Customer Service Plan and Contingency Plan
Learn about our Customer Service Plan and Contingency Plan in case there may be irregularities in flights that may affect your trip
Avianca Customer Service Plan
Issued in accordance with 14 C.F.R. § 259.5 (December 2024)
The airlines conform Avianca (Includes Avianca -Star Alliance member-, LifeMiles and Avianca Cargo) aim to win the loyalty of our customers, working with professionalism, talent and enthusiasm, to share exceptional travel experiences with them. To achieve this objective, we have multiple tools at our disposal, including: standardized processes, infrastructure, technology, institutional policies, guidelines, and others.
Nevertheless, it is clear that loyalty in any business relationship is based on continued goodwill from our customers, our fulfillment of promises and, above all, our sense of obligation to carry out the task that has been assigned to us. In this Customer Service Plan, which applies to Avianca's scheduled flights to and from the United States, we present aspects of our policies and guidelines that we have designed in order to offer a comfortable flight experience.
Our website avianca.com and our reservations staff, can provide clear information about our policies and the aspects of our services that may be important to you. The above refers to providing clear information about:
- Aircraft configuration, including seat location and the availability of restrooms.
- Important terms and conditions that apply to your ticket, including cancellation and refund policies.
- We also provide information about our frequent traveler program, LifeMiles, including program rules, which are available in LifeMiles.com or from our reservations staff.
In order to reduce any inconvenience you experience during cancellations and misconnections, Avianca will:
- Do it best to contact you in advance regarding a flight cancellation using the contact information in your reservation.
- Work to confirm you on the next flight we operate that has seats available in the same class of service when rebooking is necessary.
- Self-management tools have been developed. This can be consulted through the website.
Avianca will disclose to our customers that they are entitled to a refund if that is the case when offering alternative transportation, travel credits, vouchers, or other compensation in lieu of refunds consistent with the requirement in 14 CFR 260.7 and 260.9.
Avianca will disclose all material restrictions, conditions, or limitations on travel credits, vouchers, or other compensation offered, regardless of whether consumers are entitled to a refund as described in 14 CFR 260.8 and 14 CFR 262.8.
Avianca will provide, upon request, travel credits or vouchers that are transferrable and do not expire for at least five years from the date of issuance to a consumer due to a serious communicable disease impacting travel as described in 14 CFR Part 262.
It is important to clarify that this Customer Service Plan does not form any part of those Conditions of Carriage, meaning that this document does not represent any contractual or legal rights for the customers besides the ones listed and ruled by Avianca's Conditions of Carriage.
Issued in accordance with 14 C.F.R. § 259.4 (June 2021)
The airlines conform Avianca (Includes Avianca -Star Alliance member-, LifeMiles and avianca Cargo) have standardized its operating procedures to comply not only with applicable government aviation regulations but internal policies established by the airline. We strive to proactively monitor operational developments outside of our immediate control, such as delays attributed to air traffic control, airport congestion and weather conditions, and constantly work to minimize their impact upon our customers' travel itineraries. Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our customers and, occasionally, extraordinary events can result in lengthy tarmac delays. We have developed this Plan to minimize customer inconvenience in such cases. This Plan covers Avianca's scheduled and public charter flights and applies at U.S. airports that Avianca regularly serves as well as its regular U.S. diversion airports. The Plan includes the following assurances from Avianca to its customers:
1. For all flights to which this Plan applies, Avianca will not permit an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than four (4) hours before providing passengers with an opportunity to deplane, unless: (i) in the case of departure delays at U.S. airports, the flight begins to return to a suitable disembarkation point within four hours after the main aircraft door used for boarding has closed; (ii) the pilot-in-command determines there is a safety-related or security-related reason why the aircraft cannot leave its position on the tarmac to deplane passengers; or (iii) air traffic control advises the pilot-in-command that returning to the gate or another disembarkation point elsewhere in order to deplane passengers would significantly disrupt airport operations.
2. For all flights to which this Plan applies, if the aircraft remains on the tarmac, Avianca will work to meet the essential needs of passengers aboard the aircraft by providing adequate food and potable water no later than two (2) hours after the start of the tarmac delay, unless the pilot-in-command determines that safety or security considerations preclude such service.
3. For all flights to which this Plan applies, if the aircraft remains on the tarmac, Avianca will provide operable lavatory facilities to its passengers as well as adequate medical attention, if needed.
4. For all flights to which this Plan applies, if the aircraft remains on the tarmac, Avianca will provide an announcement as to the status of the delay when the tarmac delay exceeds 30 minutes, and will provide subsequent status updates as Avianca deems appropriate.
5. For all departing flights and diversions, each time the opportunity to deplane exists at a suitable disembarkation point, Avianca will timely notify the passengers on board the aircraft that the passengers have the opportunity to deplane.
6. Avianca has sufficient resources to implement this Plan.
7. Avianca has coordinated this Plan with airport authorities, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Transportation Security Administration at each U.S. airport covered by this plan, including regular U.S. diversion airports.