Carriers from all alliances currently focus heavily on business class flights to Mexico. Besides a number of nonstop offers to Mexico City, you can score cheap flights to popular tourist destinations like Cancun as well. While these flights require at least one layover at an American or European hub, prices are solemnly as low. We’ve found these attractive fares from many airports in France, Italy and Spain.
You can find fares below €1,500 with departure from:
- Madrid at €1,295
- Barcelona at €1,295
- Amsterdam at €1,318
- Milan at €1,325
- Rome at €1,332
- Venice at €1,334
- Nice at €1,439
- Paris at €1,449
From most of these destinations, you will find cheap flights to other Mexican cities, as well. You can even save up to €80 when adding a second layover to your in- or outbound flight.
Since all alliances offer these tickets, there are plenty of layover airports and business class products involved. Depending on your origin, it could be American via Miami, Aeromexico via Mexico City, Air Canada via Toronto or Montreal, Air France via Paris, British Airways via London, Delta via Atlanta or New York, Iberia via Madrid, KLM via Amsterdam, Lufthansa via Frankfurt or United via Houston.
We expect further shakeups in the airline industry over the following months. Some services might be cancelled, aircraft changed or downgraded. The schedule we describe may very well change.
Search & Book
Since this seems to be a full-blown price war, you can find these fare almost daily from August 2020 through March 2021. Availability may vary depending on your European origin or Mexican destination, as well as your airline of choice.
You can use Google Flights to find availabilities and our flight search to compare prices from different airlines and online travel agencies. We strongly recommend booking directly with the airline. This is doubly true in the days of Covid-19, as every additional step in your booking process is an extra insolvency risk.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
Due to the number of possible airlines involved, we recommend consulting wheretocredit.com to calculate your award mileage. For questions concerning status miles, leave a comment, and we’ll come back to you.
Information & Tips for Mexico
Mayan pyramids, dreamy beaches and tacos – Mexico is an incredibly diverse country. If you want to experience the Spanish-speaking country to its fullest, you should definitely stay somewhere other than the tourist hotspots and seaside resorts.
The Best Time to Travel
The perfect travel time is from December to April, during this time it hardly rains and the temperatures are pleasant. Unsurprisingly, during the rainy season from May to October there is more rainfall. Beware of some extreme weather phenomenons that might be unknown to Europeans: Hurricane season lasts from June to November! Those who want to travel to typical holiday areas like Cancún and do not want to spend lots of money should travel in the off season. Areas with less touristic relevance such as Mexico City, on the other hand, are relatively constant throughout the year from a price perspective.
Currency, Credit Cards & Tipping
The official currency of the country is the Mexican Peso. 1 EUR equals about MX$18. The acceptance of credit cards is comparable to or even slightly better than Germany. In almost all shops, even small kiosks, it is possible and quite normal to pay by card. The same applies to restaurants. For street vendors, street snack bars and the like, it is advisable to have a few pesos in cash with you. It is unusual to tip taxis or cab drivers. At a restaurant, 10-15 percent are normal, as long as the tip is not already listed on the bill as a line item. When paying by card, you can usually choose how much you want to tip at the card terminal before entering the pin. Housekeeping at a hotel should usually be tipped 20-40 Pesos per day, small favours have a going tip rate of 5 Pesos.
Immigration & Visa Requirements
Most EU citizens do not need a visa to enter Mexico. All you need to do is fill out the tourist card that is handed out onboard the plane. For touristic and business purposes, a visa-free stay of 180 days is possible.
→ All Dealz for Mexico
Cover Picture: Simon Dannhauer