ON TO SOUTH AFRICA
Does adventure still exist in the world of commercial aviation? Some might argue that true adventure existed only in the days of tree hugging tri-motors or island hopping Pan Am Clippers, and that it ended with the advent of jet travel and the deregulation of the airline industry. Today, one hundred and twelve years after the Wright Brothers first took to the air, flying has become so commonplace that for most people it elicits no more sense of adventure than a trip to the grocery store.
That said I believe that adventure can be found in anything that’s new and exciting; be it a trip by car to a previously unexplored corner of your country or a visit to a new restaurant in town. In the case of commercial aviation – I consider a flight or two aboard a new airline and/or aircraft to be adventure of the highest order regardless of the destination.
Over the many years that have passed since my first flight aboard a United Caravelle back in 1963, I have had the good fortune to log over five thousand flights aboard one hundred and seventy eight airlines. While those are impressive totals by any measure, my passion still burns bright to go out and fly aboard another one hundred seventy-eight airlines – and then some.
Two years ago I applied for and received a status match with United Airlines which subsequently allowed me to pursue and accrue enough mileage to then take advantage of some very generous awards and routings aboard the Star Alliance’s many member carriers. I attained 1K status during my very first year of participation and then followed that up my second year with another 82000 miles of flying. Having earned an impressive bank of mileage to withdraw from, I was able to then enjoy premium class travel aboard the likes of hitherto unflown airlines such as ANA, Asiana, Austrian, EVA, Lufthansa, Singapore, South African, Thai and Turkish Airlines. The crowning jewel – and indeed the impetus for my decision to focus on Star Alliance mileage – was a First Class flight between Buenos Aires and Frankfurt aboard Lufthansa, comfortably sat upstairs on their 747-400 in a big comfortable lounger with a full length bed beside me, all the while reveling in Lufthansa’s famed Senator Service, red rose and all.
Today I am redeeming the last 45000 miles in my once burgeoning Mileage Plus account toward a one way Business Class award between Santiago, Chile and Cape Town, South Africa. The beauty of this award is in the routing and the airlines involved. Out of Santiago I’ll commence today’s adventure with my first ever flight aboard Avianca, the world’s second oldest continually operating airline. We’ll be flying 2,650 miles up to Bogota aboard Avianca’s recently delivered 787-8. Although this is not my first flight aboard a 787, I approach this flight with the same excitement as I would for a first flight given that this’ll be my first flight aboard Avianca’s version of the 787. I know, I know, all of you pragmatic types are probably shaking your heads in baffled wonderment at this but what can I say? I got it bad…
From Bogota it’s on to Panama City where I’ll switch to yet another new airline for me, Panama’s COPA. It’s a 3160 mile flight from Panama City down to Sao Paulo, Brazil – aboard a 737 no less – and yet even then my sense of adventure is piqued with anticipation toward trying out COPA’s spacious long haul seating configuration aboard its 737-800s.
From Sao Paulo to Johannesburg I’ll be flying 4620 miles across the vast expanse of the South Atlantic Ocean aboard South African Airways’ colorful A340-300, I’ve often looked over my map of international routes flown and long desired to have a line in place connecting South America with Southern Africa. That I’ll now be doing so while wining and dining aboard SAA’s well regarded Premium Business Class represents – for me at least – the height of airborne adventure.
Just thinking about all of these new airlines, aircraft and routes has been enough to make sleep difficult over the past few days. If you’re even half as excited as I am, then by all means go pour yourself a refill of whatever it is you’re drinking. Feel free to take a moment to grab a plate of snacks or a sandwich if you’d like. I’ll wait. When you get back we’ll head out to Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport and get this adventure on the road – er, runway!
April 20, 2015
Avianca Airlines Santiago to Bogota 809a –1146a 787-800 Business Class
Avianca Airlines Bogota to Panama City 219p – 357p A320-200 Business Class
COPA Airlines Panama City to Sao Paulo 924p – 620a 737-800 Business Class
The Diego Almagro Hotel offers convenient and complimentary airport shuttle service 24 hours per day. As I was looking forward to enjoying the benefits of a visit to Avianca’s new Sala VIP/Star Alliance Lounge, I’d signed up for a ride on the 6:00am shuttle.
Once I’d finally located it, check in at Avianca’s Executive Class counter went quickly and smoothly. This was good because unless you’re flying Santiago’s hometown airline LAN, there are no Fast Trak or Premium Class lanes at the security checkpoint. Even at this early hour the line of humanity was considerable, extending 30-40 yards out into the terminal before snaking through three or four switchback lanes. By the time I cleared it and presented myself at the lounge reception there was just less than an hour before my flight was due to depart.
While investigating lounge options at Santiago during the planning stages of this trip, I discovered that prior to the recent opening of Avianca’s Sala VIP lounge, Star Alliance passengers had no lounges available to them at all in Santiago. By contrast, OneWorld members have long had a choice of American’s Admirals Club or one of three LAN lounges. Delta also operates a lounge at SCL. As such, the opening of Avianca’s Sala VIP lounge is indeed a most welcome event.
Following the signs, I made my way down the concourse to gate 12, then proceeded downstairs one level to the lounge entrance. Bare walls and pipes accompanied my downward journey, lending the distinct impression that I was heading down into an auxiliary storage area. Upon entering the lounge I saw little to change that impression. Oh sure, the walls had been painted and new if very plain and functional furniture had been installed but in every other respect – from the exposed pipes to the stark overhead lighting, this lounge smacked of ex-storage room.
Avianca’s Sala VIP Lounge at Santiago
In the center of the room was a long, narrow food service area topped with a selection of cereals, pastries and a platter of the ever ubiquitous ham and cheese sandwiches or ham and cheese rolls. A George Foreman type griller was available for heating them up.
Seating was comprised of cheap white tables and chairs with some long cushioned couch type seating along the walls. Clearly this was not a lounge I’d care to spend any more time in than necessary, so I helped myself to a small bowl of cereal along with a grilled ham and cheese roll and then took a seat at one of the tables just long enough to scarf it all down.
Buffet offerings in the Sala VIP Lounge
A morning snack before the flight
Right! Now then, let’s go check out that 787!
My flight was scheduled to depart from gate 18 and though the difference between the lounge’s location at gate 12 and gate 18 doesn’t sound like much, I thought it was a surprisingly long walk. Still, the sight of the gleaming white and red 787 awaiting me at gate 18 was worth the shoe leather. What a beautiful airplane!
So much has been said about the technological advances evidenced in the 787’s composite airframe but often lost in the impressive technical details is how pretty a plane the 787 is. It has very graceful lines, especially in the wings and the forward fuselage. With the jetway attached to door 2L, I was afforded an excellent opportunity to admire the forward fuselage.
Avianca’s 787 awaits its early morning departure at Santiago
When the initial boarding announcement was made, I was ready to go. Normally I’m not in any great rush to hurry on board an airplane just so I can immediately sit down and wait, but when it comes to flying onboard a new or rarely flown airplane that’s being operated by a hitherto unflown airline I’ve been known to make an exception. This being only my second flight on a 787 and my very first on Avianca, I was perhaps a tad more eager than usual.
Greeting us at the door were a phalanx of bright red clad flight attendants. I counted four of them though I’ll be snookered as to why there were so many of them. In any event, boarding passes were inspected and directions issued – in my case
”a su izquierda , Señor”.
Avianca’s 787s are configured with 28 Business Class and 222 Economy Class seats. The dark gray Business Class seats are individually housed in white pods arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. The look is clean and modern though not particularly warm and comfortable.
Whaaaat?! How could I write in anything less than the most glowing terms about such an exciting new product?! Call me an old timer if you will but I remember when premium class seats were large and downright plush. There was plenty of space around them and they were typically upholstered in fabrics and colors that exuded a sense of warmth and comfort. The overall effect was downright welcoming. By contrast, these Avianca Business Class seats – like those of many other airlines today – look impressively functional but not particularly comfortable.
Now granted, those big premium class seats of old weren’t designed to lie flat. Nor did they incorporate inflight entertainment systems, electric outlets and in-seat storage areas. Part of the problem is that “plush” is great for sitting in but not necessarily optimal for sleeping on. To that end, the best lie flat sleeping surfaces incorporate firmer, more supportive cushions. As a result, today’s modern 180° lie-flat seats are often pretty stiff to sit on because they’re ergonomically designed to be an optimal sleeping surface rather than a sitting platform.
The second problem is the modular pods that many modern Business Class seats are housed in. While they’re well designed to incorporate all the essential seat side amenities such as table, storage areas and a large screen for viewing the IFE, they often don’t leave a lot of room around the seat. The molded sidewalls are right up next to the seat side and to me at least the effect can be a tad claustrophobic.
That said, it is what it is. Here I am about to embark on a five hour flight up to Bogota aboard an airplane so new it first took to the air just five months earlier. Look at the size of those windows! And check out that good looking pillow and blanket waiting on the seat. And check out that – excuse me a moment – Sí por favor, a glass of orange juice would be very nice, thanks. And look, here’s a nice looking amenity kit. Might as well take a seat and start enjoying the service!
Avianca’s 787 Business Class seat
Seat side lighting, controls and connections
The Amenity Kit
The load to Bogota was fairly light this morning – the plane was perhaps 60% full – and so boarding was accomplished quickly. Doors were closed, announcements were made in both Spanish and English and soon we were pushing back from the gate. Out my window was an impressive lineup of three LAN 787s parked down the concourse. I paused to take a picture…
A trio of LAN 787s
Poised at the head of runway 17L, I listened as the captain powered up our twin Rolls Royce Trent 1000s and soon had us thundering down the runway with impressive speed and power. Up front in seat 2A, the sound was surprisingly muted and yet just loud enough to suggest that all 18000+ components of the engine were efficiently at work. V1 was reached and, rotating smoothly, we soared into the cloudy skies above Santiago.
It was quite a long time before we received anything that could be construed as service. Finally a flight attendant came around with a tray bearing a collection of tepid wash cloths. These must be the “hot towels”. I looked at my watch. We were 49 minutes into the flight. A look at the Sky Map indicated another 4 hours and 28 minutes left in the flight. Speaking of which, the Sky Map was wonderful with functions that allowed you to check out a preview of the flight and total route as well as views on the flight from the perspective of your current location as seen from alongside and overhead.
Avianca 787 Inflight
Avianca 787 Sky Map
Avianca 787 Sky Map
Fifteen minutes later yet another flight attendant arrived with a stack of menus which she doled out in much the same manner that teacher’s aides distributed the test booklets I received in college so many years ago. Interestingly, the menus covered meal offerings for ALL of Avianca’s long distance services between South America and North America as well as longer intra-South America flights such as this one between Santiago and Bogota. Let’s see what’s for breakfast…
Avianca’s Business Class Menu Booklet
BREAKFAST
Santiago to Bogota
Appetizer
Fresh Fruit Salad
MAIN COURSE
Ham and Cheese Omelette
Served with sautéed potatoes and tomatoes
Apple Crepes
Accented with vanilla sauce
Cereal and Yogurt
Warm bread, butter and jam
A typical breakfast for me at home is a bowl of hot or cold cereal and maybe some yogurt and/or fruit. When it comes to eating breakfast out however – be it in a restaurant or on a plane – I will always opt for something hot, preferably the egg dish. Orders were taken from front to back and given my fortuitous location in seat 2A, my choice was available in abundance.
Breakfast was presented all on one tray and included a croissant. A fruit plate graced one corner of the tray. The omelet was served in a small porcelain dish with a decently sized portion of potatoes and four cherry tomatoes. It was difficult to detect the classic flavor combination of ham and cheese given the miniscule portions of each but the omelet was hot and the croissant was flaky so I was generally satisfied.
Breakfast over Bolivia
Why is it however that so much of the coffee served in South America is powdered? This is particularly true aboard its airlines. I mean, we’re talking about a continent that produces some of the world’s finest coffee and yet I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been served lackluster powdered coffee. In Avianca’s case, not only was the coffee powdered but so was the creamer! We’re talking about the national airline of Colombia, one of the top coffee producing countries in the world! Juan Valdez would roll over in his grave if he knew we were being served this swill.
Trays were cleared in a timely manner, but after that unless I used the call button I never saw the flight attendants again. A brief reconnaissance to the back of the plane revealed a gaggle of them laughing hysterically over something in the rear galley. A return to the front of the plane revealed that the forward galley was deserted. Hmm…
Now I realize that when it comes to premium class service amongst South American airlines, Avianca has never been considered one of the elite practitioners but surely its service can’t always have been this lackluster. I’ve got a few 1970s era brochures and menus from airlines like Varig, Aerolineas Argentinas, LAN Chile and VIASA that suggest the level of service – and even the coffee – was once much better, even in Coach. I remember flying First Class on Aerolineas Argentinas back in 1986 and the food and beverage service was outstanding. We dined on fois gras and stuffed pheasant while our wine glasses were never left wanting. A pair of 1983 flights in economy aboard colorful Ecuatoriana 720Bs was memorable for the quality and quantity of the meals, not to mention the melodious whine of those Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3Bs. Those were good days to be a passenger aboard South America’s airlines.
With three hours left in the flight I decided to check out the inflight entertainment system. While clearly not on par with the very best systems such as those found on Singapore or Emirates, Avianca’s programming offered a decent selection of movies, television shows and games – not to mention the excellent and aforementioned Sky Map. I’ve never been a big fan of watching movies on airplanes, mainly because I’m willing to wait to watch them on a bigger and better screen back home. That said, I do enjoy checking out the documentaries and I particularly enjoy playing any and all trivia type games. The games portion of Avianca’s system included the airplane version of the old gameshow “So You Want To be A Millionaire” which allowed me to spend the next hour and a half trying to beat my high score of $250000. I never did but it was a fun way to pass some time, especially given the cloudy conditions out my window.
We were about an hour out of Bogota when the crew came around with a light snack. In Business Class this translated to that old South American staple, the ubiquitous ham and cheese sandwich. Experience has taught me to accompany my travels with a small Ziploc baggie filled with a variety of extra condiments. That practice served me well today because without a the addition of a couple packets worth of Grey Poupon mustard to spice it all up, this mostly bread sandwich was nothing special.
Avianca’s Ham & Cheese Business Class Snack
A lot of bread and a wee bit of ham & cheese
As we began our descent into Bogota’s Eldorado International Airport, the clouds cover opened up a bit revealing the lush green mountains and valleys below. I took particular notice of one dramatic ridge that clouds had backed up behind. It had an “edge of the world” like quality to it and so I grabbed my camera and fired off a couple of photos.
The edge of the world?
Approach into Bogota
Finally, after a flight of five hours and twenty three minutes, we glided gracefully over the perimeter fence, watched as the runway stripes sped by beneath us and then touched down smoothly on the wide expanse of concrete otherwise known as Runway 13R. The lead flight attendant dispatched us with the usual post-flight folderol though given her less than inspired service in the forward cabin, I couldn’t help but question her sincerity.
Overall however, I had a good time on this, my second flight aboard a 787. As for Avianca, one lackluster flight does not define an airline any more than the occasional cloudy day defines Miami Beach. I’ve got a two hour layover to look forward to here in Bogota and then we’ll give Avianca another try on the short 470 mile flight west to Panama City.
* * * _ * _ * * *
As we were taxiing into our gate, it didn’t take long to notice that this was not the same airport I had flown into the last time I passed through Bogota ten years ago. Gone were the old run down concourses and flotilla of aging Colombian jetliners. In their place was a modern new terminal and lots of shiny Avianca jetliners that appeared to be of fairly recent vintage. To be sure, there were still a few old hulks dotting the tarmac – some of them airworthy and others not – but on the whole this was a new and improved Eldorado International and it was with no small measure of anticipation that I hoisted my pack, grabbed my roll aboard and lurched up the jetway.
Following the signs for transit passengers, I made my way through the security checkpoint and then followed the signs to Avianca’s new Business Class Lounge. An elevator ride delivered me to the Mezzanine level where not one but two Avianca lounges awaited. One lounge appeared to be for passengers traveling on domestic flights while the other was reserved for those traveling in international Business Class. That’d be me thought I as I proceeded to the reception desk on the right.
As Premium Class lounges go, I would rate this one as… OK. On a scale of 1-10 I’d give it a 7.5. Maybe an 8 if I were feeling extraordinarily generous. But I’m not, so 7.5 it is. The seating was comprised of the same hard white molded chairs and tables seen earlier in the Santiago lounge. There were some padded red semi-cubicles sprinkled around the lounge though for the life of me I fail to see the attraction in this style of seating given the hard straight back with minimal cushioning. A television room offered marginally more comfortable seating though it only had a couple dozen seats and you’d be forced to watch either a soccer match or the news. The internet was so-so although the bathrooms and showers appeared squeaky-clean.
Avianca’s Business Class Lounge in Bogota
Alright then, let’s check out the food offerings. Hmm… not bad, not bad – especially compared to what you’d find in a typical U.S. airline lounge. The liquor selection however was downright bleak. Here – see for yourselves…
Avianca’s Business Class Lounge Food
Avianca’s Business Class Lounge Food
Care for a drink?
I put together a small plate of salmon, cheese, salad and bread before searching out a place to sit down. Normally I prefer finding a business center type cubicle but nothing of the type was offered at this facility and so I found a table by the large floor to ceiling windows where I quite enjoyed basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun while watching a seemingly endless parade of Avianca jetliners take to the skies. Perhaps it was the time of day, for though there are a variety of second tier Colombian airlines, Avianca aircraft comprised approximately 80% of the departures at this time of the afternoon.
All too soon it was time to gather my belongings and make my way down to the departure gate for my onward flight to Panama City. Along the way I passed a variety of shops selling high end clothing, jewelry and perfumes. I’ve never understood why it is that people are willing to pay hugely inflated prices at an airport store for items that with a modicum of advance planning they could have purchased in town for considerably less. Cheapskate that I am, the most I’ll generally ever spend in an airport store is about $8.50 for that week’s copy of The Economist. With no magazines or books of any interest to me on Bogota’s newsstands, I strolled blithely on.
Waiting at the gate was a shiny Airbus A319 whose gleaming new Avianca livery belied its thirteen years of prior service on behalf of Mexicana and AeroGal. Though the airplane may have looked shiny and new on the outside, inside the old and worn Business Class seats appeared to be Mexicana’s original issue from waaay back in 2002. That’s alright – they were reasonably comfortable and offered a fairly decent amount of seat pitch. Seatmate didn’t even have to get up as I eased across him and into Seat 2A.
New Business Class on Avianca’s Airbus
Photo courtesy of Avianca
The captain came on over the PA and announced in both Spanish and excellent English that we’d be looking at a flight time of just over an hour to Panama City. The enroute conditions were projected to be smooth so please, sit back, relax and enjoy our fine service on this short flight over to Panama City this afternoon.
Now you would think that a one hour flight would not allow enough time to enjoy a “fine” service unless you considered a second pass with the drink cart to qualify as such. This was certainly my thinking, especially after the mediocre service I’d received on my five hour flight up from Santiago. Imagine then my surprise and delight when shortly after leveling off I was presented with a meal tray bearing a delicious main course of stuffed chicken and rice accompanied by a delectable vegetable salad, a roll and one of the more aesthetically appealing desserts I’ve ever been served aloft.
Avianca’s Business Class Luncheon between Bogota and Panama City
Avianca’s delightful fruit and custard tart
In addition to the superb meal service, it was a spectacular day up in the troposphere with abundant sunshine and warm blue skies accented by lots of puffy little clouds. A quick glance around the cabin revealed that I wasn’t the only one impressed by nature’s beauty outside the airplane. Not a single window shade was drawn, thus bathing the cabin in the warm glow of natural light. As one hour flights go, this one was as nice as it gets. Well done, Avianca!
A great day for flying