In response to market demand, several airlines have announced
increased service to Mexico and others are sweetening the pot with
frequent-flyer-miles promotions.
ATA in June increased the number of flights from seven to 13
with the addition of round-trip flights six days a week between
Chicago-Midway International Airport and Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Customers can connect to Guadalajara through Chicago from Seattle
and several other Eastern cities. (www.ata.com)
Also in June, Continental Airlines launched non-stop daily
service from Houston to Toluca, which is about an hour outside
Mexico City and will appeal to business travelers in particular.
Continental also recently added non-stop daily service to Monclova,
Puebla and Oaxaca, and service to Durango in north-central Mexico
is also scheduled to begin in July, pending government
approval.
Continental has partnered with Aeromexico for reciprocal
redemption and accruing of miles, as well as use of Continental’s
Presidents Club and Aeromexico’s Salon Premier lounges.
(www.continentalairlines.com)
United Airlines in June began a new Saturday service to Cancun
from Denver International Airport, the airline’s hub. The airline
also plans to begin service in December to Cozumel, San Jose del
Cabo, Puerto Vallarta and Ixtapa from Denver, San Francisco,
Chicago and Los Angeles, pending government approval.
(www.united.com)
And AmericaWest also in June began offering non-stop service
from Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta and Los Angeles to Mazatlan.
(www.americawest.com)
Frontier is launching a new non-stop flight to Cancun from Salt
Lake City and Kansas City, Mo., this month. And Frontier has
already announced plans for expanded service during the winter
season: In November, service from Denver to Los Cabos International
Airport will increase from three times weekly to daily. The three
Denver-to-Mazatlan flights per week will increase to four, with
daily service over the Christmas and Spring Break holidays. And the
Denver-Puerto Vallarta service will increase from three times per
week to five, also with daily service over the holidays.
(www.flyfrontier.com)
Funjet Vacations has also announced it will offer year-round
non-stop service twice weekly between Cancun and Austin, Texas.
Previously the service was seasonal. (www.funjet.com)
American Airlines Vacation is offering a 10,000-mile AAdvantage
mile bonus for the booking of a Mexico vacation of five nights or
more at select hotels and resorts in Cancun or the Riviera Maya,
Cozumel, Ixtapa, Los Cabos or Puerto Vallarta. The offer is
available for American Airlines Vacations booked through July 31
for travel through Dec. 15. (www.aavacations.com/miles)
