Nathan's Insights

Avianca Airlines
Date: 14 December 2024
Flight Number: AV1632
Gate: A 
Seat: 21C & 21D (Economy)
Plane: Airbus 320
First Leg Boarded: 07:27 (Group E 0:37)
First Leg Pushback: 08:06 (Scheduled 07:51)
First Leg Take off: 08:19
First Leg Arrived: 09:03 (Scheduled 09:14)
First Leg Actual Duration: 57 minutes
Second Leg Boarded: 09:53
Second Leg Pushback: 10:34
Second Leg Take off: 10:47
Second Leg Arrived: 11:31
Second Leg Actual Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes
Distance: 1,453 km (first leg 282 km and second leg 1,171 km)

This flight had two legs, commencing from Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO – Quito, Ecuador) with the final destination Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport (GPS – Baltra Island, Ecuador) via José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (GYE Guayaquil, Ecuador).

The Cost

The ticket was part of the Galapagos Tour I purchased so I don’t know the extract amount. To book this flight direct it would have cost $304 AUD.

The Airport Experience

Check-In / Bag Drop / Border Control

Our tour had us leave the Hilton Colon Quito Hotel at 4.30 am. It took roughly 45 minutes to get from the hotel to the airport. You are advised to allow an hour.

On arrival, we had to go through a special screening area for passengers flying to Galapagos. This is to ensure we are not taking anything harmful to that protected environment. 

Our local support organised a special arrival card which cost $20 USD (cash only). The local support then guided us to check in and advised us to get boarding passes and bag tags. We them completed a special Galapagos questionnaire which you can do online or on paper form. 

Our ticket allowed 1 main bag per person with a maximum weight of 23kgs and 1 carry-on bag. Our bags were checked through to the final destination Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport. We were advised that on landing at the stopover airport José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport to stay on the plane. Some passengers would leave at this airport with new passengers boarding.

We then went through normal domestic Security as we were scanned for anything dangerous (knives etc) compared to the earlier Galapagos bag scan that was looking for fruits and seeds that could be dangerous to the National Park. 

Lounges

We had no direct access to any Lounges. If you had a Priority Pass you could access a Sala VIP Lounge. While I had 2 passes I was saving them for a flight back to Maimi later in the month. 

The terminal offered a lot of seating options, most with charging ports.

The Flight Experience

Boarding

This flight boarded from Gate A. Boarding was done in priority group order according to your boarding pass. Our group was in priority group E one of the last groups, but not the last.

The overhead bin above our seats was fine for our small carry-on bags.

The Seat

The Avianca A320 aircraft economy cabin is in a 3-3 seat configuration across 32 rows. They had a tight 28-inch pitch and a fair 17.5-inch width. Not a big concern for shorter flights.

Amenity Kit

No amenity kit is provided for either of these two domestic flight legs.

Meals and Drinks

On the first leg of the flight, you could purchase drinks or snacks (nothing complimentary). On the second longer flight leg you could not purchase any food or drinks.

Facilities and Service

There we two toilets available at the back of the cabin for economy passenger use.

The flight attendants seemed to be confused at times across these two legs. We had to unexpectedly switch aircraft at José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport and we had different attendants saying stay on board and others saying get off. On top of that, they have conflicting advice on what gate to go to once off the plane. In between those issues they seemed to do their tasks well.

Entertainment System

There were no seat back screens. You could use the flight’s wifi to stream content but I couldn’t get it to work. Instead, I listened to music from my iPhone.

The Flight

The two legs on the same flight number was a rare experience for me. I’ve done this maybe 3 times previously. Both legs of the flight were smooth except for some minor bumps descending through clouds which is to be expected.

Arrival

Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport is a small airport that used to be a military airbase. You disembark onto the tarmac. Almost immediately we came across iguanas relaxing. 

You have to go through a border control process and pay a $200 USD National Park entrance fee (which must be paid in cash), locals are exempt. It took maybe 20 minutes to go through this process.

Our bags were waiting for us but everyone had to wait for permission to go pick up their bag. We cleared baggage control and found our local guide waiting.

You need to then catch a local bus to a pier on the edge of the island, it takes roughly 10 minutes to get there through a desert landscape. At the pier, you then board a ferry to take you to the main island of Santa Cruz. 

Once on the main island, you have effectively arrived as you can then use private transportation. Baltra Island is just an airport island. The above transport to Santa Cruz Island is the way every passenger has to move.

Summary

This is a very unique process to get to the Galapagos. There is a lot of paperwork, additional costs (arrival card $20 USD, and later National Park Entrance $200 USD), and lots of security checks and then a bus and ferry to arrive at a location from which you have transportation options.

It is understandable that they want and need to protect this unique and special location you just need to be aware.