In a nutshell: my return flight in Aeromexico economy class wasn’t supposed to happen. But it did, and I had to make the most of it. Turns out the product isn’t all that bad, I just paid a pretty penny for it.
Oh, what a return trip. My plans to travel home in Aeromexico business class were disrupted by a ticketing issue that resulted in me missing my flight. I’m still not 100% sure how or where things went wrong between Aeromexico and Chase Travel. But after enjoying Merida for a few days, I flat out missed my return flight. Whoops.
This was because I was ticketed for the Wednesday flight. The confirmation from Chase Travel clearly said Thursday. I don’t really know how it happened, but it did. My first indicator that something was amiss was receiving a “flight canceled” email. It was then that I finally noticed the date.
I’m not even sure I’m going to try to contact Chase Travel to sort this out. After a cumulative four hours on the phone to book both this trip and a flight to visit Mexico City, I’m tapped out. Apathy has set in. Chase can win this round. I’m so over booking through their travel portal.
In any case, I was left to my own devices to get home.
Booking my Flight Back to the U.S.
With so little time to plan, prices were simply what they were. So, over 40,000 Ultimate Rewards points later, I found myself booked in Aeromexico economy class with two stops instead of my original itinerary. I’d have to transit both Mexico City and Guadalajara. Fun.
A return ticket was about $120 more, so I booked an open-jaw to Tuxtla Guitierrez. Worst case, I’ll eat 10,000 Ultimate Rewards. I figured it was worth it. I may regret it. I’ve already burned through way more points than I intended to, so this is just trying to make a little lemonade out of the lemons.
For those with the CSR or CSP who can use Pay Yourself Back, don’t fall for the trap of booking through Chase Travel. Adding in a travel agency just complicates everything. Try to book direct whenever you can.
Departing Merida was a bit of a pain. There were multiple passport checks, a medical attestation check, and a negative COVID-19 test check. You have to go through the rigmarole at every airport for every flight, sometimes multiple times. By the time I arrived in Guadalajara for my final Aeromexico economy flight back to the U.S., I was over all the COVID-19 travel requirements. But you have to bear with them if you head out of the country.
Arriving In Guadalajara…On The Same Plane
One hysterical fact of the trip is that I traveled on the same exact aircraft for all three segments of my trip. This would have made Boeing 737-800 XA-AMN my most flown aircraft, except that a future flight to Mexico City the following month would allow XA-JOY. Go figure. I’ve flown just seven Aeromexico segments on just 3 aircraft.
I did appreciate Guadalajara Airport upon arrival. It’s far nicer than Mexico City Terminal 2. I might see if I can connect here instead on any future trips with Aeromexico.
As has been the case with basically every flight with Mexico’s flag carrier, boarding started late. But it was a little more on time for my flight back to the U.S. You did have to line up well ahead of time, and there was lots of document checking yet again.
From the number of people waiting, I could tell it was going to be a rather full flight. Travel may not be back completely, but there seems to be plenty of demand to/from Mexico from the flights I’ve experienced.
Aeromexico Economy Class: Honestly Not Bad
It was sad to walk past the first four rows where I should have been sitting on this return trip. I’d been assigned seat 9C, which was pretty incredible, all things considered. Booking less than 24 hours ahead of time, I figured I’d end up in a middle seat near the back. An aisle near the front of the plane was a pleasant surprise.
The seats in Aeromexico economy class have reasonable pitch. They aren’t quite as cramped as a budget carrier like Viva Aerobus. I was traveling with both a duffel and a backpack, so the backpack ended up under the seat.
You have to wear a face covering during the entire flight except when eating or drinking, which has been typical during COVID-era travel. The FAs were super lax with passengers during meal service, but otherwise they were definitely on you if you didn’t keep it on. Aeromexico has a programmed announcement that plays when “meal service has concluded.”
Aeromexico economy class does offer in-flight entertainment, and even WiFi (although I did not check prices). I re-watched Tenet during the flight, a movie that I absolutely love. I am a fan of pretty much every Nolan film I’ve watched, and this one might top the list. The movie does have a “goof” though, that I caught this time around. When the main characters are supposed to be at Oslo Airport, the footage is of a rather familiar large U.S. airport. I’ll let you figure it out.
On the (sorta) long flight back to the U.S., you’re also given a meal box. As far as economy class meals go, it ranked near the bottom. The box contained a ham-and-chees croissant and a package of cookies. It’s enough to tide you over, if you can stomach the croissant. I was not a fan, and I’m usually pretty forgiving of airplane food. The upside is that Aeromexico offers a “real” bar service for the most part in economy, including complimentary beer and a few spirit options. This was unexpected on a flight this short.
Although I did have a nice aisle seat and not much to complain about in Aeromexico economy class, I did notice that the FAs did not ever offer a second drink service. On a 4-hour flight, that seems like an oversight. The cabin also stayed quite warm for the whole flight.
Flying Aeromexico Economy: Final Thoughts
I didn’t have a bad experience flying Aeromexico economy class, but it doesn’t exactly shine. The seats are comfortable and the IFE nice, but the food fell quite flat on this flight. Still, it’s economy, and I was happy to get home. I’d definitely consider the carrier again if the price is right. But that was definitely not the case this trip, and it stung to pay so much for what I got .
