BoA Adds Flights To Second Destination In Spain: Barcelona

Intro

A couple of months ago, we had learnt about how to of the three BoA A330s had been grounded for some reason that was unknown to the public. At the time, flights to Miami were replaced with a Boeing 737, but Madrid was still kept around.

Well, it seems that not only are the A330s back, but they are thriving for the summer season...

The Details

Starting August 17th, BoA has added twice weekly flights from Santa Cruz (VVI) to Barcelona utilizing an ex-Virgin Atlantic A330-200. The flights will run twice weekly until September 12th, with the Eastbound departing on Sundays and Fridays, and the Westbound departing on Mondays and Saturdays. The schedule is as follows:

OB774: Santa Cruz-Barcelona departing at 18:30 and arriving at 11:40 (+1 day)

OB775: Barcelona-Santa Cruz departing at 14:10 and arriving at 19:50

1 of the 3 BoA A330-200s getting ready for a Madrid departure

This will also mark the longest flight in BoA's network, spanning over 5800 miles with a Westbound block time of 11 hours and 40 minutes.

A Couple Of Thoughts

All of the economics and yields away, this is a really cool route addition. To be able to go from Bolivia (one of my favorite places) to a beach in Barcelona directly is quite superb.

Personal aspects aside, this route makes sense during the summer. I have talked with plenty of friends in Bolivia who tell me that it can get cold during the winter, and people often flock to Europe if they have enough money to vacation there. With a spare aircraft available due to Miami demand being lower than usual, what better way to use the A330?

In terms of pricing, tickets are about 830 one-way, with return coming out to almost double that. Business class is about 1.5x higher, representing good value to the lie-flat seat, and with it being such a long flight.

Lastly, it's interesting to see that on days where there are no direct flights, BoA is selling a connection on Iberia through Madrid. Perhaps there is something more there? I'm not sure, but if anyone has any ideas would love to know!

Final Thoughts

BoA, the flag carrier of Bolivia, is launching its second transatlantic flight this summer from Santa Cruz to Barcelona twice weekly. While it's for no more than a few weeks, this is an exciting development for the airline, and I would love to see how the yields pan out during the peak summer season.