest to put politics aside and realize that joint venture solutions benefit all Americans who desperately desire policies that will help their wallet after two inflation-heavy years.

Underserved cities across the country, including cities like Allentown, would greatly benefit from joint ventures, such as one proposed by Allegiant Air and Viva Aerobus. They would connect Pennsylvanian cities with Mexican resorts so hardworking parents and their kids could enjoy spring break like other American families across the country.

Smaller airports such as Lehigh Valley International Airport are experiencing meaningful loss of service and frequency due to a lack of direct service, a direct impact to residents in the area. But this impact is not just felt in Pennsylvania, but across small-to-mid-sized cities across the country, in states like Illinois, West Virginia and Nebraska. The result: Not only do local economies suffer, but Americans are being unfairly punished with fewer opportunities to travel directly and affordably.

The Biden administration understands these benefits, yet still proceeds to go against its core principles and ignore how these agreements could improve economic connectivity between the U.S. and Mexico. The approval of joint ventures, such as those proposed by carriers like Delta Airlines or Allegiant Air, would greatly increase nonstop service between underserved cities in the U.S. and popular vacation destinations.

Tourism benefits greatly from joint ventures, and they also improve the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and other countries by establishing greater cultural connectivity and simplifying air travel options for families split between two countries.

Overall, ultra-low-cost carriers’ joint ventures could serve as a crucial step toward making air travel more affordable, accessible and environmentally friendly for working-class Americans. It aligns with principles of the Biden administration — promoting competition, reducing costs and supporting underserved communities.

By suspending consideration of such ventures, the administration is hurting the very people it claims to protect and missing an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relationships worldwide. It’s time for the Biden administration and Department of Transportation to put politics aside and prioritize the needs of everyday Americans.

Approving the joint ventures is a win-win scenario that would benefit working-class Americans in small and mid-sized American cities, like those in Pennsylvania, while also fostering international cooperation.

Ryan Costello is a former U.S. representative from Pennsylvania who represented parts of Montgomery, Berks, Chester and Lebanon counties in 2015-19. He served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and was vice chair of the Aviation Subcommittee. 

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Help! Japan Airlines Downgraded Us From First Class and Skimped on the Refund.

A couple is bumped from ultraluxury to semi-luxury on a trans-Pacific flight and receives what they feel is only a pittance in compensation.

By Seth Kugel

Dear Tripped Up,

Last year, my husband and I splurged on round-trip first-class tickets on Japan Airlines from San Francisco to Tokyo for $13,474 each. We reserved them in February for an October flight through American Express Travel. On the same day, I also bought business class tickets for a couple who was traveling with us at $8,429 apiece. In September, Amex notified me that we had been downgraded to business class for the return flight. JAL’s conditions state that we would receive “the difference between the normal fare amount of original class of service and for the normal fare of lower class of service.” To me that means that since the difference between our first class seats and our friends’ business seats was $5,045 each, we should be refunded about half of that — around $2,522 per person — for the second leg. But we got only $941 each. I contested this with Amex Travel, but they rejected our claim. Can you help? Teri, San Francisco

I’ve been collecting stories from readers about downgrade disappointments recently, so I looked not only into yours but also stories from four other travelers — three of whom believe they were stiffed by British Airways and another by Avianca.

All three airlines I contacted delayed, obfuscated or otherwise dillydallied before getting me answers, but let’s start with your travel agent, American Express.

“We worked with the card member and merchant to the best of our ability to resolve the issue,” wrote Emily Vicker, a spokeswoman for Amex, in an emailed statement. “Card members wishing to pursue additional compensation requests need to do so directly with the airline.”

As you said to me, you did not follow up with Japan Airlines because an online link that Amex sent you led to a form that said it was only for those travelers who had booked with JAL directly; others should deal with their travel agent. Gary Leff, the writer behind the travel site View from the Wing , told me you should have ignored that. “Follow all avenues to advocate on behalf of yourself,” he said.

Could Amex have done more? It’s impossible to tell, and Japan Airlines, responding only to my third email, said that it “has verified that the amount applied was accurate and was based on the difference of the First Class fare originally purchased and the applicable Business Class fare with the same fare conditions as the original ticket for the sector involved.”

But that is just a restatement of the company’s terms and conditions . So I wrote back with a spruced-up version of your argument. Your original first class seats cost $13,474 round trip, so although the two legs may have varied somewhat in price, I simplified and said for each way, each ticket would cost $6,737. JAL refunded you $941 for each ticket, which means they consider the value of the business class seats you ended up in, on the return, to be $5,796.

But your friends’ business class seats were just $4,214 each. And every business class fare I can find for flights from Tokyo to San Francisco on the JAL site in recent days (except for last minute fares) is well under $5,000. Could they explain their calculations?

I did not hear back.

So I turned to Mr. Leff. He noted that simply knowing what another business class seat cost on the same flight does not mean that if you had bought four seats on that day rather than two, the third and fourth seat would have been the same price — airline pricing algorithms are notoriously complex and opaque. And there is no way to know if the leg back from Tokyo (the one you were downgraded for) was actually cheaper than the leg there, as your Amex invoice doesn’t give a breakdown.

But Mr. Leff still took your side, mostly. The $941 refund “strikes me as unreasonable,” he said, “especially given the not ironclad but very persuasive evidence of tickets bought on the same flight on the same day.”

Anyone who finds themselves in such a situation must realize, unfortunately, that it’s impossible to know exactly what their refund should be. “I don’t think there’s an organization beside the airline itself that has the data,” said Anton Radchenko, chief executive of AirAdvisor , a company that assists fliers in receiving compensation from airlines. But he added that in most cases, airlines do offer fair compensation.

Then he told me something I didn’t know — that flights starting in Britain or those operated by British carriers have set rates for downgrades depending on the length of the flight: a 30 percent refund if under 1,500 kilometers (around 932 miles), 50 percent between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers, and 75 percent for longer flights. The European Union and Canada have similar rules.

Alas, such fixed reimbursement rates only work if you can get the airlines to refund you in the first place. All three British Airways customers faced, instead, a wall of customer service nonsense.

A British Airways spokeswoman, Catherine Wilson, apologized for the delays and said the airline aimed “to process refund requests as quickly as possible.” But even after my intervention, only two of the three got refunds — and for less than British regulations seem to demand.

In late 2021, Mark from San Diego and his wife were flying home on British Airways premium economy from Split, Croatia, via London and Dallas, but missed a connection. They were rebooked in economy on Virgin Atlantic and tried for two years to get reimbursed when finally, in December 2023, they were told they had agreed to the downgrade, which he denies. (It shouldn’t matter anyway, both Mr. Leff and Mr. Radchenko said.)

They finally received $746 from British Airways earlier this week. But the full cost of their original round-trip itinerary (two tickets from San Diego to Ljubljana, Slovenia, and back from Croatia) was $5,821, and it is unlikely that their refund could account for 75 percent of a premium economy trans-Atlantic flight. British Airways confirmed they calculated the difference in fare rather than using the parameters laid out by the British government and offered no explanation to me as to why.

A year later, Cynthia and her partner had a very similar situation, missing a British Airways premium economy connection in London on their way home to Los Angeles, ending up in economy. They had booked through a travel agent, who tried unsuccessfully to get a refund. Then Cynthia ran into a brick wall when she tried herself. She has still not received a refund.

In the third British Airways case, David of Carmel, N.Y., and his wife were booked to fly first class from London to New York when their flight was canceled. On their rebooked flight, they were downgraded to the equivalent of business class. Their initial request for a refund was rejected by someone who almost comically misread their complaint, responding that they were not entitled to compensation because their flight had arrived with only “18 minutes delay.” Subsequent calls to customer services led nowhere. And even after I got in touch with the airline, another representative wrote the couple with the coup d’absurdité: They were not entitled to a refund because “based on our research, your final flight was in First Class, hence there is no downgrade refund due for your booking.” (I can attest that their boarding passes say otherwise.)

British Airways did finally send the couple a refund, of $1,036, this past Saturday. But their original fare for first class (plus a short hop from Amsterdam to London on the return) was just under $10,000 for both, which presumably means the return flights from London to New York cost a total of close to $5,000. Again, British Airways said it calculated the difference in fares rather than the appropriate percentage of the original fare. I have advised David to look at Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority’s guidance on rejected claims.

The case with Avianca ended on a more positive note. Alan, of Riverside, Calif., and his wife were booked on a business class flight from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires via Bogotá this past February. But Avianca replaced that direct first leg, to Bogotá, with two legs — Los Angeles to San Salvador, El Salvador, and then on to Bogotá, with a three-hour layover. For these new flights, the couple was placed in economy, with no business-class lounge access, no free meals and no word about compensation.

Rolando Lamas, Avianca’s sales director for North America, Central America and the Caribbean explained in a statement that the airline suspended that direct Los Angeles-to-Bogotá flight in January and had offered most passengers either a full refund or compensation for the downgrade. But it had trouble communicating with a few passengers, including some who had booked through a third party, as was the case with Alan.

The airline has now offered Alan and his wife $580 each, and they have accepted.

Most of the time, airlines do refund fare differences promptly and accurately, but clearly there are holes in the system. If the airlines stymie any future refund requests, I suggest contacting a company like AirAdvisor or registering a complaint with the appropriate federal agency, like U.S. Department of Transportation . This process can be slow but often prods the airlines into action, said Mr. Leff. However, if the airline has done something as specifically absurd as reject your downgrade refund because your flight arrived almost on time, send me a copy so I can add it to my collection.

If you need advice about a best-laid travel plan that went awry, send an email to [email protected] .

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation.

Seth Kugel is the columnist for “ Tripped Up ,” an advice column that helps readers navigate the often confusing world of travel. More about Seth Kugel

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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Electrostal History and Art Museum

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