LATAM vs Avianca 2026: South America's Two Giants Compared

LATAM Airlines and Avianca are the two largest full-service carriers in South America, and for travelers flying between the US and Latin America, they are often the two most relevant options after the US majors. LATAM is based in Santiago, Chile, operates 371 aircraft across 160-plus destinations, and posted $1.5 billion in net income for 2025. Avianca is based in Bogota, Colombia, operates approximately 160 aircraft across 83 destinations, and is in the middle of an $800 million transformation that is reshaping its fleet, cabins, and technology.

The choice between them comes down to alliances and routes. LATAM left oneworld in 2020 and now partners primarily with Delta through a joint venture covering US and Canada to South America. If you earn Delta SkyMiles or fly Delta domestically, LATAM is the natural extension into South America. Avianca is a Star Alliance member with a joint business agreement with United and Copa Airlines. If you earn United MileagePlus or want lounge access across 25-plus Star Alliance airlines, Avianca is the better fit.

On the product itself, LATAM is investing more aggressively in premium cabins, with $360 million going into new lie-flat business suites on 787 Dreamliners. Avianca counters with broader US gateway coverage (14-plus airports) through its Bogota hub and a carry-on policy that is more generous on basic fares. Both airlines are financially healthy, operationally reliable, and improving fast. The right choice depends on where you are flying, which alliance you belong to, and whether your route favors Santiago/Lima or Bogota as a connecting hub.

What We Looked For

• Alliance membership and partner access, the single biggest differentiator for frequent flyers
• US gateway coverage, which airline connects more American cities to South America
• Business class product, lie-flat consistency and cabin investment
• Carry-on and baggage rules, where basic fare restrictions diverge
• On-time performance, both airlines among Latin America’s best
• Route network breadth, hub strategy and geographic reach
• Loyalty programs, LATAM Pass versus LifeMiles for award travelers

Bags and Fees Head-to-Head

Carry-on. Both airlines use identical carry-on sizer dimensions: 55x35x25 cm (21.6x13.7x9.8 inches). The difference is in basic fare inclusion. Avianca’s Basic fare includes a carry-on on domestic Americas routes as of early 2026. LATAM’s Basic fare does not include a carry-on at all, restricting you to a personal item (35x25x20 cm) unless you pay to add one up to 6 hours before departure. Avianca’s personal item sizer (45x35x20 cm) is also significantly larger than LATAM’s (35x25x20 cm).

LATAM’s weight limit is 8 kg for carry-on in economy. Avianca allows 10 kg. In premium cabins, LATAM raises the limit to 16 kg, well above Avianca’s 10 kg economy cap.

Checked bags. Both airlines include one free checked bag on mid-tier fares: LATAM Standard and above, Avianca Classic and above. Both cap at 23 kg (approximately 50 lbs) in economy and 32 kg (70 lbs) in business class. On basic fares, Avianca charges $25 for the first checked bag. LATAM uses dynamic pricing that varies by route, making exact comparison difficult, but prepaying 48-plus hours in advance saves up to 40 percent.

Winner for basic fare carry-on: Avianca. Included on domestic Americas Basic versus excluded on LATAM Basic. Winner for personal item size: Avianca. 45x35x20 cm versus 35x25x20 cm. Winner for premium cabin weight: LATAM. 16 kg versus 10 kg.

Winner: basic fare carry-on

Avianca / included on domestic Basic vs excluded

Winner: personal item size

Avianca / 45x35 cm vs 35x25 cm

Winner: premium cabin weight

LATAM / 16 kg vs 10 kg

Winner: mid-tier checked bag

Tie / both include 1 bag at 23 kg

Seats and Comfort

Economy. LATAM offers 31 to 32 inches of seat pitch on its 787 Dreamliners and 777s, dropping to 28 to 29 inches on A321 narrowbodies. Avianca offers 30 to 31 inches on A320s, which handle the bulk of its domestic and regional network. On widebody international routes, both airlines are competitive. On narrowbody flights, Avianca’s A320 pitch edges LATAM’s A321 by 1 to 2 inches.

Premium economy. LATAM offers a dedicated Premium Economy cabin on 777-300ERs at 35 inches of pitch and on A321s at 32 inches. Avianca’s Economy Plus section on A320s offers 34 to 36 inches. LATAM’s 777 Premium Economy is the better product, with a distinct cabin and enhanced service. Avianca’s Economy Plus is more of an extra-legroom zone within the main cabin.

Business class. LATAM is investing $360 million in new premium business suites across its 787 fleet. By end of 2026, 24 of 37 Dreamliners will feature the new suites with lie-flat beds in a 1-2-1 layout. On 777-300ERs, LATAM’s existing business class offers lie-flat seats at 45 inches of pitch and 21-inch width. Avianca’s 787-8 fleet has a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout with lie-flat beds at 75.6-inch pitch (192 cm) and 20.9-inch width. However, some Avianca 787s inherited from Norwegian have a 2-3-2 recliner configuration that is not lie-flat. On domestic and regional routes, Avianca is expanding its Business Class Americanas product to all 47 domestic routes in Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala as of January 2026.

LATAM is also ordering A321XLRs for delivery starting 2027, which will feature Thompson VantageSOLO lie-flat seats in a 1-1 layout with individual doors, making LATAM the first Latin American carrier to offer lie-flat on narrowbody jets.

Wi-Fi. LATAM has 250-plus narrowbodies already Wi-Fi equipped and is investing $60 million to add Viasat connectivity to 60-plus widebody aircraft in 2026 for long-haul routes. Avianca launched Avianca On Air Wi-Fi on 10 aircraft in late 2025, with full narrowbody rollout planned for 2026 and widebody by 2027. Both are in early stages of fleet-wide deployment.

Entertainment. LATAM Play offers 300-plus films and 1,000-plus TV episodes, with Disney+, HBO Max, and Paramount+ partnerships. Avianca offers 300-plus movies and series, with HBO Max and Formula 1 TV content.

Winner: widebody economy pitch

Tie / 31-32 in on both

Winner: narrowbody economy pitch

Avianca / 30-31 in (A320) vs 28-29 in (A321)

Winner: premium economy

LATAM / dedicated cabin on 777 at 35 in

Winner: business class investment

LATAM / $360M new suites, A321XLR lie-flat coming

Winner: business class on domestic

Avianca / Business Americanas on 47+ domestic routes

On-Time Performance

Both airlines are among the most punctual in Latin America, but direct comparison is complicated by different data sources. LATAM posted 82.40 percent on-time arrivals in 2025 according to OAG, ranking 7th globally. Avianca achieved 85.73 percent on-time in 2023 according to Cirium, which was the highest in the world that year. Avianca won Cirium’s on-time award for four consecutive months in 2023.

More recent Avianca data for full-year 2025 is not publicly available at the same granularity. What is clear: both airlines operate reliably in the low-to-mid 80s percentage range, well above the Latin American average. LATAM’s 99.74 percent schedule completion rate in 2025 (nearly every scheduled flight actually operated) is a strong signal of operational stability.

For practical purposes, this is a tie. Both airlines get you where you are going on time more than four out of five flights.

Winner: on-time performance

Tie / LATAM 82.4% (OAG 2025), Avianca 85.7% (Cirium 2023)

Winner: schedule completion

LATAM / 99.74% in 2025

Route Network

LATAM is the larger airline by every measure: 371 aircraft (growing to 410 by end of 2026), 160-plus destinations in 28 countries, and 87.4 million passengers carried in 2025. Hubs in Santiago (SCL), Sao Paulo (GRU), and Lima (LIM) cover South America’s three most important markets. Secondary operations in Bogota, Quito, Guayaquil, and Asuncion extend the reach. LATAM operates 20 routes to the US, with Miami as the primary gateway. Domestic operations span Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Avianca operates approximately 160 aircraft serving 83 destinations in 27 countries. The Bogota hub (BOG) is the airline’s center of gravity, with San Salvador (SAL) as a secondary hub for Central America. Avianca’s US coverage is broader relative to its size: 14-plus US airports including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Ontario, Orlando, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington. Summer 2026 adds 42 additional weekly US flights versus July 2025, including new San Francisco-Guatemala City service.

The geographic distinction matters. LATAM dominates the southern cone: Chile, Brazil, Peru, Argentina. Avianca dominates Colombia and Central America: Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica. If your travel centers on Buenos Aires, Santiago, or Sao Paulo, LATAM is the primary carrier. If your travel centers on Bogota, Medellin, or Central American capitals, Avianca is the primary carrier.

For US connectivity specifically, Avianca serves more US airports (14-plus versus LATAM’s 20 routes from fewer gateways concentrated on Miami). Avianca’s Bogota hub also has shorter average flying times to the eastern US than LATAM’s Santiago or Lima hubs.

Winner: total destinations

LATAM / 160+ vs 83

Winner: US airport coverage

Avianca / 14+ US airports, Bogota hub closer to East Coast

Winner: South America breadth

LATAM / Brazil, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador

Winner: Central America coverage

Avianca / San Salvador hub, Guatemala, Costa Rica

Loyalty: LATAM Pass vs LifeMiles

These programs differ fundamentally because of their alliance affiliations.

LATAM Pass earns 6 qualifying points per dollar spent on LATAM flights (excluding taxes and fees). Four elite tiers (Gold, Platinum, Black, Black Signature) unlock benefits like free checked bags, cabin upgrade segments, priority check-in, and LATAM lounge access. The program’s primary partnership is with Delta SkyMiles, offering reciprocal earning and redemption. LATAM Pass points never expire. The 2026 change: the 50 percent bonus qualifying points for Premium Economy, Business, and Full fares is no longer automatic and must be selected as a LATAM Pass Bonus benefit starting at 23,500 qualifying points.

Avianca LifeMiles is a Star Alliance program with four elite tiers: Red Plus, Silver (Star Alliance Silver), Gold (Star Alliance Gold), and Diamond. Gold status unlocks lounge access with a guest across 1,000-plus Star Alliance lounges worldwide and 75 percent bonus miles. New for 2026: Silver, Gold, and Diamond members receive 2, 4, and 8 domestic cabin upgrades per year respectively. LifeMiles earned $77 million in third-party cash EBITDA in Q3 2025 alone, reflecting the program’s value as a standalone business. Transfer partners include Amex Membership Rewards.

Winner for alliance access: LifeMiles. Star Alliance Gold gives lounge access on United, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, ANA, Air Canada, and 20-plus others. Winner for US domestic connectivity: LATAM Pass. Delta reciprocal earning means your South America flights build toward Delta status. Winner for award flexibility: LifeMiles. 25-plus partner airlines versus LATAM’s smaller partner network.

Winner: alliance lounge access

Avianca / Star Alliance Gold = 1,000+ lounges

Winner: US airline partnership

LATAM / Delta JV with reciprocal earning

Winner: award redemption partners

Avianca / 25+ Star Alliance airlines

Winner: points expiration

LATAM / LATAM Pass points never expire

Who Should Pick LATAM

• You fly Delta domestically and want a smooth joint venture extension into South America
• You are traveling to or within Chile, Brazil, Peru, or Argentina, where LATAM dominates
• You want the new premium business suites on 787 Dreamliners with lie-flat beds
• You want Premium Economy as a distinct cabin on the 777 at 35 inches of pitch
• You value schedule completion, LATAM’s 99.74 percent rate in 2025 is exceptional
• You prefer LATAM Pass points that never expire
• You are connecting through Santiago, Lima, or Sao Paulo, the three largest South American hubs

Who Should Pick Avianca

• You earn United MileagePlus or want Star Alliance status benefits across 25-plus airlines
• You are traveling to or within Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, or Costa Rica
• You want the most US airport options, Avianca serves 14-plus US gateways through Bogota
• You are on a Basic fare and want carry-on bags included without paying extra
• You want Star Alliance Gold lounge access on 1,000-plus lounges worldwide
• You are connecting through Bogota, which has shorter flight times to the US East Coast than Santiago or Lima
• You want domestic business class within Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala on 47-plus routes

The Bottom Line

LATAM is the larger, more profitable airline with a bigger fleet, more destinations, and a heavier investment in premium cabins. The Delta joint venture makes it the default choice for SkyMiles members heading to South America, and the $360 million business class suite upgrade is producing a product that competes with any full-service carrier in the region. If your travel centers on the southern cone, LATAM’s hub network in Santiago, Sao Paulo, and Lima is unmatched.

Avianca is the better choice for Star Alliance loyalists and travelers focused on Colombia, Central America, and US East Coast connectivity. The Bogota hub is geographically closer to most US cities than LATAM’s hubs, Avianca serves more US airports, and Star Alliance Gold status unlocks lounge access across a network that LATAM cannot match since leaving oneworld. The $800 million transformation is real: new cabins, fleet-wide Wi-Fi in progress, and business class expanding to all domestic routes.

Both airlines are financially healthy and operationally reliable. The decision is not about which airline is better. It is about which alliance ecosystem you belong to and which corner of Latin America you are flying to. Delta loyalists should fly LATAM. United loyalists should fly Avianca. If you are not loyal to either, pick whichever hub is closer to your destination and compare fares.