Our flight with Aeromexico was compensated in exchange for an article about the experience. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
We get asked surprisingly often about our experiences flying with regional airlines around the world. I’m not sure why, but a lot of people assume that just because it’s not one of the big names we’re familiar with in the United States, specifically Delta, American, United, or Southwestern, then it might not be up to the standard that one would expect.
Recently when we flew from Puerto Vallarta to Cancun, many fellow travelers in Mexico asked us what company we flew with, and how we would rate our experience.
Well, today we’re going to clear up the ‘mystery’ of flying with Aeromexico.
Like most things we do, we originally chose to pursue flying with Aeromexico because one of our local friends told us ‘it is the obvious choice’. Most of the Mexicans we talked to consider Aeromexico to be the largest and best airline in the country. And if it’s good enough for the locals, it’s good enough for us too.
We did consider taking buses from Puerto Vallarta to Cancun, but ultimately we chose to fly for three reasons: First, we just didn’t have the time needed to cover that kind of distance on land. In case you didn’t know, Mexico is HUGE. Second, though Mexico is much safer than the media makes it seem, some areas remain dangerous. We didn’t have time to put in the adequate research and check out bus routes throughout the entire country. And finally, flying with Aeromexico was less expensive than taking the bus would have been. The decision was easy!
Most of the flights in Mexico are based out of Mexico City; before you fly anywhere, you have to connect in Mexico City first. Flying coast to coast, the capital city was the perfect halfway point for us anyway.
The Company
Photo from Flygstolen via Flickr
Aeromexico is an extremely professional company; though Casey doesn’t particularly enjoy flying (and by this I mean she grabs my hand about a hundred times during any flight), even she was able to give our experience a thumbs-up.
Aeromexico operates out of Terminal 2 of Mexico City. This terminal has been rated the most modern in Latin America. The hub offers check-in self-service kiosks, VIP lounges and new boarding readers.
The airline itself is probably much larger than you realize. Aeromexico offers flights to 17 destinations in the US, 11 destinations in Latin America, 3 destinations in Europe, 1 destination in Canada, and 2 destinations in Asia! Of course, that’s all on top of the 47 destinations Aeromexico already flies to within Mexico.
Not only does Aeromexico fly around the world, they transport a lot of people in the process. The company operates over 600 daily flights; in 2013, Aeromexico transported 15.5 million passengers.
Aeromexico operates three new Boeing 787 Dreamliners, considered to be some of the best airplanes of the 21st century.
The SkyTeam
Photo from Carlos Ever via Flickr
One of the most important things for us when we fly is making sure that we can get frequent flier miles. We’ve already shared how we save thousands of dollars on airfare every year, but here’s a bit of a reminder—it’s all about getting frequent flier miles.
Aeromexico is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance between 20 airlines (including our preferred airline of choice, Delta). SkyTeam is awesome because it allows passengers to earn and redeem miles through the different airline loyalty programs and then redeem frequent flyer miles for an award ticket on any SkyTeam-operated flight worldwide. We always try to rack up as many Delta miles as possible, so the fact that Aeromexido and Delta are part of an alliance is fantastic.
On Sustainability
We always make an effort to promote companies that are taking efforts to promote environmental and cultural sustainability. Unfortunately we all know that flying leaves a pretty large carbon footprint. However, Aeromexico is taking some great steps to make flying a bit more ‘green’.
Since April 2011, Aeromexico has been a member of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group. The organization’s top priority is to find ways to speed up the development, certification and commercial use of sustainable fuels that support the advancement and the sustainability of the aviation sector. Aeromexico is also a biofuel pioneer. In 2013, Aeromexico achieved a Socially Responsible Company award for the third year in a row. It was also named the ‘best airline in Mexico’ for the fourth year running, according to a Global Traveler magazine survey.
The Review
It’s great to know more about the airlines that we are choosing to fly with, but in the end it primarily comes down to user experience. So what was it actually like flying with Aeromexico?
Honestly, it was your standard, quick-and-easy flight. Each leg of our flight was less than two hours, so it wasn’t actually all that long that we were on the plane. We were given snacks and beverages. The flight was smooth. We were comfortable. Legroom seemed about standard. The plane was everything you would expect in a domestic flight.
However, it is worth noting that the service was absolutely exceptional. Normally everyone who works at an airline looks miserable. If you’re not flying first class, then noone really feels the need to put on a smile. This wasn’t the case with Aeromexico though. Check-in was fast and easy. We checked our bags without any difficulty, smiled, and headed through security. The flight attendants had just the right amount of cheer. But most importantly, the gate attendants were paying attention to our itinerary.
On our return flight from Cancun, our flight from Cancun to Mexico City was delayed by about 20 minutes. Normally, not a big deal. But because we already had an extremely close layover in Mexico City, this put us at risk of missing our second leg of the journey. However, the gate attendants immediately took action when they realized that this minor delay could complicate our flight. They called us over the intercom and explained the situation. After promising that there was one flight later that evening should we miss the connection, they told us they would do everything within their power to make sure we were on that flight. They moved our seats to the front of the plane. They informed our connecting flight to wait as long as possible for us. They expedited us out of the plane once we landed in Mexico City. And luckily, we did make our flight without any problems whatsoever. That kind of attention to detail doesn’t happen often. But when it does, it is greatly appreciated.
If you’re flying within Mexico, Aeromexico is the obvious choice of airline. We wouldn’t hesitate to use or recommend them.
