Mexico's full-service and regional airlines Aeromexico, Mexicana, Aviacsa, Aeromar, and Aeromexico Connect have good safety records and offer reliable service.

Mexican Full-Service Airlines

Mexico has three full-service airlines: Aeromexico, Mexicana, and Aviacsa. On all three, free drinks and meals depending on flight length can still be taken for granted. Most flights have business and economy (coach) sections. All frequently have special offers and cheap airfares mostly available through their websites.

Mexican airlines use mostly a hub and spoke system with Mexico City Airport (MEX) by far the most important destination for domestic and international flights. Other hubs are at Guadalajara (GDL), Monterrey (MTY), and Cancun (CUN).

Aeroméxico (AM)

Aeromexico is Mexico’s largest airline with an extensive domestic and international network. It is the only Mexican airline with flights to Europe and Asia. As part of the Sky Team Alliance, it offers a wide range of code-share flights worldwide.

• Aeromexico is the only Latin American airline with flights to Asia. Its flight from Mexico City (MEX) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) with refueling stop in Tijuana (TIJ) is the only non-stop flight from Latin America to Asia and very popular as no USA or Canadian visas are required. Similar flights via Tijuana to Shanghai and Seoul are planned from mid-2008.

Aeromexico operates only Boeing aircraft (including McDonald Douglas). Airfleets estimate the average age of Aeromexico’s fleet at 8.8 years.

Mexicana de Aviación (MX)

Mexicana has been flying since 1921 and is thus one of the oldest airlines in the business. It has a strong presence on the American continent with services to Canada, the USA, Central and South America. Flights to Asia (Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Bangkok) are planned for 2009/2010. Mexicana code shares with several airlines including American Airlines and Lufthansa but currently is not a member of any major airline alliance.

• Click Mexicana is a low-cost airline belonging to Mexicana and used as major feeder airline to bring passengers from smaller cities to Mexicana’s hubs.

Mexicana operates mostly Airbus aircraft with the average age of the fleet 9.4 years according to Airfleets.

Aviacsa (6A)

Aviacsa has been flying since 1990 and although it often styles itself as a low-cost airline, its business model still have more in common with full-service airlines. Aviacsa’s prices are generally lower than Aeromexico and Mexicana but it still offers free food and drink as well as guaranteed connection flights through its hubs. Aviacsa’s international destinations include Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Miami.

• Aviacsa offers its best deals and cheapest tickets for bookings made on Tuesdays (flights may be on any day) and at the end of each month when unsold flights for the coming weeks are sold at discount prices

Aviacsa uses mostly older Boeing 737 planes. Airfleets estimate the average age of the fleet is 23.8 years but this should decline with newer planes on order.

Mexican Regional Airlines

Mexico has two major regional airlines: Aeromar and Aeromexico Connect. Both style themselves as executive airlines and although their main focus is business travelers, prices do fall on slow-selling flights. Both Aeromar and Aeromexico Connect use smaller aircraft and mostly connect smaller cities throughout Mexico with major hub airports such as Mexico City (MEX), Guadalajara (GDL), and Monterrey (MTY).

Aeroméxico Connect (5D/AM)

Formerly Aerolitoral, Aeromexico Connect belongs to Aeromexico and flights are fully integrated with Aeromexico’s domestic and international schedules. Reservations are made through Aeromexico’s website or any other major online reservation site or travel agents.

• Aeromexico Connect has flights to US cities Austin, Detroit (from mid-2008), Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Tucson,

Aeromexico Connect uses Embraer ERJ-145 and 190 jet aircraft.

Aeromar (VW)

Aeromar is an independent carrier but codeshares with Aeromexico on international connections. Aeromar’s only international flight is San Antonio to San Luis Potosí.

At Mexico Airport (MEX) Aeromar uses its own section at the new Terminal 2 building and claims luggage delivery in an astonishingly fast seven minutes.

• Aeromar has an excellent on-time record – it claims 99.4% on-time arrivals for November 2007.

Aeromar uses ATR42 turbo-prop planes.

• Mexican full-service and regional airlines have responded to the boom in low-cost airlines that have been flying in Mexico since 2005. Prices are adapted more closely to demand and to competition on routes making it sensible to first check on internet reservation sites what is available on these traditional airlines before comparing prices on the individual websites of Mexican low-cost airlines.