Avianca check-in w/bag at SFO - is 2 hours before flight really necessary?
 

My wife is flying on Avianca from SFO to San Salvador on Saturday, business class. The website lists as 2 hours the minimum check-in time for electronic check-in with checked bag. Does anyone know if that's a hard deadline? I'm guessing that they would keep bag check open until at least 90 minutes before flight, but I have no experience with Avianca.

Thanks for any thoughts you may have to share.

Post in the Avianca forum for more experience would be a thought. Lifemiles.

They and Copa are ruthless with on time performance so I'd count less on them vs. other airlines with being loose on the rules.

That said, when I used to fly Avianca (when it was TACA), J check-in took all of 5 minutes (even without e-check-in which I do not trust with these airlines because of their hopeless IT and web sites) due to the low number of flights (e.g. one) and the small cabin. The rest is the airport and airport service companies.

I would worry more about security and other queues than Avianca. That said I would not risk 90 minutes.

I was checking in on AeroMexico next to the Avianca counters at zone 8 around 10pm last Friday and noticed a long line for San Salvador at that time.

My wife showed up at check-in with bag this morning at 5:15 am for the 6:55 am flight to San Salvador. No problem at all for her in the business class line. She said the economy line wasn't very long, and it looked like it would have been no problem to line up there as well, 1:40 before departure.

So, I think Avianca's 2:00 before departure time (for online check-in, with checked bag) is a bit more than what's really necessary, at least at SFO.