Aeromexico announced on Monday that it will add daily service between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Cancun International Airport (CUN) starting Dec. 19.
This new flight complements Aeromexico's existing service from Miami, where it offers five daily flights to Mexico City. It also represents Aeromexico's fourth route from Florida, joining existing routes from Orlando and Tampa to Mexico City.
The new flight takes off from Miami at 7:55 a.m. and arrives in Cancun at 9:55 a.m., all times local. The return service departs at 11:10 a.m. and arrives at 1:05 p.m. Aeromexico will deploy a 166-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8 that is outfitted with 16 business-class recliners, 18 extra-legroom seats and 132 standard economy seats.
This new route will be operated in conjunction with Delta Air Lines, as part of the joint cooperation agreement between the two carriers.
Over the years, Delta and Aeromexico have participated in a joint venture on flights between the U.S. and Mexico. Delta also holds an equity stake in the Mexico City-based carrier that it has increased over time.
The joint venture hit a big snag earlier this year when the U.S. Department of Transportation ruled that the tie-up must end.
That said, the carriers have pledged to fight the DOT ruling that is scheduled to take effect by the end of October.
In total, the Delta-Aeromexico partnership serves more than 65 routes between the U.S. and Mexico, with over 180 daily flights between the two countries.
This expansion from Aeromexico continues a recent shift in strategy from business- to leisure-focused routes. Historically, Aeromexico almost exclusively served the U.S. from Mexico City, but in recent months, the carrier has launched new leisure routes, such as Manzanillo, Mexico, to Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Of all the leisure markets that Aeromexico could expand to, service from Miami to Cancun is hardly surprising as a top candidate. American Airlines currently has a monopoly on this nonstop route, Cirium schedules show. (Frontier Airlines recently pulled out of this market.)
Furthermore, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines operate flights from nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to CUN.
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