Aeromexico Competes with American Airlines by Launching New Route from Miami to Cancun

The flag carrier of Mexico is expanding its operations in Miami with a brand-new route to Cancun, Mexico.

On Monday, Aeromexico announced it will introduce daily flights between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Cancun International Airport (CUN) starting December 19.

This new route enhances Aeromexico's current offerings from Miami, where it already operates five daily flights to Mexico City. It marks Aeromexico's fourth route from Florida, adding to existing connections from Orlando and Tampa to Mexico City.

The new flight departs from Miami at 7:55 a.m. and lands in Cancun at 9:55 a.m. local time. The return flight leaves Cancun at 11:10 a.m., arriving in Miami at 1:05 p.m. Aeromexico will utilize a 166-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8, featuring 16 business-class recliners, 18 extra-legroom seats, and 132 standard economy seats.

This new route will be operated in partnership with Delta Air Lines, as part of the collaborative agreement between the two airlines.

Over the years, Delta and Aeromexico have engaged in a joint venture for flights connecting the U.S. and Mexico. Delta also has an equity interest in the Mexico City-based airline, which it has gradually increased.

Earlier this year, the joint venture faced a significant obstacle when the U.S. Department of Transportation decided that the partnership must be dissolved.

Despite this, the airlines have committed to challenging the DOT ruling, which is set to take effect by the end of October.

Overall, the Delta-Aeromexico collaboration offers more than 65 routes between the U.S. and Mexico, with over 180 daily flights connecting the two nations.

This expansion by Aeromexico marks a recent strategic shift towards leisure-focused routes. Traditionally, Aeromexico primarily operated flights from Mexico City to the U.S., but in recent months, the airline has introduced new leisure routes, including connections from Manzanillo, Mexico, to Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Among the leisure markets Aeromexico could tap into, establishing service from Miami to Cancun is a logical choice. American Airlines currently holds a monopoly on this nonstop route, according to Cirium schedules. (Frontier Airlines has recently exited this market.)

Additionally, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines operate flights from nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to Cancun (CUN).