Mexicana adds red-eye flight to Mexico City

Mexicana Airlines, Mexico's second largest carrier, has added a new flight to the Mexican capital.
Starting in December, Mexicana will offer a red-eye flight from Portland, Oregon via Guadalajara, Mexico.
The flight will leave Portland at 12:30 am, arrive in Guadalajara around seven the following morning, and finally touch down in Mexico City just after nine o'clock in the morning.
A return flight is also available, but does not go overnight. The Mexico City to Portland route leaves the capital at six pm, arrives in Guadalajara at eight pm and touches down in Portland at 11 o'clock at night.

The announcement is great news to those living in the north-west United States looking for a cheap airfare to explore Mexico.
Earlier, Alaska Airlines announced several new direct routes from the West Coast to Mexico City, originating from Seattle and Los Angeles. Similar to Mexicana, Alaska also plans to have a route from Portland by October.
While most routes from the United States tend to service holiday resorts like Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, and Acapulco, travelers can now explore the wild, 25 million strong Mexican capital and nearby Teotihuacan, home to some of Mexico's most impressive Aztec temples.

United warms up with more direct flights and new route

United Airlines is adding more direct flights with cheap airfares to beach destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean and a new route from Washington DC to Nassau, Bahamas, the second largest tourist destination in the region.

The airline will start to serve the new routes starting December 15. Tickets for the new routes go on sale today, while weekend tickets will be available October 15.

Depending upon when tickets are booked, the airline is saying fares should be very competitive.

In addition to the DC-Nassau route, there will also be a roundtrip service from DC and Montego Bay to Punta Cana and St Maarten, along with trips from Denver to Cozumel and Chicago to Cabo San Lucas.

For the second consecutive year, the airline has increased its presence in Mexican and Caribbean holiday destinations, in an effort that optimistic senior vice president Greg Taylor said would "bolster our international service".

He added: "Our new service to Nassau increases the number of beach destinations we offer our customers in the Washington, DC, area, and provides access to another vacation hot spot for all our customers to enjoy."

The new flights should also strengthen United's presence in the American capital, a place where the company has lost money recently due to the growth of cheap airlines like Southwest and JetBlue Airlines.

In any case, the news means that getting to a warmer climate is now easier than ever at an affordable price.

Delta cuts domestic flights but adds international routes

Facing bankruptcy and rising fuel prices, Delta has been cutting a number of its domestic flights, but at the same time it has been adding new international routes, particularly to Mexico.

If accepted by the Mexican and American Transportation Departments, Delta would have direct flights between Atlanta and Zihuatanejo, Boston, Cincinnati, and Washington to Cancun, and Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, and Zihuatanejo.
Delta said it would like the new routes to begin in April of 2006.

Since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Delta has cut its domestic flights by about 15 per cent, including cutting flights that haven't had enough bookings.
Despite these cuts, Delta's international service has increased by 25 per cent, indicating that the airline's bankruptcy strategy is to expand internationally while reducing domestic service.
Airfares for the new routes are not yet available but should be announced when the transportation departments approve the flights.

Frontier to add Mexican route

Discount carrier Frontier Airlines has received approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation to expand its Mexico service with a non-stop route to the Mexican resort of Acapulco from its hub in Denver.
Frontier plans to offer two flights per week, with service beginning on December 18, 2005.

Acapulco is now the seventh Mexican destination served by Frontier from Denver. The other six destinations are Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, and Cozumel.

The airline is offering a discount promotional airfare of $124 each way from Denver. From Chicago and Atlanta tickets can be purchased for $174 and $199, respectively.

To obtain the cheap airfares customers must book before September 23, and travel must take place between December 18, 2005 and April 16, 2006.
John Happ, Frontier's senior vice president of marketing and planning, believes the route solidifies the airline's position as the premier carrier for cheap flights between Mexico and the United States.