Air Travel in Mexico

Mexico has a well-developed and extensive network of airports and airline companies.

With nearly two million square kilometers of territory, flying across Mexico is sometimes a better alternative to ground transport, as it can take many hours -- or days -- to travel the long distances by car or bus.

Blog Articles: Transportation in Mexico

• Domestic Flights in Mexico
• Airports in Mexico
• Internal Point-to-Points Flights in Mexico
• Low Cost Airlines in Mexico
• Planning Your Flights in Mexico
• Flying Times in Mexico
• Airlines Serving Mexico

Domestic Flights in Mexico

The two main national airlines in Mexico are Aeromexico and Mexicana. Until recently, they were both owned by a government company which was created to rescue them following a financial crisis in 1995.

In 2006, the government put the two airlines back up for sale. Following a tendering process, Mexicana was purchased by Grupo Posadas, a hotel and leisure group and, about a year later in 2007, Aeromexico was acquired by a consortium which includes Citibank.

Mexico's airline industry is being de-regulated and this is causing the market to become more competitive, both domestically (internal flights) and the opening of additional international gateways into Mexico from the USA.

Mexico has an extensive network of airports. Mexico City has, for many years, been the "hub" for airline travel in Mexico, although in recent years, new point-to-point routes between popular cities have been diminishing the capital city airport's role as travel hub and negating the need for passengers to fly from a destination to Mexico City and then out to the final second destination as was necessary in years past.

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Airports in Mexico

Mexico is well served by dozens of airports. Important cities in major tourist locations and industrial centers have large, modern, airports, many of which offer international connections, and there are also many smaller airports; some of the smallest ones do not cater for commercial flights although they do provide facilities for small private craft and charter flights.

Facilities Offered at Mexican Airports

Main airports in Mexico are modern and offer a wide range of amenities and facilities for travelers, on-par with airports in other major cities around the world.

Stores, Bars and Restaurants

As with most airports around the world, you will find a selection of stores, bars and restaurants offering food and refreshment while you wait. Bigger airports also include international franchises like Starbucks coffee shops and those with international flights offer a Duty Free store as well.

WiFi Internet Access

Most commercial airports across Mexico offer internet over WiFi via Telmex's "Prodigy" internet service. If you are not a Prodigy client, you can buy airtime on the day using a credit card. Also see Communications in Mexico.

Car Rental Agencies

Bigger airports have car rental agencies on site to receive customers who have pre-booked as well as for passers-by to rent cars on the day. Note that car rental is more expensive in Mexico than the USA (and about on-par with Europe); you will get better rates by booking in advance online. See the Mexperience Travel Center for Car Rental in Mexico.

ATMs and Money Exchange

All major airports offer ATM services, where you can withdraw money using debit and credit cards; Money Exchange kiosks are also available. In Mexico City, you will get excellent exchange rates for currency at the airport kiosks; in other cities, particularly big tourist cities, the rates may be better in town. Also see: Money in Mexico and the Mexico Insight Blog: A Fair Exchange for more details.

Authorized Taxis

All of Mexico's principal airports have an "authorized taxi" stand. Taxis from airports are the most expensive in Mexico; although this is also true of taxis from airports world-wide. To get a taxi from the airport, follow the signs to the ticket kiosk (Taxi Autorizado), purchase your ticket and proceed to the taxi rank, where an official will 'assign' you a taxi from the waiting cars.

Bus Station at Mexico City's Airport

Mexico City's airport has a bus station adjacent. You can take a bus from Mexico City's airport direct to some colonial cities including Cuernavaca, Puebla and Queretaro. Buses also depart from here to the airport in the city of Toluca, from where many of the low-cost flights operate. For a wider choice of destinations, you will need to travel from the airport to one of Mexico City's four bus stations. See Traveling by Bus in Mexico for more details.

Executive Lounges

Mexico's major airports offer executive airline waiting lounges. All of the major airlines have lounges installed at Mexico City's airport; some offer lounges in other key cities across Mexico. Check with your preferred airline to see if a lounge is available at the airport in Mexico you are traveling to and from.

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Internal Point-to-Point Flights in Mexico

Point-to-point travel is not always possible on the main commercial airlines: you have to fly back to Mexico City and then out to the provinces again to get to your desired destination.

With the advent of market de-regulation, point-to-point flights are increasing rapidly, providing better access to Mexico's smaller airports without having to fly via the capital.

Toluca Airport, just outside the capital and within a 45-60 minute drive of the city center, is becoming an important hub for low-cost carriers. For passenger's convenience, the low-cost airlines provide comfortable buses between Toluca Airport from Benito Juarez Airport (Mexico City's main airport) as well as other strategic points around the capital city: check their web site for details.

A recently-signed 'open skies' type agreement between the USA and Mexico has created the possibility of low-cost carriers operating more point-to-point routes from the USA to popular tourist destinations and important business locations in Mexico. These routes will help to continue de-centralizing Mexico City as the 'hub' for flights in Mexico and make air travel more efficient.

Mexico City's airport authority has an extensive plan to continue decentralizing flights in/out of Mexico City by making significant investments in strategic regional airports within a couple of hour's drive of the capital.

Toluca airport is already handing many more flights than it did a couple of years ago airports in the cities of Queretaro, Puebla and Cuernavaca will also have major investment upgrades in the coming years which will add more choice, more routes, better value as well as reduce air-traffic congestion in Mexico City's already congested skies.

Tip: Although traveling through Mexico City airport to get to your final destination can be time-consuming, the airport is modern and has all the amenities you would expect; a stay-over may be alleviated with food and drink stops, craft and curio shops as well as duty-free items (if you are heading home). Flight transfers are efficient and there is no need to leave the airport if you don't want to.

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Low Cost Airlines in Mexico

Low cost airlines began to appear in earnest around 2005. Before their advent, domestic flight prices in Mexico were quite high -- often prohibitively high -- and this is one of the factors which sparked the development of Mexico's very professional national bus network.

As elsewhere around the world, low-cost airlines in Mexico offer no-frills, affordable air travel to the mass travel market. Low cost carriers primarily offer point-to-point travel inside Mexico.  Their services are already giving travelers access to more of Mexico by making it affordable to fly domestically between cities which were previously only served by national airlines at heavily inflated prices.

As a result of the low-cost carriers, the bigger airlines and particularly Mexican and Aeromexico have lowered fares on popular routes which are served by at least one low-cost carrier. However, fares on routes not served by the low-cost players, to often smaller or less popular towns and cities, continue to be quite expensive.

One of the side-benefits of a more competitive domestic flight market in Mexico (open skies agreement, low-cost airlines, etc) is that destinations and regions in Mexico which have much to offer visitors but which were hitherto difficult to get to because of high travel costs are becoming more accessible to Mexican and international visitors alike. This, in turn, is creating new investment in communities which were regarded as 'off the beaten track'.

In recent time, high fuel prices have called into question the viability of some low-cost carriers and industry commentators are saying that consolidation and closure of some airline companies is a near-certainty. If this is the case, Mexico's era of 'low-cost' flights may be short-lived. In any event, the open skies agreement and the presence of competition on major (popular) routes should help to avoid the high prices for flights which were commonplace when Mexicana and Aeromexico had a near-monopoly on domestic flights in Mexico.

Connect to the Mexperience Travel Center to find a list of Low Cost Airlines in Mexico and links to their web sites.

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Planning Your Flights in Mexico

Mexicana and Aeromexico continue to have an extensive network of offices and ticket sales counters in most towns and all cities in Mexico. However, the best prices are now only available online, by purchasing through the airline's web sites.

Low-Cost carriers have offices and ticket counters at the airports they serve, but all ticket sales are made on line or by telephone. Purchasing the tickets in person at the airport may incur an additional service fee.

To get the best prices, shop online and plan ahead using these three tips:

First - Check to see if the journey you want to take may be covered by a local point-to-point low-cost carrier, within Mexico or from the USA. We publish and update a list of low-cost airlines in Mexico on our Mexico Flights page.

You may also enquire locally about small independent airline operators (e.g. small charters). These are independent companies that fill up a flight or two a day between main regional towns and cities otherwise not served by the main airlines on a point-to-point basis. For example, there are small prop-planes that fly between Oaxaca City and the Pacific resort of Huatulco. However, the companies which run these services tend to come and go depending on the local business environment and season, so we don't list them and their schedules are not available through major booking systems. You must enquire locally about them if you are interested in this option.

Mexicana and Aeromexico, the two main airlines, also operate small regional flights, and the schedules for these are usually coded in to their main systems, so you can find them using their web site's online reservation systems. These services are limited and prices may be higher than you expect. Compare prices with point-to-point alternative low cost carriers.

Second - Consider renting a car and drive the regional leg of your journey; you can find extensive advice about renting a car and driving in Mexico. Mexico is a big country and driving can take longer than you may expect -- so if you choose this option, ensure you build-in plenty of time.

Third - You may want to take a bus instead. Mexico's national bus network is a world away from, for example, the USA's Greyhound and the UK's National Express bus services. On many routes, you can ride a luxury bus with just 24 seats on board: much like business class on an airline. Some companies and routes even have a crew on board serving light snacks and soft drinks. See the guide to Traveling by Bus in Mexico for full details.

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Flying Times in Mexico

Approximate Flying Times from Mexico City to:

• Acapulco - 50 Minutes
• Aguascalientes - 45 Minutes
• Cancun - 90 Minutes
• Chihuahua City - 75 Minutes
• Guadalajara - 60 Minutes
• Huatulco - 75 Minutes
• La Paz - 90 Minutes
• Los Cabos - 90 Minutes
• Los Mochis (for Copper Canyon) - 75 Minutes
• Merida - 90 Minutes
• Monterrey - 75 Minutes
• Morelia - 45 Minutes
• Oaxaca - 60 Minutes
• Puerto Vallarta - 70 Minutes
• Veracruz - 45 Minutes

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Airlines Serving Mexico

In addition to Mexico's two national airlines (Mexican and Aeromexico) Mexico is well-served by international airlines from the USA, Canada, Europe and Japan. Flights from most Australasian countries require a connection in Europe or the USA for onward flights to Mexico.

Also See: Getting to Mexico

You can find a list of Mexican and International Airlines, including low-cost carriers, on the Mexperience Travel Center: Airlines in Mexico.

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