Nathan's Insights

Avianca Airlines
Date: 21 December 2024
Flight Number: AV1633
Gate: 3 
Seat: 8D & 8E (Economy)
Plane: Airbus 320
First Leg Boarded: 11:08
First Leg Pushback: 11:26 (Scheduled 11:35)
First Leg Take off: 11:35
First Leg Arrived: 14:08 (Note 1 hour time zone change)
Second Leg Pushback: 15:16
Second Leg Take off: 15:28
Second Leg Arrived: 16:01
Distance: 1,453 km (first leg 1,171 km and second leg 282 km)

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

The Cost

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

The Airport Experience

Check-In / Bag Drop / Border Control

To get to the Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport you have to first catch a ferry from Santa Cruz Island. Once on Baltra Island you catch at 10 minute public bus to the airport.

At the airport we checked in at the Avianca Airlines counters. There are no self kosiks to use. I was offered a pay for an upgrade which I declined. 

Our ticket allowed one main bag per person with a maximum weight of 23kgs and 1 carry-on bag. Our bags were checked through to the final destination Mariscal Sucre International Airport. 

We were advised that on landing at the stopover airport José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport to stay on the plane. Some passengers left the plane with a few new passengers boarding.

We then went through Security with an additional passport check despite being a domestic flight. 

Lounges

There was a lounge for Avianca high level members which I am not.

The terminal offered a lot of seating options and a food court. The air from outside runs directly into the terminal, highlighting they don’t get cold weather. 

The Flight Experience

Boarding

This flight boarded from Gate 3. Boarding was done in priority group order according to your boarding pass. Our group was in priority group C one of the earlier groups.

The overhead bin above our seats was fine for our small carry-on bags especially as their was a lot of space on the plane.

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. This is fine for short flights.

For the first leg with soe many empty seats people moved to better locations. Erin moved from her middle seat 8E to a window 8F. While everyone had to move back to their seats for the more full second leg, Erin could once again move to 8F as it was unallocated for both legs.

Amenity Kit

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

Meals and Drinks

On the first leg of the flight only snacks and drinks were offered to business class passengers. 

On the second longer flight leg you could purchase any food or drinks which I declined as this leg was under an hour.

Facilities and Service

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

The flight attendants were efficient. They cleared the surfaces multiple times.

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 (just like the flights to Galapagos). I listened to music from my iPhone and rested.

The Flight

The two legs on the same flight number was a rare experience for me but occurred on the flights to Galapagos. This time was smoother as we didn’t have a plane substuted so stayed on the place. Both legs of the flight were smooth except for some minor bumps descending through clouds which is to be expected. We also landed early which I can’t remember occuring in the last 10 years.

Arrival

We arrived early at Mariscal Sucre International Airport. Our bags were delivered at carusel 2, I didn’t have tio wait to long but Erin’s bag was one of the last out. I think she was getting worried but I was tracking her bag and knew it was at the airport. 

There was a line for both the men’s and women’s toilets. 

Summary

It was must easier flying out pof the Galapagos then too the Galapagos as they are no longer worried about you causing environmental damage in the protected Galapagos area. It is still complicate to get to Baltra Island and the airport. Probably the only airport in the world were you can’t drive to the airport.