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Nonstop flights to Cancun for as low as $189 from 9 U.S. cities

Michaela Barrett
Articles
Michaela Barrett is a news intern with TPG for the summer of 2022 and a rising senior at Wake Forest University. She's lived in three countries and loves traveling, but will always call Cape Town home.
Aug. 11, 2022
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6 min read
Drone View of the Beach in Costa Mujeres Mexico
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It's been a while since we've seen such great prices for direct flights from this many departure airports.

Cancun is one of the top beach retreats in Mexico, and these deals make it even hotter.

Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines all have nonstop flights from New York City, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Denver and Chicago starting at $189 round trip.

While you'll have to book within the next three days to get these rates, you'll be happy to find that you can escape to Mexico during the winter months affordably from many of these departure points.

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Deal basics

Airlines: Southwest, United Airlines, American Airlines.
Routes: New York, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Denver and Chicago to Cancun, Mexico.
How to book: Search Google Flights to find the best rates, and then book directly through the airline.
Travel dates: August 2022 to February 2023, depending on your departure airport.
Book by: One to three days.

Related: After more than 25 years, Marriott calls it quits on The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun

Sample flights

There are many options available at these great prices for the next few days. Between Southwest, United and American Airlines there are nine departure airports with nonstop flights available for travel into the new year. Whether you want to get away to Mexico with what's left of your summer or escape the winter months for some warmer weather, you've got options to get to Cancun International Airport (CUN).

On American Airlines:

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On United Airlines:

On Southwest:

The Southwest booking platform is very user-friendly, so you can book directly through the website instead of searching Google Flights for the cheapest dates.

Related: 7 things to know before booking a stay at Marriott's Planet Hollywood Cancun

For example, when searching through prices for this article on the FLL route, we chose Nov. 1 for departure and Nov. 9 for return. These two dates had the lowest combination of rates — getting us the $227 price point listed above. You can also click through the months to see prices over different times.

(Screenshot from southwest.com)

Southwest includes two checked bags and no change fees, regardless of class. So when you book its Wanna Get Away fare, the main thing you're losing out on is the option to get a refund if you cancel (though you'll be compensated in the form of a flight credit).

Booking on American Airlines' website is a little less user-friendly. While you can view rates for a week before and after your selected dates, you can't scan over months at a time. However, it gives you the round-trip rate upfront, whereas Southwest's calendar breaks the prices down for each way. So if you're not great at fast math, you may prefer American Airlines' site.

(Screenshot from aa.com)

We rounded up the rates for the most basic fare on each airline. With the Basic Economy American Airlines rate, you won't be allowed changes, you'll board last and you'll have pay to choose your seat and check bags. If you pay $80 more for the Main cabin fare, you won't be charged any change fees and you can select your seat free of charge.

(Screenshot from aa.com)

United Airlines' website has a pretty good system too, as you can search a low fare calendar by selecting "Flexible Dates" when you choose your airports.

(Screenshot from united.com)

This website combines features from American Airlines' site and Southwest's site, and lists round-trip prices on the fare calendar based on the length of the stay that you stipulate. So you don't have to start out on Google Flights for flights on United either.

United only allows a personal item on board if you are traveling in Basic Economy, with no carry-on permitted. To check a bag you'll pay $30 if you prepay or $35 if you pay at the airport.

Maximize your purchase

Don’t forget to use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express which earns 5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. The Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees) and Chase Sapphire Reserve earn 3 points per dollar on airfare, while the American Express® Gold Card earns 3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel. Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 2 points per dollar on travel. Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.

Read more: Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card review

Bottom line

All in all, this is a fantastic deal that has us itching to get on an airplane and soar away to the great beaches of Mexico.

The availability of nonstop flights from this many airports for as low as $189 is definitely something to get excited about, in our opinion.

Start searching, because while this deal is for travel until February 2023, the rates will only last up to three more days.

Featured photo by Roberto Machado Noa/Getty Images.

Featured image by Getty Images
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.