Booking with Avianca using Avios via Iberia plus
Dec 7, 2017, 1:04 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 2
Booking with Avianca using Avios via Iberia plus
Has anyone successfully made a booking with Avianca using Avios via Iberia plus?I have tried twice now for London – Armenia (AXM) and London – Bogota but nothing is available on any dates and when I asked about what other routes are available with the collaboration the line got disconnected (both times)
Dec 8, 2017, 1:40 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,043
Did you search for award availability first? Via a Star Alliance partner such as United, Aeroplan or ANA?
Dec 8, 2017, 2:42 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Barcelona
Programs: AAadvantage EXP, UA MilagePlus
Posts: 236
Has anyone successfully made a booking with Avianca using Avios via Iberia plus?I have tried twice now for London – Armenia (AXM) and London – Bogota but nothing is available on any dates and when I asked about what other routes are available with the collaboration the line got disconnected (both times)
Dec 9, 2017, 5:38 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,043
Some airline FFPs make more award seats available to their own members than to partner programs. That's why the suggestion in Post #2 is a good one. 
Any doubt and the response will usually be some version of "can't find the award space" or "you can't book Avianca using Avios" because the vast majority of callers will simply accept that excuse.
May 3, 2018, 4:21 am
#7
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 22
Did anyone ever manage to book Avianca reward seats through Iberia with Avios? Iberia tells me there's no availability, although when I asked them to look into when there was availability they put me on hold for 15 minutes then hung up. Their twitter account was also useless and Avianca haven't even replied to my DM. Such a shame, really wanted to visit Columbia..
May 8, 2018, 3:13 am
#9
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 22
Actually a 50 minute phone call to Avianca got us booked and upgraded with their LifeMiles (which happen to be on 2-for-1) Also, we are flying BA to Mexico City and then from there to Bogota, so can't book with Iberia. Although now I get to keep the Avios for next companion voucher
In summary - Iberia should really retract their information that you can book Avianca with their points, as I have found no evidence that anyone has ever managed to do so. Avianca on the other hand, really helpful. Columbia here I come!
In summary - Iberia should really retract their information that you can book Avianca with their points, as I have found no evidence that anyone has ever managed to do so. Avianca on the other hand, really helpful. Columbia here I come!
May 8, 2018, 8:39 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,043
Actually a 50 minute phone call to Avianca got us booked and upgraded with their LifeMiles (which happen to be on 2-for-1) Also, we are flying BA to Mexico City and then from there to Bogota, so can't book with Iberia. Although now I get to keep the Avios for next companion voucher
In summary - Iberia should really retract their information that you can book Avianca with their points, as I have found no evidence that anyone has ever managed to do so. Avianca on the other hand, really helpful. Columbia here I come!
In summary - Iberia should really retract their information that you can book Avianca with their points, as I have found no evidence that anyone has ever managed to do so. Avianca on the other hand, really helpful. Columbia here I come!
Avianca is possibly the only major airline where you should book through a travel agent instead of direct from the airline.
May 9, 2018, 6:53 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2006
Programs: LH SEN, FB Plat., HH D.
Posts: 5,050
Avianca helpful? Sounds like you got lucky. My GF has to go to Colombia for work once in awhile and will do absolutely anything within her power to avoid Avianca.
Avianca is possibly the only major airline where you should book through a travel agent instead of direct from the airline.
Avianca is possibly the only major airline where you should book through a travel agent instead of direct from the airline.
two months ago I tried to book through their webpage and everytime I had to pay I got an error. I phoned their callcenter and they quoted something like +1000€ for the flights I wanted + issuing fee.
At the end I booked through Expedia and it was very easy
May 11, 2018, 8:20 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 22
My boyf called, he is far more charming that I am - which may explain the lovely lady's helpfulness 
Iberia were terrible (flying to Madrid with them in a week or 2, so hopefully their in-person service is better). Avianca seemed very competent - called LifeMiles to ensure that our super-cheap tickets would be upgradable and then booked, passed us through to the LM people and voila!
We actually couldn't book direct MEX-BOG-MEX direct flights for less than £900 in business class online using anyone's website. But they managed to book us the super-cheap £300 tickets and upgraded them with $900 worth of LM's - works out to around £650 a ticket, which is what we had originally thought it was, until we found the super-odd extra expensive to fly BOG-MEX non-stop return leg weirdness.
Iberia were terrible (flying to Madrid with them in a week or 2, so hopefully their in-person service is better). Avianca seemed very competent - called LifeMiles to ensure that our super-cheap tickets would be upgradable and then booked, passed us through to the LM people and voila!
We actually couldn't book direct MEX-BOG-MEX direct flights for less than £900 in business class online using anyone's website. But they managed to book us the super-cheap £300 tickets and upgraded them with $900 worth of LM's - works out to around £650 a ticket, which is what we had originally thought it was, until we found the super-odd extra expensive to fly BOG-MEX non-stop return leg weirdness.
May 11, 2018, 9:14 am
#13
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 1,578
Hi all. Is it true that it's only possible to book return flights on Avianca when using Iberia Plus Avios? I'm after SJO-BOG, and they're asking for 51,000 avios + €288 tax total for three pax. Ignoring the fact that 51,000 doesn't divide evenly into any of the points listed on the Iberia-Avianca redemption chart, I'd be better off booking cash one-way flights at that price.
Has anyone had any luck booking just one way?
Has anyone had any luck booking just one way?
May 29, 2018, 5:37 pm
#14
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 106
I'm currently facing the joy of trying to use Avios to book Avianca flights via IB+ which has led me to this thread. So far, I've called the IB call centre three times, to be told "we don't deal with Avianca", "you can't redeem on Avianca, only earn" etc.
I've checked via ANA and seen that there is plenty of availability, but given that the agents say it's not possible, I can't be sure if the response of "nothing available" is down to AV not releasing seats to IB+ or simply the agent searching with the wrong parameters...
Anyway, since then I came across this blog post which claims that:
Does anyone know if there is any truth in this statement? I can't see anything to this effect on the IB+ pages...
I've checked via ANA and seen that there is plenty of availability, but given that the agents say it's not possible, I can't be sure if the response of "nothing available" is down to AV not releasing seats to IB+ or simply the agent searching with the wrong parameters...
Anyway, since then I came across this blog post which claims that:
"Iberia doesn’t restrict the flights that can be booked with oneworld partners, but there are restrictions on the flights that can be booked with non-alliance partners. As a general rule, the flight needs to either originate or terminate in Spain or needs to be booked in conjunction with an Iberia flight. For example, Interjet flights can be booked within Mexico, but only in combination with a flight operated by Iberia. This rule applies to flights on Vueling, Level, Binter Canarias, Meridiana, Royal Air Maroc, Avianca (TACA), and Interjet."
May 30, 2018, 1:34 am
#15
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA GGL
Posts: 1,578
I called back another time, and another agent actually understood, at least, that it was possible.