Mexico Guide
Getting around
By air
There are more than fifty airports in Mexico with regular passenger flights run by local airlines, plus several smaller airports with feeder services. The two big companies, both formerly state-owned and with international as well as domestic flights, are Aeroméxico and Mexicana, which between them connect most places to Mexico City, usually several times a day. Their monopoly is being challenged by a handful of smaller airlines such as Aviacsa, Aeromar, Aerolitoral and Aero California, which also cover most major destinations, as well as Mexicana's no-frills carrier ClickMexicana. The competition between the companies keeps prices steady and relatively low. Information about the independent operators can be difficult to find on the ground, but is available online and through travel agents.
Internal airfares reflect the popularity of the route: the more popular the trip, the lower the price. Thus the flight from Tijuana to Mexico City costs little more than the first-class bus, while the much shorter, but less popular flight from Tijuana to Chihuahua costs no less. Obviously, fares like the first are a real bargain, but even the more expensive routes can be worthwhile for the time they save. While the smaller airlines might be cheaper, the price of a ticket on a particular flight doesn't normally vary from agent to agent. There are few discounts, and it's usually twice as much for a round-trip as a one-way ticket.
Mexicana and Aeroméxico offer a multi-flight airpass, available only outside Mexico (see "Airpasses in Mexico" for details).