Air travel isn’t what it used to be. The pandemic has forced airlines around the world to adjust everything from flight schedules to cleaning protocol to inflight service. So what’s it like to fly in Mexico today?
During my most recent press trip to Mexico on assignment for TravelAge West, I flew Aeromexico on multiple flights — both international and domestic — from New York City to Mexico City to Cancun and back. I’d already flown American Airlines between New York City and Cancun, but flying Aeromexico gave me the opportunity to experience air travel on Mexico’s largest airline, on both international and domestic flights. (You can also watch my video of the air travel experience here, or scroll down to the bottom of this post if you’re on the LatinFlyer.com site.)
In general, I can say that flying today isn’t the same as it used to be (that’s no surprise). I can also say that overall, I was impressed by the new protocols adopted by Aeromexico and the airports I’ve visited in Mexico. In some ways, you can expect better service on board compared to other airlines, as well as more extensive safety and health procedures in the airport, which I’d say is a responsible approach and a good thing for both travelers and employees.
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AIR TRAVEL TIPS: What It’s Like to Fly from Cancun Airport During the Pandemic
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One of the many things that I’ve learned during the pandemic is that every airline has a slightly different approach to travel during the pandemic — and airports and nations differ, too. So if you’re planning a Mexico vacation or a business trip around the country, it’s good to know what to expect so you can prepare for the new reality. Here are some of the things that have changed when you fly to and around Mexico today.
Airline Check-In
• For our flight from New York JFK to Mexico City and from Mexico City to Cancun, we were able to check in using a kiosk. For the flight from Mexico City to New York City, the kiosks won’t provide the boarding pass, nor will the airline’s app, so you must go to the check-in counter.
• Aeromexico recently reopened its Salon Premier at Mexico City airport and it’s a beautiful facility, so if you have time and access, be sure to stop by.
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AIRLINE REVIEW: My First International Flight on American Airlines During the Pandemic
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Airport Security & Hygiene
• In my experience, Mexico’s airports have what appears to be a more stringent approach to hygiene and COVID-19 prevention than their counterparts in the United States.
• Whether you’re flying domestic or international, when departing from any airport in Mexico, you must now fill out a health form just before going through airport security. The forms are accessible at the entrance to the security screening area, by scanning a QR code with your cell phone (I assume they must have printed copies available if you don’t have a functioning cell phone).
• If you’ve been in the United States within 14 days of your travel date in Mexico, you can expect to be pulled aside for additional screening before going through security at airports in Mexico (at least that’s what happened to us). A uniformed person who I believe was a paramedic questioned us about whether we’d had any symptoms of COVID-19, and also took our temperature and oxygen reading using a finger clip. At the Cancun airport this additional step was fast and efficient, but before our early-morning departure at the Mexico City airport, we had to wait nearly 20 minutes for the paramedic to show up — so you might want to allow extra time.
• The general security screening process appears to be more thorough now in Mexico. Both Cancun and Mexico City airports, for example, now have full body scanners, so you must remove all items from your pockets (as recently as last year, you didn’t have to) in addition to placing electronics in a separate bin. You can still keep your shoes on, though, and you don’t have to remove your travel-friendly liquid containers, either. At the Mexico City airport on our departure for New York City, almost every single traveler in line was stopped at the security area to have their bags opened and reviewed.
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DON’T MISS: What I’ve Learned While Flying During the Pandemic, and What You Need To Know
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At the Gate & the Boarding Process
• Seating around the Mexico City and Cancun airports now feature stickers that indicate where not to sit, in order to foster social distancing. There are also markers in shops and at the gate for people to space out while standing in line.
• Aeromexico now boards from the back of the plane, starting with the higher-numbered zones that ordinarily would board last (in other words, if you’re in Zone 5, you’ll board before Zone 4). This is designed to promote social distancing, so you won’t have to pass by as many passengers when walking to your seat (if you’re flying business class, don’t worry, you can still get on early). This system makes sense to me, and also helps to prevent passenger traffic jams in the aisle.
Inflight Service
• Before the pandemic, I’d always found that the inflight service was slightly better on Aeromexico than on any U.S. airline flying to Mexico — and that was still true during my recent pandemic-era trip.
• Masks are required of all airline passengers and crew in Mexico. During the four flights I took recently on Aeromexico, it appeared that passengers in Mexico seem to take more precautions when traveling by air than their counterparts in the United States. On all flights I boarded, there was a larger percentage of passengers wearing face shields in addition to masks (on my recent flights on American Airlines, I was nearly always the only passenger with a shield, and my husband made fun of me).
• On every flight, there was a flight attendant at the boarding door offering hand sanitizer. On the longer flights between New York City and Mexico City, every seat had a plastic-wrapped blanket that included a small packet of hand sanitizer.
• I was pleasantly surprised by the inflight service on Aeromexico. As with most airlines around the world, full meal service has been suspended, but Aeromexico did provide a free beverage and snack service on all flights that I took, with choices including bottled water, juice and beer, as well as cookies and crackers. On the Mexico City-New York City flight, they served us twice.
• We flew in Aeromexico business class on one flight — from New York City to Mexico City — and found the seats and legroom especially comfortable, with nice added features like large personal video screens, leg rests and footrests. It’s definitely worth the upgrade to get the priority boarding, extra space and attentive service.
New Arrival Process
• Another very sensible step that Aeromexico takes is the revised deplaning process. Flight attendants now request that all passengers stay seated after the plane lands and even after it’s taxied to the gate. Once the jetway is ready, they then announce who can deplane by row number, starting at the front. Generally, it’s three or four rows of passengers at a time. This too is designed to prevent crowding in the aisles and foster social distancing, and it works. I didn’t notice any major difference in deplaning time with this new system, since in the “old days” it usually just resulted in a lengthy mess of people when everyone used to jump up at the same time and stand in the aisle. The coronavirus pandemic has brought a lot of changes to the airline industry, and some of them might actually be worth keeping, even after the world is closer to our definition of normal.
• Flight attendants handed out U.S. government health forms that inquired about any symptoms passengers might have and what countries they’d been visiting. We were supposed to hand them in during the customs and immigration process, I assume, but when I asked an immigrations officer where to submit it, she asked where I was traveling from and when I said Mexico City she said “you’re good to go” and didn’t even take the form.