Avianca compensation: who can claim and how much
Avianca flies nonstop to Bogotá from London Heathrow, Madrid, Barcelona and Paris, and from Madrid to Medellín and Cali as well. These are long-haul flights of more than 8,000 km, so a qualifying delay or late cancellation sits in the top band: €600 per passenger under EU rules, or £520 under the UK version for flights out of Britain. More than 100 Avianca passengers have already claimed through us.
Avianca is a Colombian airline headquartered in Bogotá, not a European one. That matters: Regulation (EC) 261/2004 binds it only on flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Since Brexit, departures from the UK fall under UK261, which mirrors the EU rules. Avianca flights from Colombia to Europe are not covered by either, even on a return ticket.
Delayed outbound
You left London, Madrid, Barcelona or Paris and reached your final destination 3 hours or more late.
3 hours on arrivalLate cancellation
Avianca cancelled your departure from Europe with less than 14 days' warning.
Under 14 days' noticeBumped at the gate
You were refused boarding on an overbooked flight out of Europe despite a valid ticket and checking in on time.
Payable on the dayNo compensation
Avianca flights from Bogotá, Medellín or Cali to Europe, and genuinely extraordinary circumstances.
Flights into EuropeNot sure whether your trip counts? Enter your airports and date and check your Avianca flight in two minutes.
How much Avianca pays on the routes our clients fly
The ticket price makes no difference. What counts is the distance from the European departure airport to your final destination, including any connection on the same booking.
| Avianca route | Which rules | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| London–Bogotá | UK261, departure from the UK | £520 |
| London–Cali via Bogotá | UK261, final destination counts | £520 |
| Madrid–Bogotá, Barcelona–Bogotá | EU261, departure from the EU | €600 |
| Madrid–Quito via Bogotá | EU261, single booking | €600 |
| Barranquilla–Madrid | Not covered, departs outside Europe | Nothing |
Compensation is per passenger. A family of four on a London–Bogotá flight that lands five hours late is owed £2,080 between them. Children with their own seat get the same as adults. On our form you add the flight once and then list everyone who travelled.
Delayed Avianca flight: what to do before you leave the airport
Delays make up more than 7 in 10 of the Avianca claims we handle, mostly on departures from London, Madrid and Barcelona to Bogotá. Delay is measured at your last airport, when the first aircraft door opens, so a late arrival in Bogotá that makes you miss the onward flight to Lima can still qualify. Meanwhile:
- Keep every boarding pass, including the one for your Bogotá connection.
- Screenshot the Avianca app and keep any email giving the reason for the delay.
- Ask the Avianca desk for meal vouchers and, for an overnight wait, a hotel and transfer.
- Keep receipts for anything you paid yourself so you can reclaim it.
- Think twice before taking LifeMiles or travel credit instead of cash.
Care Avianca owes you while you wait
On a transatlantic Avianca departure the duty of care starts after 4 hours. The other thresholds apply to shorter flights.
| Flight distance | Meals and drinks after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km (Europe–Colombia) | 4 hours |
| Delay of 5 hours or more | You can abandon the trip and get your fare back |
Missed connection in Bogotá
With one booking from London or Madrid through Bogotá to Cartagena, San José or Lima, compensation is based on the whole journey and your arrival time at the end of it. With separate tickets, the onward flight stands alone and is not covered. More on Avianca delay compensation.
Cancelled Avianca flight: refund, rebooking and compensation
Avianca usually rebooks passengers on the next departure to Bogotá. Taking that seat does not cancel your right to compensation.
Always available when a flight is cancelled: your money back or another flight, your choice.
Up to €600, or £520 from the UK, when you were told less than 14 days before departure.
| Cancellation notice | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | None, but refund or rebooking still apply |
| 7 to 13 days | Due, unless the new flight leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and lands less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Due, unless the new flight leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and lands less than 2 hours late |
Retimed flights. A big schedule change close to departure can count as a cancellation. See Avianca cancellation compensation.
Avianca overbooking and denied boarding
Roughly 8 in 100 of our Avianca cases involve denied boarding. If you are turned away at Heathrow or Barajas because the flight was oversold, compensation is owed straight away, along with a new flight or a refund. It does not apply if you were refused because of missing documents or Colombian entry requirements. Read our guide to Avianca overbooking.
Avianca strikes
When Avianca's own pilots or cabin crew walk out, the EU Court of Justice treats the strike as part of the airline's normal business, so compensation is normally due (case C-28/20). Strikes by air traffic controllers or airport staff are outside Avianca's control: no compensation, but you keep the right to care and to a refund or rerouting.
Avianca rejected your claim? The usual reasons
Maintenance problems are part of running an airline, unless a manufacturing defect was flagged by the maker or the authorities.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07A knock-on delay is not extraordinary in itself. Avianca has to prove an extraordinary event caused it.
Payable if Avianca staff were striking, not if controllers or airport workers were.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20Here Avianca is right: a non-EU airline's flights into Europe are outside the rules.
Avianca codeshares and Star Alliance partners
Avianca is a Star Alliance member and sells many tickets on partner flights. A claim always goes to the airline that actually operated the flight, shown on your booking as "operated by". If an AV ticket put you on a flight run by a European airline, you are covered on the way back to Europe too.
How to claim from Avianca: on your own or with us
You can contact Avianca for free through the customer service pages at avianca.com with your booking reference and flight number.
No fee, but you deal with a customer service team based outside Europe, and if they refuse you must go to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA for UK departures) or to court yourself.
Two minutes and an online signature. We handle the claim, the formal demand and any court case with our own lawyers. You pay only if you win: 25% + VAT, so €600 leaves you €417. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
If Avianca has already turned you down
You can still pass the case to us. We look at whether the flight left Europe and whether the stated cause really was extraordinary.
Documents you need
- E-ticket or boarding passesFor every leg, including the Bogotá connection.
- PassportFor each traveller, children included.
- Avianca's messagesEmails, texts, app alerts and receipts for expenses.
Time limit for an Avianca claim
The Regulation sets no deadline of its own. National law decides, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed in case C-139/11, so the limit depends on the country where you bring the claim. Older trips to Colombia may still be in time: enter your flight date.
How long Avianca takes to pay
When Avianca accepts a claim, payment usually follows within a few weeks. If it refuses, a formal demand and possibly court action in Europe add several months. Once the money arrives, we transfer your share by bank transfer.
Lost or damaged luggage on Avianca
Baggage falls under the Montreal Convention. If your case does not appear in Bogotá or arrives damaged, file a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airport, then write to Avianca within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of delivery for delayed bags.
Avianca contact details and flight status
- Head office
- Avianca S.A. (Aerovías del Continente Americano), Bogotá, Colombia
- Claims
- Customer service in the help section of avianca.com
- Flight status
- Avianca app or official website
- Frequent flyer scheme
- LifeMiles
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