Review of LATAM flight San Andrés Bogota in Economy

Airline LATAM
Flight LA4257
Class Economy
Seat --
Aircraft Airbus A319
Flight time 02:05
Take-off 11 Jun 17, 13:55
Arrival at 11 Jun 17, 16:00
LA   #27 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 217 reviews
Chibcha
By SILVER 391
Published on 22nd November 2021

iNTRODUCTION


Hello amigos,

This FR is on one of Colombia's most popular tourist routes: San Andrés to Bogotá, which happens to be the longest domestic route to/from BOG. 


San ANDRÉS airport


Despite being one of Colombia's tourism hotpspots and the recent spur of airport renewals in the last 10 years, ADZ hasn't been upgraded. The terminal building tries to emulate local architecture with a Caribbean vibe. 

The check in hall is big enough and did not feel too crowded (maybe is because of the slow business that time of day though) 



The  second floor has the departure gates, and a few stores and coffee shops to buy some drinks. Nothing awesome and overpriced.


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The open architecture allowed for last views of the island


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FIDS


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The terminal also had a pooch trying to escape the midday heat


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The unused international departures filter. ADZ has seasonal flights to Canada, and CM used to operate flights to PTY. AA plans (?) to fly to MIA too.


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The gate area itself is pretty basic. 


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Contrary to street views, tarmac views are restricted…


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It seems all gates are swing gates so arriving/departing passengers are segregated


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Boarding and en route to bogota


LATAM used to serve Colombia with a mix of old A319 and newer A320s, we were to ride on one of the A319s


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The cabin felt old, but it did the job. Seat pitch was sufficient for the 2h flight


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We taxied to RWY 06 which alllowed to see local fauna.



Takeoff was the highlight of this flight, which allowed for awesome views of the island and its surrounding seas



Without any IFE I spent most of the time checking out LATAMs BOB menu (a novelty at the time) and their magazine



I then bored myself to sleep…which came to an end nearing Bogotá



And so…without much more, our flight took us from the blue and sunny Caribbean into the green and cloudy Andes…


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Verdict

LATAM

4.5/10
Cabin7.5
Cabin crew7.5
Entertainment/wifi3.0
Meal/catering0.0

San Andrés - ADZ

7.8/10
Efficiency10.0
Access5.0
Services6.0
Cleanliness10.0

Bogota - BOG

8.8/10
Efficiency10.0
Access7.5
Services7.5
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

Flying in Colombia is pretty bland, it takes you from point A to point B. LATAM did its job without more.

ADZ could use a makeover. Stores and food options are overpriced and unappealing, despite being in the middle of town, it is hard to reach carrying bags under the scorching sun. So you're left with overpriced taxis.

BOG did its job without more.

Thanks for reading!

Related

4 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 587214 by
    Pilpintu TEAM 997 Comments
    Hola Chibcha! Siempre es un placer leer tus FRs. Qué ruta tan interesante! Centroamérica siempre me ha llamado la agtención. Me encantaría visitar Nicaragua, Hunduras, Guatemala o El Salvador alguna vez. Lástima que el clima caluroso me hace pésimo! Y la situación política es otro problema. Y San Andrés está tan cerquita de Nicaragua. Es súper extraño ver que está más cerca de Nicaragua que de Colombia, pero es territorio colombiano!

    The open architecture allowed for last views of the island

    "Open architecture" means "no air conditioning". Me muerooo... Qué tienen contra el aire acondicionado??? Esos ventiladores en el techo no son suficiente!! XD

    Without any IFE I spent most of the time checking out LATAMs BOB menu

    Bueno, mi mamá lee Vanidades. Me pregunto qué es peor. lol
    Por un lado me alegra que se haya terminado eso de Mercado latam. Era terrible ver a los pobres FAs anunciando "Mercado. Mercado latam. Mercadooo..." Parecía que estaban vendiendo en la calle!! Me daba cosita por ellos.

    from the blue and sunny Caribbean into the green and cloudy Andes

    Ahhh... mi hábitat natural: el frío. Cuando visite Colombia voy a buscar los lugares más altos. jajaj

    Gracias por compartir! :D
    • Comment 587228 by
      Pilpintu TEAM 997 Comments
      *atención
      *Honduras
      Jaja, estaba escribiendo sin mis anteojos
    • Comment 587559 by
      Chibcha SILVER AUTHOR 556 Comments
      Hola!

      Si bien la situación de seguridad en CA no es ideal, entiendo que no deja de ser un destino turístico seguro.
      Sobre por qué el archipiélago de San Andrés y Providencia son parte de Colombia es una larga historia, pero en resumen...es que la Nueva Granada y Colombia llegaban hasta lo que ahora es la costa nicaraguense...

      Si no te gusta el calor, afortunadamente en Colombia tenemos muchos sitios de clima frío para visitar y conocer :)

      Gracias por pasarte y comentar, saludos!!
  • Comment 587458 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6744 Comments
    Hola Chibcha, thanks for sharing this exotic report! Yeah the airport is kind of drab for such a tourist hotspot! The domestic Colombian LATAM experience seems very average otherwise, very similar to my domestic Peruvian flight with them around the same time.

    Thanks for sharing !

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