When looking online for transportation options to Mexico, you must have come across Aeroméxico flights. This does not surprise me since it’s Mexico’s largest airline, especially after the disappearance of its main competitor, Mexicana de Aviación. Whether you search on Google Flights, Expedia, Kayak, or some other search engine, you will almost always find Aeromexico when looking for flights to Mexico.

As with all things, Aeroméxico has its supporters and critics. Remember everyone may share a different story when referring to something since not all experiences are the same. That’s why I came up with a review for your reference. I will share with you some details about the company and what my experience with them has been like.

 

Airline Overview

Side view of Aeromexico airplane.

Founded: September 1934.

Owner: Eduardo Tricio.

Headquarters: Mexico City.

Number of employees: Around 14,000.

Destinations: 1,150 (including its alliances with other SkyTeam members).

Covered territory: Mexico, United States, Canada, most of Latin America, several countries in Europe, and a few countries in Asia.

Traffic: 21.88 million passengers (2018).

Strategic alliances: Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Air Europa, Air France, Avianca, Copa Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta, EL AL, Gol, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, WestJet.

Fleet used: 787 Dreamliner, B737-800, EMB-190, EMB-170.

Website: https://aeromexico.com

 

 

Travel Fares

Aeroméxico claims to have different fares for everyone. As of 2020, the current fares they manage are:

Basic

  • Best price.
  • Best for light travelers and cost-conscious customers.
  • Non-refundable.
  • No checked baggage, only a 10-kg carry-on.
  • No seat selection.
  • No changes to flight, date, time, or destination.
  • No upgrades allowed.

Classic

  • Carry-on included (10 kg/22 lbs).
  • 1 checked bag (23 kg/50 lbs) included, except the USA and Canada.
  • Refundable for a fee (only domestic flights).
  • Changes allowed for a fee.
  • Standard seat selection included.
  • Upgrade allowed.
  • Accrue Puntos Premier.

Flexible

  • Carry-on included (10 kg/22 lbs).
  • 1 checked bag (23 kg/50 lbs).
  • Changes at no extra cost. Restrictions apply for name changes.
  • Refundable for airline credit.
  • Standard/preferred seat selection included.
  • Upgrade allowed.
  • Accrue Puntos Premier.

AM Plus

Golden dollar sign.
  • Carry-on included (10 kg/22 lbs).
  • 1 checked bag (23 kg/50 lbs) included, except the USA and Canada.
  • Changes allowed for a fee.
  • Same-day changes for a fee.
  • Refundable for a fee (only domestic flights).
  • Priority Service included (check-in, baggage, boarding).
  • Extra legroom.
  • Premium drinks and snacks.
  • 125% Premier Points.

Comfort

  • Carry-on weighing up to 18 kg (39 lbs).
  • 2 checked bags (23 kg/50 lbs each) included.
  • Changes available for a fee.
  • Non-refundable.
  • Service and seat in the premier cabin.
  • Exclusive menu.
  • Priority Service included (check-in, baggage, boarding).
  • Access to Salon Premier (where available).

Premier

  • Carry-on included (10 kg/22 lbs).
  • 2 checked bags included (32 kg/70 lbs each).
  • Complimentary date and time changes on domestic flights.
  • Refundable (with certain restrictions).
  • Service and seat in the premier cabin.
  • Premium hors d’oeuvres, drinks and in-flight menu.
  • Priority Service included (check-in, baggage, boarding).
  • Access to Salon Premier (where available).

Salones Premier

Aeroméxico has lounges in several airports where you can relax and enjoy several amenities such as food, drinks, Wi-Fi, and business centers to work on the go. In addition to that, you can also get extras such as travel insurance, concierge service, or a class upgrade.

  • You can access Aeroméxico lounges if you:
  • Buy a one-day pass.
  • Own a participating credit card such as Priority Pass, American Express Aeroméxico, Santander Aeroméxico, Lounge Key, Diners Club, among others.
  • Own a Salon Premier membership.
  • Travel in the Premier class.

The lounges are located in most major cities. If you’re not sure if you qualify to access them, you can click here for more info.

 

The Good

  • More locations than any other Mexican airline.
  • Several travel fares for all budgets.
  • Several perks available if you own a participating credit card or are a SkyTeam member.
  • You can accrue reward points every time you fly, including SkyTeam flights.
  • Their app is convenient and easy to use.
  • Plenty of legroom even if you’re not traveling in tourist class.
  • A socially responsible company which has earned them several national and international awards.
  • They even accept PayPal!

 

The Bad

  • Web check-in is not available at all locations.
  • They have self-serve kiosks at certain locations but sometimes there isn’t anyone available to assist you if needed.
  • While offering several travel fares can be a good thing, it also causes confusion and can be overwhelming.
  • The service provided by their customer service centers leaves much to be desired.
  • Too much bureaucracy.

 

My Personal Experience

I have flown Aeroméxico several times and everything had been fine up until last year. I was planning to visit Campeche City in southeast Mexico and the only options available were Aeroméxico and Interjet. Aeroméxico had a better price so I picked them. Little did I know what was going to happen. It has been my worst experience with an airline ever.

When I tried to check out on their site, I received a fraud alert from my bank. I had to tell them whether I recognized the transaction or not. The wording of the text was not clear. I replied and I thought that would be it. But no. I still couldn’t check out.

I called Aeroméxico customer service and they told me it looked like my bank was blocking the transaction. So what they did was send me an URL through email. They tried to charge me manually with no success. I had to call my bank and explain the situation to them. They supposedly removed the block and I should have been able to complete the transaction then.

I called Aeroméxico again, but they have so many departments it’s easy to get lost with their menu. They told me the department where they could help me was closed and that I should call the following day. It was around 10 p.m. on a Saturday.

I was so frustrated by this point. I opened my email again and tried to use the URL they had sent me earlier. It went through this time! I immediately received a confirmation email with a reservation code. I thought that was it, but I was mistaken again. When I went to Aeroméxico’s website, I entered the code and it didn’t pull up the flight details. That’s when I knew something was wrong. I was so tired I decided to follow up later.

Cartoon of a frustrated young man with a yellow T-shirt.

Sunday morning came and I called again. I explained my situation to the rep and she told me I shouldn’t have used that URL. We’re supposed to only use it when we’re on the phone with a rep. There was a message at the end of the email they’d sent me, but I missed it. She then asked me whom I had talked to the night before. I didn’t remember it. She told me I could check the email I’d received. They all use a generic email. Reps don’t have personalized email addresses. So I looked through my emails and found the rep’s name. But guess what? She told me that rep didn’t work that day since it was his day off and he was the only person who could help me. Really? How’s it possible nobody else can help with something like this? That’s just plain stupid.

I had to wait one more day. On Monday morning, I called again. I explained my situation for the millionth time. The rep I talked to this time said he didn’t know anyone by the name I gave him and that he must work at another call center. It looks like Aeroméxico has more than one. So he transferred me over to the call center in Mexico City. This time I was told that that person did work there, but he wasn’t in yet. I was told to call later in the afternoon.

I called again after work. I was finally able to talk to the rep I’d talked to a couple of days earlier. I explained the situation to him and he said we’d have to request a reimbursement and start from the beginning if I still wanted to buy the tickets. So we went ahead and requested the reimbursement. It would take 10-30 business days. He asked me if I wanted to buy the tickets and I said no. I would wait for the reimbursement process to end and then I would see.

If I remember correctly, it took them 12 business days to reimburse me. As I mentioned earlier, my only 2 options were Aeroméxico and Interjet. I went online and quoted flights again and Aeroméxico was still cheaper than Interjet. At this point, I was doubting whether I should try again or choose Interjet even if I had to pay more.

I decided to give it another try. But this time I used a different credit card. I didn’t have any problems this time! I was able to check out and receive my confirmation email along with my itinerary and everything. Whew!

 

Final Verdict

Being Mexico’s largest airline, Aeroméxico travels to many more destinations than its national competitors. Their strategic alliances allow them to provide more options to their customers along with some perks if they’re SkyTeam members or credit cardholders.

In general, their prices are higher, but the good thing is they have options for all travelers. You can travel as frugally or as luxuriously as you want. I think the Classic fare is enough for me, but you might prefer something else.

The one thing I didn’t like was their high level of bureaucracy and absurd policies like the one I mentioned above. I admit I made a mistake by using the URL I was supposed to use only when on the phone with a rep. But at the same time, the system shouldn’t allow you to process a payment in this case. Be careful with that. If you mess up like me, the reimbursement process is a pain in the neck.

Their customer service department leaves a lot to be desired. I had to spend hours on the phone and talk to several reps before someone could solve my problem. They transferred me over and over again I don’t know how many times. It was very frustrating. If I had to give them a score based on their customer service alone, I would give them a 5/10. Overall, I give them an 8/10.

We always think when we pay more, we will get more or better service. That’s not always true. My worst experience flying has been with Aeroméxico, not even Interjet or VivaAerobus which are cheaper.

Do I recommend Aeroméxico? Yes, as long as you don’t have to request a reimbursement.

Have you flown with them? What has it been like? Let me know in the comments below. See you soon!

Book your trip now!

Book your flight

The first thing you have to do is find cheap flights. But where do you find those? There are many search engines, but the one I highly recommend is Skyscanner. Here you can compare fares from all over the world and pick the one that suits you best.

Book your accommodation

The next thing you have to do is secure your lodging. Whether you prefer a hostel, a guesthouse, a B&B, or a hotel, you can find them all on Booking. You can find lodging of all kinds ranging from cheap to expensive and somewhere in between. Many people have scored good deals using it.

Another popular option is Hostelworld. This website focuses on hostels as opposed to hotels.

Book a tour

In some places, you might want to hire a tour. Not all places are equally accessible to visit by oneself. It helps enormously when you visit with a local guide who can show you around and answer any questions you might have…all in your native language. My to-go place is Viator as they offer tours of all kinds and have a presence all over the world.

Rent a car

Public transportation is usually cheaper than renting a car, but it’s sometimes more complicated and time-consuming. That’s a reality. In some cases, it’s more convenient to rent a car. My recommendation is Rentalcars.com. Here you can compare rates and choose the one that fits you best.

Book your bus tickets

You can save money by booking bus tickets online. My favorite site to do this is Busbud.

Get travel insurance

Never travel without a travel insurance policy, especially these days! Travel insurance can save your life. My recommendations are World Nomads and Insured Nomads. Both companies cover COVID-19 related incidents, which is crucial these days.

More resources

Just click on the “Plan your trip” tab at the top of this page, and you will find more resources like getting Mexican insurance for your foreign car, buying travel accessories, and learning Spanish. And, of course, don’t forget to check back often to read more tips on Mexico travel.

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6 Replies to “Aeroméxico Flights – A Review”

  1. Wow, what a crazy story. And that for Mexico’s largest airline… Maybe that’s exactly the problem though. They are too big. It’s easier for holes to go unnoticed in a big wall than it is for them to go unnoticed in a small wall. Or maybe you just got unlucky. Seems like something which really could have happened with any airline really.

    1. Hi, Faheem,

      Yes, it was crazy and frustrating. I think there’s too much bureaucracy and policies that need to be changed. How’s it possible that only the person who attended to you in the first place is the only one who can cancel a transaction? I’d never heard that before.

      I might’ve been unlucky like you said. But so far, my worst experience has been with them.

      Thanks for commenting.

  2. After this pandemic, I am going to Mexico for sure! I heard of Aeromexico before and was wondering if I should fly with them. Omg, I cannot believe that their website is not secure and someone hacked your account! If that was me I would have been frustrated! How can that be possible that they cannot fix it through their end? If you called the bank and the bank said yes it should go through. 12 days to reimburse is not ok in my book. Hmm, this make me think twice about Aeromexico, I guess we will have to see. I will definitely keep your experience in mind. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Hi, Nuttanee,

      Well, it’s not that their website is not secure. I’ve had this happen to me with other sites even though they have the https protocol. I guess it was because of the amount. We were 3 people traveling. 

      The thing is the text wording from my bank was not clear. On top of that, Aeromexico’s absurd policies don’t help much in this regard. If a mistake is made and you need to cancel a transaction, any rep should be able to help you. Imagine having to wait for 2 or 3 days to talk to the rep who helped you originally. That’s just unacceptable.

      In all fairness, I’ve traveled with them several times and they all have gone smoothly. I guess I was just unlucky this time, but they do need to change some policies for sure.

      Thanks for commenting.

  3. I have always driven into Mexico from Southern California or entered from a cruise ship.  My wife and I are thinking of taking a trip, once things are back to normal around the world, to visit some of the ancient sites in Mexico.  I think we would be flying into Mexico City from San Francisco.  I like the huge variety in flight costs.  You are right. It could be confusing as we go to plan.  We would probably pick the lower end of the high end packages.  I have always wondered about traveling by AeroMexico.  Now that our trip will become a reality, I will do a bit more research and consider that airlines.  Thanks for your article.

    1. Hi, Anastazja,

      That’s so cool! What places in Mexico have you visited? I’m curious.

      None of us can wait for this to be over. I think the tourism industry will have a huge boost once we’re able to travel again.

      The good thing about Mexico City is there are many inbound/outbound flights, so prices are more competitive. Regarding Aeromexico, they have several fares and they can be confusing. 

      Whether you flight Aeromexico or some other airline, make sure what’s included. Check their baggage policies since there are usually restrictions for flights coming from the U.S. and Canada.

      Feel free to check out my other articles for more info and tips on Mexico. Thanks for commenting.

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