Domestic flights travel guide: Book a flight in Colombia

Here’s all the practical information you need to take a domestic flight in Colombia, find out about the various Colombian airlines, their baggage policies, the cities they serve and the best way to book a plane ticket.

The Colombian airline network is made up of major national airlines serving the country’s main airports, and regional airlines specializing in more rural destinations.

It’s worth noting that some Colombian regions are inaccessible by road, and air travel enables local populations to be supplied efficiently. The Amazon and the Choco, for example, come to mind.

Colombia’s major cities are well connected. All airlines in the country offer connections to the capital Bogotá and the country’s main cities.

Book a domestic flight in Colombia

Compare domestic flight fares

The easiest way to book a domestic flight to Colombia is to visit the websites of the airlines operating in the country.

Is it necessary to book well in advance?

The rules in this area are not written in stone. In fact, as with international flights, airfares for domestic flights in Colombia vary over time.

Experience has shown, however, that the closer you get to the date, the higher the fares.

We’d therefore advise you to make your reservation as far in advance as possible, even if it’s perfectly possible to do so at the last minute once you’re in the country, but the risk is that you’ll run out of attractive prices.

Is it expensive to fly to Colombia?

While a few years ago domestic flights prices were low, this is no longer the case since inflation has hit the world since 2022.

If you compare air fares with bus fares in Colombia, the difference is often enormous. However, some flights will be competitive over very long distances by bus.

Delays and cancellations

In Colombia, domestic flights are frequently delayed or cancelled. This is usually due to bad weather.

When there’s heavy rain, runways are sometimes impassable. This is especially true of remote destinations and small airports. But it often happens in big cities too, including Bogotá!

IMPORTANT: We advise you against taking a domestic flight on the day of your return flight home! If there’s ever a delay or cancellation, you’ll lose your return flight, and that’s something you don’t want to happen…

Colombian airlines

Domestic flights in Colombia

Below is a list of airlines operating domestic flights in Colombia. We have compiled the following information for each Colombian airline: cities served, baggage allowance, aircraft types, website

Avianca

Tel: 57 (03) 401 3434
Website: avianca.com

Avianca is Colombia’s national airline, the equivalent of our own Air France. It is a reputed airline which, for example, operates in partnership with Iberia on international flights to Colombia. Avianca offers the most extensive national network in Colombia. Website in Spanish and English.

Baggage authorized by Avianca

• In cabin (included): one personal bag
• In cabin (included): max 10 kg and 55x35x25cm
• In hold (included): max 24kg and 158cm linear (addition of LWH)

Colombian cities served by Avianca

Latam

Tel: 57 (031) 745 2020
Website: latam.com

Latam is the largest Chilean airline in Latin America, having acquired LAN (Colombian airline), and is a good alternative to Avianca.

Latam baggage allowance

• In cabin (included): one personal bag
• In cabin (included): max 8 kg and 55x35x25cm
• Checked baggage (included or payable according to ticket): max 23kg and 158cm linear (L x W x H)

Colombian cities served by Latam

Wingo

Tel: 57 (031) 307 8133
Website: wingo.com

To a lesser extent, Wingo is an option to look at for very specific routes, as this low-cost airline only covers major Colombian cities, and not in all directions. In fact, Wingo specializes in international flights to countries close to Colombia (Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, etc.)

Viva Air baggage allowance

The airline accepts one piece of cabin baggage and one piece of hold baggage included in the price of the ticket, but with size and weight restrictions.

• Cabin (included): max 6 kg and 40x35x25cm
• Hold baggage (included): max 10 kg and 55x45x25
• Paying option : Possibility of up to 3 hold baggage items for a total weight of 20 kg

Colombian cities served by Viva Air

• Bogota
• Cartagena
• Cali
• San Andres

Satena

Tel (Whatsapp): 57 (323) 322 0006
Website : satena.com

Satena is a Colombian state-owned airline, offering flights within the regions and serving the most remote areas of the country. These flights provide easy access to less accessible and less touristy regions.

Luggage allowed by Satena

Luggage is included in the ticket price. Please note, however, that planes are small, so baggage allowance is correspondingly lower. For any excess weight, there will be a charge per extra kilo.

• Cabin (included): max 5 kg and 43x34x20cm
• Hold baggage (included): max 15 kg and 25x40x61cm

Colombian cities served by Satena

Clicair

Tel (Whatsapp): 57 (313) 870 5659
Mail: form
Website: clicair.co

Created in 1999, Clicair is an interesting company, as it serves smaller cities in Colombia. It uses mainly medium-sized propeller planes.

Clicair baggage allowance

Luggage is included in the ticket price. Please note, however, that since our aircraft are small, the baggage allowance is correspondingly low. Any excess weight will cost you $5.600 per extra kilo.

• Cabin (included): max 5 kg and 35x15x20cm
• In hold (included): max 15 kg and 25x40x61cm

Colombian cities served by Clicair

Moderate air travel

Find alternatives to domestic flights

As you know and hear more and more, our planet is in a bad, bad way. And our actions as citizens of this planet have an impact on its future, and air travel is the most polluting means of transport… which makes us think about how we travel more responsibly.

Reduce your carbon footprint

We encourage you to take the bus as much as possible to reduce your carbon footprint, which is already well undermined by your international flight to Colombia. That’s why it’s so important to think carefully about your itinerary, to avoid having to take a domestic flight as much as possible. A well-thought-out itinerary, with stops at reasonable distances.not only avoids unnecessary air travel, but also allows you to make the most of the country.

Thinking differently about your itinerary

For example, before you decide to fly from Cartagena to Medellín, consider whether it might be worth taking the bus, with stopovers to discover places like Rincon del Mar, Lorica or Necocli. By planning your itinerary in stages and traveling by bus, you can take advantage of less touristy corners and another way of discovering Colombia’s riches.

However, we know from our own experience that it’s sometimes difficult not to fly to remote destinations, so here’s some information on your options when it comes to domestic flights in Colombia.

Tips to pay your flights tickets online

Book a domestic flight in Colombia

We’ve experienced it ourselves, so here’ s a tip that’s worked for us every time.

When you make a reservation for a domestic flight in Colombia, you come across the Colombian airline websites. This is particularly the case for Avianca, where it’s better to buy your ticket on the Colombian site rather than the international one. The same applies to the websites of regional airlines such as Satena or San German Express.

The problem, and this is what happened to us, is that these Colombian sites have regional restrictions, and when you try to pay from abroad, the payment is refused. Our solution is simple, and in any case it works for us: all we have to do is connect to Colombia via our VPN, and payment is accepted!

A VPN is a small piece of software that you install on your computer to bypass regional restrictions and “pretend” you’re in a particular country. This solution offers many advantages, not only for preparing a trip, but also for securing your browsing. And it’s a great way to book your planetickets in advance! Not all VPNs are created equal, and you need one that offers servers in Colombia. We give you all our advice in our post on VPNs.