Single day Domestic status run - Colombia

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In case there are any true aviation nerds here, this is a Brand-spanking new Avianca 787. Last time I checked they had taken delivery of only the first 4, with only 2 in active service. So I was quite happy to see this one. Have no trip in particular planned, but cannot wait to try out their J in the 787 - finally Avianca get true lie-flat seats. (They are also going to refurbish their A330´s with the same seat)

 

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Takeoff from BOG. Note how there are always slums around airports. Am not sure if Colombia ever did a film like The Castle, but if they did it would be here.

 

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However, once you get a few km from the airport suddenly Bogota becomes modern apartments and parks and golf courses and stuff. Couldn´t get a shot of the CBD as I was on the wrong side. Maybe on the return.

Note BOG twin runways in background.

 

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One downside to flying around this beautiful country is that clouds can get in the way. In actual fact, in over four years I have been working here, even out on the plains, I have NEVER EVER seen a sky without a cloud. Not once. A few times there were just a couple of tiny fluffy things on the horizon, but NEVER none. At least Colombia has magnificent pretty clouds.

 

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Nearing CUC. Somewhere to the top left of this photo is the frontier with Venezuela. I was actually a bit surprised, having never been to Cucuta before, as I imagined it to be more jungle. But it is quite dry. Colombia is full of surprises. I know the north coast is dry, as I have been there. All the southern Carribean is dry - Aruba and Curacao are covered in cactus.

 

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Approach to CUC - I had already started to suspect the place was a sh_thole just from the dryness. It didnt get better as I got closer. .

 

[RooFlyer]

All showing for me; all good!

 

[docjames]

Great pics and fascinating TR.

What sort of work keeps you in Colombia?

 

[opusman]

Really interesting report, thanks!

Can you post some photos of the seat / cabin?

 

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Upon arrival at Cucuta, I walked outside, declared it indeed a sorry town, and walked straight back into the airconditioned terminal. It is small but still has a ¨VIP lounge¨. This was tiny, as expected. Note the stretcher thing on the Wall - Colombia is crazy about regulations that demand you have certain safety equipment - even the smallest shop will have a stretcher. And everywhere you look you will see fancy collections of special color-coded bins for rubbish. The fact that everyone just chucks anything into whichever is ok, because the cleaners that empty the bins put it all in together anyway. But being Colombia, somewhere behind the scenes, the son of the family that owns the factory that makes the mandatory gear, is probably married to the daughter of the bloke that writes the legislation requiring same. :O

 

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The food section - just coffee machine (real beans), fridge, and some peanuts. About five minutes after I took this shot they brought out the alcohol - a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black, a bottle of 12yr Colombian rum, and some other bottle I didnt look at. Self-serve with an ice bucket. I was a bit peeved actually that they did that - I love Colombian rum, but have been off the alcohol recently. Would have been rather pleasant to imbibe.

 

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This was a food stall OUTSIDE the lounge - just chucked this photo in to show typical Colombian sweet snack food.

 

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.....Can you post some photos of the seat / cabin?

opusman, I have a bad habit of always striving to get on last, so by the time I am in the cabin it is full of people who I dont want to photograph. But let me at least share the above photo I took of the inflight mag, with the 787´s J offering

 

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Sorry about cough photo quality :/ These are a pair of some sort of Russian helicopter. I think they keep their good American choppers further from the border so the naughty Venezuelans dont steal them.

 

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My ride out of Cucuta - an older A319. Makes A319/320/321 so far today.

 

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The domestic Diamond Lounge that Avianca has in Bogota. I did not expect to get in there - Avianca has three elite tiers of Lifemiles membership - Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Gold is same as *Alliance Gold, but Diamond has a few extra perks, the main one being access to the Diamond lounges, which only exist in Bogota. As I have no status yet, my only lounge entrance justification was because I was on a J ticket. So I went up to the J lounge and the lady at the entrance offered me to go to the Diamond Lounge if I wanted to instead - I accepted. It may have been because it was a busy time of day and the J lounge was pretty full. I don´t know. But in any case the Diamond Lounge, whilst nice, was not amazing.

 

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Again they had whisky and good rum, but poor me stuck to wáter. Am not sure I enjoy travelling as much cold sober :/

Finger food included some salmon wrap things but I went for the basic but nice sándwiches.

Domestic here is like anywhere - the international lounges (both LAN and Avianca) piss all over the domestic ones.

 

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These are a characteristic of airports in Colombia - they have little stalls situated everywhere that sell the basics - chewing gum, chips, and alcohol Colombia has very relaxed alcohol laws - you can walk around the airport drinking beer or spirits or whatever you want. You can in the street also. Anywhere you want to, the only exception that I know of is not on the metro trains. Yet despite this noone ever plays up and makes an idiot of themselves.

 

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I realize with that last photo that if I am going to do trip reports I need something better than a 4 year old iPhone to take the snaps with :/

 

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Flying out of BOG heading homeward in another A319.