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Hi All,
Looking for a bit of advice regarding booking of a one-way CUN-MEX flight for early May. Cheapest cash fares on http://www.aeromexico.com are coming out at £135 for AM+ (which seems better value than economy given we will have probably one piece of checked luggage each) or £177 for Clase Premier.
I’ve seen @JDB refer to cheap cash booking via a domestic site, but not sure if I’m looking in the right place or that is some kind of ‘secret’ alternative site aimed at Mexico residents. 🙂
Alternatively booking with Virgin points (now available at virginatlantic.com) comes out at 7000 (economy) or 15,500 (Clase Premier) plus USD14.35 in taxes and fees in both cases. Given our Virgin points balance, and that Virgin’s limited route network / redemption fees / seating mean that we struggle to find good uses for them compared to Avios, and that the cost / opportunity cost of the Virgin points we have averages out at around 0.5p each I’m tempted to book a Clase Premier redemption.
Questions:
1. Am I missing a route to cheaper cash fares?
2. I’d be interested in any views as to whether Clase Premier is worth the extra on a 2.5 hour flight departing CUN (where there is no Aeromexico lounge).That sounds a reasonable cash price for a flight of that length – they don’t seem to have anything like our LCC’s across the Atlantic. I’m hoping to find MEX-CZM for a similar price, but the redemption looks quite a good deal as well, given I also have a lot of VS points and not loving the long haul surcharges!
That sounds a reasonable cash price for a flight of that length – they don’t seem to have anything like our LCC’s across the Atlantic. I’m hoping to find MEX-CZM for a similar price, but the redemption looks quite a good deal as well, given I also have a lot of VS points and not loving the long haul surcharges!
Surcharges to India are still relatively low. Points prices can be great, as low as 10k points and £100ish in taxes one way in Economy.
@marks7389 for AM I book directly and unlike BA, their cheapest fares are the ones first loaded and for Clase Premier usually only two seats at that lowest price that works out cheaper than Y plus extras. Premier doesn’t offer much on board service (the ‘botana premier’ is a bag of fruit and nuts) but you do get 2-2 seating and check in desks to avoid horrendous looking Y queues at T2 (better at T1 where some flights leave from). You do have the choice of two LCCs as well – Volaris is OK unless there’s disruption and Viva is pretty terrible. Mexicana is being revived but operates out of the new operate. AM has the big advantage of usually being willing to check bags through to BA.
I don’t know the relative cost of booking on VS points vs cash but you are trading away the ability to manage your booking if anything goes wrong (as reported in the last few days on another thread) which is quite a big disadvantage.
Thanks all.
@JDB, I suspected that was the case regarding the onboard service. The flight departs from T4.Clase Premier it is given the small difference though. I have booked with VS points just because we will struggle to get the value from them all otherwise if not from some partner bookings. At least (unlike @Ash’s trip from GUA to OAX) this is a simple one-sector booking with plenty of flights throughout the day, so hopefully less risky – if all else fails I’ll be back on to my ‘friends’ in the Virgin exec team to sort it out 🙂
Resurrecting this! I’ve also been very disappointed to find that VS isn’t the convenient alternative to BA that I’d been hoping for and I’ve pretty much wasted my first 2 cc vouchers. Hoping to use the 3rd for a round trip in early 2025 to finally try UC.
Anyway, we needed to book return travel from Mexico later this year and and it wasn’t great value going home via the US, especially when you factor in having to get a new ESTA just for the transit and the possible immigration queues! So I booked MEX-LHR-MAN in CW and hopefully we’ll get some sleep on the 10 hour flight!
I then needed to gets flights from MEX-PVR-MEX, and have just booked this on Aeromexico for 58k VS points plus $239 for 2 of us in Premier Clase. This seems a reasonable use of points as cash fares were showing at just over £300 each. I appreciate what @JDB said above about not getting much on board, but it’s under 2 hours and seems to include 2 checked bags each which might come in handy for all OH’s scuba gear!
Have I missed any massive drawbacks? We have 2 nights back in CDMX so hopefully no issues with onward travel back to LHR – ever risk averse, me 😂
Oh yes, and how do I now reserve seats? Do I have to create an AM account?
*Okay, that was ridiculously easy. Go to AM website, put in VS booking ref and lead surname, select 1E and 1F both ways!
Oh yes, and how do I now reserve seats? Do I have to create an AM account?
*Okay, that was ridiculously easy. Go to AM website, put in VS booking ref and lead surname, select 1E and 1F both ways!
Isn’t it nice when airline IT just works? 🙂
An AeroMexico redemption seems like a no brainer, I have flown MEX CUN on Viva Aerobus for £100 return including checked bags and had no problems with them if you were also looking at other airlines.
Like in most place and most LCCs, Viva Aerobus and Volaris are great and generally good value, as long as things go fine. When they go wrong, you are on your own…
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