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Post by bickmed on Jun 25, 2016 9:17:11 GMT -5
In the past, I used to fly to Panama reasonably frequently and the ticket prices were always outrageous, around 500 usd, down to 350 or 400 if I got lucky. I am going again soon, after about 6 years away, and my ticket with Copair from Medellin to Panama was 433,530 pesos or about 144 USD.
What a difference a bit of competition makes. By the way, for the dates I need to fly, that was about the same price as Viva, and that did not include all of vivas extra charge!!
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Post by livinginmedellin on Jun 25, 2016 9:43:05 GMT -5
Yes thanks to VivaColombia the prices of airline tickets to/in Colombia have dropped. Domestic flights used to be more expensive in Colombia than they are now. I have flown VivaColombia a few times but prefer Avianca for domestic and Avianca and JetBlue for international.
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Post by papitohead on Jun 25, 2016 9:46:31 GMT -5
Are there any Jetblue direct fly from Medellin to NYC or do you have to fly to Bogota to do so.
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Post by livinginmedellin on Jun 25, 2016 10:00:49 GMT -5
Are there any Jetblue direct fly from Medellin to NYC or do you have to fly to Bogota to do so. Nope. Only non-stop from NYC to Medellín is on Avianca from JFK - I flew this earlier this year for about $680 round trip Medellín-JFK-Medellín buying well in advance. On JetBlue you'll have to connect in Ft. Lauderdale. JetBlue only flies non-stop to Medellín from Ft. Lauderdale. JetBlue only flies non-stop to Bogotá from Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, so no reason to go to Bogotá.
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Post by gallito on Jun 25, 2016 11:10:13 GMT -5
I flew Vivo on 8 segments during their earlier days;it was a shyte show right up to boarding.Crappy website,confusing at best and don't forget to un -check the boxes and book everything online.If I had to use them again I would consider using a travel agent.Good prices if you don't mind routing - MDE. Thank God there are other alternatives!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2016 19:45:02 GMT -5
They are the ones that really pushed down prices within Colombia and now within Latin America. No probs if somebody prefers to pay a couple of hundreds more in the same Airbus airplane..
If you don´t want to run for a seat, just pay the 10EUR additionally.
Happy somebody took the risk, congratulations to Vivacolombia!
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Post by papitohead on Jun 25, 2016 20:51:17 GMT -5
Well, sounds good anyway. From Medellin to Fort Lauderdale to Kennedy then to Hancock in Syracuse then 40 minutes drive to my daughter's. I can do that at least once a year.
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Post by bickmed on Jun 26, 2016 2:36:50 GMT -5
Don't get me wrong Gallito - I rarely fly them, and would not if given other reasonable alternatives, but their introduction into the market place has had a fantastic impact on prices, and for that I am very grateful.
We flew Viva the last time in May (Avianca was way way more expensive for the flights we took) - it really pays to fork out the 5,000 pesos for the priority checkin - that saved a lot of time and hassle, as the lines can get stupidly long.
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Post by elexpatriado on Jun 26, 2016 7:25:24 GMT -5
Last I heard, you could only take 6 kg luggage with Viva, no travel agents handled them, you cant book online with foreign credit cards, and you have to go to the airport you are flying from to book or reserve a flight.
I guess for cheap Colombians with a lot of time on their hands to go to the airport afew weeks ahead it is worth it too save 50 mil pesos. Maybe this does bring down the costs from the competitors. Can anyone fill me in on something I am missing here?
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Post by tubes on Jun 26, 2016 7:44:30 GMT -5
I always fly VivaColombia with just a rucksack - which has never been weighed. That way I am straight off the plane and out of the airport. I don't understand why people pay the extra for a 'priority check-in'. Sure, you get on the plane first but then you just sit there while everybody else gets on. I am quite happy to sit in the entry lounge and drink a coffee while I wait for the crowds to fight their way on.
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Post by bickmed on Jun 26, 2016 8:53:39 GMT -5
You can take as many KG's as you want, you have to pay for it - 25,000 pesos per 20 kg - there is no free limit in checked baggage.
The 6 kg is the free limit to take on board.
You can book online, you can pay online, you can pay over the phone with a C/C or a travel agent. There have been issues with foreigners using a C/C from outside Colombia.
If you do not pay for your extras ie luggage online then you will pay about double at checkin. Same if you don't print your boarding pas, you will be stung a boarding pass fee of 25,000 pesos.
As for cheap Colombians, or anyone else, when the price between a Viva Colombia flight last minute was 100,000 compared to 370,000 for Avianca, it is pretty easy to see why perhaps they would consider flying with Viva (although generally, booking ahead, you can get Avianca for a similar price and no one in their right mind would choose Viva over Avianca then)..
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Post by elexpatriado on Jun 26, 2016 11:04:40 GMT -5
You can take as many KG's as you want, you have to pay for it - 25,000 pesos per 20 kg - there is no free limit in checked baggage. The 6 kg is the free limit to take on board. You can book online, you can pay online, you can pay over the phone with a C/C or a travel agent. There have been issues with foreigners using a C/C from outside Colombia. If you do not pay for your extras ie luggage online then you will pay about double at checkin. Same if you don't print your boarding pas, you will be stung a boarding pass fee of 25,000 pesos. As for cheap Colombians, or anyone else, when the price between a Viva Colombia flight last minute was 100,000 compared to 370,000 for Avianca, it is pretty easy to see why perhaps they would consider flying with Viva (although generally, booking ahead, you can get Avianca for a similar price and no one in their right mind would choose Viva over Avianca then).. The foreign credit card issue is a game stopper for me. I have never seen Viva advertised on Expedia, Despegar or any other site when I do a search for cheapest flights.I have also never seen a travel agency that handles them. I fly out of Pereira because flights out of Manizales are limited . I dont even think Viva has an office in the Manizales airport, and dont know if they would let me book flights out of Pereira. I also take lots of luggage because I am usually going some where to do a lot of activities, for a reasonable amount of time. I doubt Viva is practical for me, but good thing they reduce the fares of the other airlines. I did fly them once about 3 or 4 years ago. Seemed as good as anyone else.
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Post by gallito on Jun 26, 2016 11:44:55 GMT -5
Last I heard, you could only take 6 kg luggage with Viva, no travel agents handled them, you cant book online with foreign credit cards, and you have to go to the airport you are flying from to book or reserve a flight. I guess for cheap Colombians with a lot of time on their hands to go to the airport afew weeks ahead it is worth it too save 50 mil pesos. Maybe this does bring down the costs from the competitors. Can anyone fill me in on something I am missing here? elex,you can book flights with your travel agent,I was offered the service by mine.Take the time to visit their website and expand your knowledge. www.vivacolombia.co/en-co/travelagencyIf you're looking for deep discounts you need to start looking a month or two in avance.
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Post by gallito on Jun 26, 2016 12:07:27 GMT -5
Don't get me wrong Gallito - I rarely fly them, and would not if given other reasonable alternatives, but their introduction into the market place has had a fantastic impact on prices, and for that I am very grateful. We flew Viva the last time in May (Avianca was way way more expensive for the flights we took) - it really pays to fork out the 5,000 pesos for the priority checkin - that saved a lot of time and hassle, as the lines can get stupidly long. Bicks,yes you need to approach their service with baited breath;it's also a Medi based carrier and routing though there - BOG is a hassle.Rotation problems can arise especially earlier on when they had a small stable of jets;take one out of rotation and flights start to back up...connecting madness comes to mind.Customer service is an oxymoron,newbies make booking mistakes ex overcharges,changing tickets and nasty customer reps. .You need to weigh the pros with the cons,deals are out there and loyalty programs like Lan offer good perks.
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Post by bickmed on Jun 27, 2016 1:00:06 GMT -5
yes, agree. For their ticket change policy, I was pleasantly surprised - I stupidly purchased a Cartagena to Bogota instead of to Medellin; to change was easy online, and I just had to pay a small change fee as the flight changes for that one were similar. I was shocked it could be done with Viva!!
Still not going to fly them if there is another alternative with similar prices - you are dead right about the backlog that occurs if a jet breaks down; happened to us the first time we flew and it was a nightmare.
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Post by livinginmedellin on Jun 27, 2016 6:00:43 GMT -5
You can take as many KG's as you want, you have to pay for it - 25,000 pesos per 20 kg - there is no free limit in checked baggage. The 6 kg is the free limit to take on board. You can book online, you can pay online, you can pay over the phone with a C/C or a travel agent. There have been issues with foreigners using a C/C from outside Colombia. If you do not pay for your extras ie luggage online then you will pay about double at checkin. Same if you don't print your boarding pas, you will be stung a boarding pass fee of 25,000 pesos. As for cheap Colombians, or anyone else, when the price between a Viva Colombia flight last minute was 100,000 compared to 370,000 for Avianca, it is pretty easy to see why perhaps they would consider flying with Viva (although generally, booking ahead, you can get Avianca for a similar price and no one in their right mind would choose Viva over Avianca then).. The foreign credit card issue is a game stopper for me. I have never seen Viva advertised on Expedia, Despegar or any other site when I do a search for cheapest flights.I have also never seen a travel agency that handles them. I fly out of Pereira because flights out of Manizales are limited . I dont even think Viva has an office in the Manizales airport, and dont know if they would let me book flights out of Pereira. I also take lots of luggage because I am usually going some where to do a lot of activities, for a reasonable amount of time. I doubt Viva is practical for me, but good thing they reduce the fares of the other airlines. I did fly them once about 3 or 4 years ago. Seemed as good as anyone else. Yes, VivaColombia can have problems with foreign credit cards. I was able to use mine but I have heard many foreigners have had problems. But you can easily pay with cash at Exito, Carulla, Surtimax or Baloto. When booking online on VivaColombia you can chose the cash option and it will provide a reference number (recommend printing this) and take it to Exito, Carulla, Surtimax or Baloto and pay in cash and keep the receipt you will need this to get your boarding pass at the airport. But if you book far enough in advance, prices on Avianca can be similar to VivaColombia and Avianca doesn't have all the extra charges for baggage. Make sure to book domestic flights in Colombia with your location selected on Avianca's website as Colombia and pay in pesos to get about 50% cheaper prices than if booking with your location chosen as the US and paying in USD.
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Post by elexpatriado on Jun 27, 2016 9:15:22 GMT -5
The foreign credit card issue is a game stopper for me. I have never seen Viva advertised on Expedia, Despegar or any other site when I do a search for cheapest flights.I have also never seen a travel agency that handles them. I fly out of Pereira because flights out of Manizales are limited . I dont even think Viva has an office in the Manizales airport, and dont know if they would let me book flights out of Pereira. I also take lots of luggage because I am usually going some where to do a lot of activities, for a reasonable amount of time. I doubt Viva is practical for me, but good thing they reduce the fares of the other airlines. I did fly them once about 3 or 4 years ago. Seemed as good as anyone else. Yes, VivaColombia can have problems with foreign credit cards. I was able to use mine but I have heard many foreigners have had problems. But you can easily pay with cash at Exito, Carulla, Surtimax or Baloto. When booking online on VivaColombia you can chose the cash option and it will provide a reference number (recommend printing this) and take it to Exito, Carulla, Surtimax or Baloto and pay in cash and keep the receipt you will need this to get your boarding pass at the airport. But if you book far enough in advance, prices on Avianca can be similar to VivaColombia and Avianca doesn't have all the extra charges for baggage. Make sure to book domestic flights in Colombia with your location selected on Avianca's website as Colombia and pay in pesos to get about 50% cheaper prices than if booking with your location chosen as the US and paying in USD. Thanks. Can you pay the extra baggage fee in this manner too? I will give it a try on my next internal Colombia flights. I always book in advance, If its only a 50 K difference, Ill go with Avianca, Copa or LAN
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Post by bickmed on Jun 27, 2016 9:30:41 GMT -5
You should elect the luggage option when you book on line, otherwise you will pay double at check in - there is an option to select. You can add more, and make changes up to 48 hrs before travel.
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