Check In and Security
I arrived at MTY at about 4:50, about an hour and 40 minutes before me scheduled departure time of 6:30. Monterrey airport is not a very big airport but does have three distinct terminals, so be sure to check which terminal you’re flying out of before departing. United uses Terminal A.
Follow the signs that say “United” and you’ll find the check in counter. It’s located right next to the security checkpoint and is away from where all of the other check in counters are located.
United has different lines for check in at Monterrey. One for Economy and one for Premier Access. There are several agents working, and they can all speak both English and Spanish, and will be happy to assist you.
I was greeted by an extremely friendly check in agent, who printed my boarding passes, asked me where my final destination was, asked me if it was my first time in Monterrey and so on. There was nobody else in the check in area, so the conversation was welcomed.
Note that when departing Mexico for the US, you have to undergo a sequence of security checks and security questions. It’s the standard “did you pack your bags yourself… etc.” They then put a sticker on your passport, and if you don’t have it, you have to undergo that questioning at the gate.
Then she said “give me one moment, I have someone who will escort you to the gate.” At first, I didn’t quite understand what she said because it caught me off guard.
They then had someone escort me to the front of the security line, and all the way to the gate. When I asked the guy why they did this. He said it was because my boarding pass said “eligible to preboard” on it, so they assumed I needed accessibility assistance.
When I explained to him that “No, this is a new thing that United had put on boarding passes because 1Ks are eligible for preboard” he chuckled and said “oh, that’s why it seems like almost everybody needs this now!”
Boarding, Cabin, and Seat
Anyways, when I -arrived at the gate, which was literally no less than 10 minutes after I arrived at the airport. I ordered a cup of coffee from the nearby Cinnabon and sat down to await my one hour before boarding.
Note that United doesn’t have any contract lounges in Monterrey, so even if departing in Business class, you won’t have lounge access at MTY.
We started boarding at 5:55, about 5 minutes behind our scheduled board time of 5:50. I preboarded with the one other 1K that was on board today.
The ERJ-175’s first/business class cabin is arranged in a 1-2 configuration, with the A seats being solo seats that have both a window and aisle. These seats are ideal for solo travelers like myself.
I quickly found my seat 3A and put my larger carry on bag in the overhead bin. Note that the bins over the A seats are smaller and can only fit very small personal items, but the ones over the C and D seats can accommodate larger roll-a-boards.
The seat features 5 inches of recline, 35 inches of pitch, and 21 inches of width. The room underneath the seat in front of you is large enough to store any personal item you.
The seat also has two LED reading lights and two individual air vents.
The left armrest features a small cupholder, whereas the right armrest has your recline button and your pull out tray table. Seat 3A features one window.
The seat is very comfortable and very well padded.
Pre-Departure
At 6:12, the flight attendant brought out a laughable pre departure beverage of water. It was not even half filled.
At the same time, the captain came on to announce our flight time of just under 1 hour and said it would be a smooth ride.
Departure and Climb Out
At 6:15, the boarding door closed and the safety demonstration began.
We pushed back early at 6:17.
We taxied out to the runway and had to wait in line for departure because there were about 5-6 aircraft ahead of us.
At 6:42, we lined up on runway 30.
We started our takeoff roll 2 minutes later at 6:44.
As we climbed out, it was nice to take in views of the city and the mountains below.
At 6:49, we reached 10,000 feet, meaning that we were well on our way to Houston.
WiFi and Entertainment
Just note on the WiFi and entertainment. As with most regional jets, there is no seatback entertainment. United does offer Personal Device Entertainment through their app, which offers a good selection of movies and TV shows for you to watch.
WiFi is available for purchase for $8 for the entire flight for mileageplus members. I didn’t purchase it, as I’m a T Mobile subscriber and receive an unlimited number of free one hour flight passes. The WiFi was decent at speeds and good enough to get a bit of work done.
Cruise
At 6:50, the flight attendant came by to ask me if I wanted something to drinks I ordered a coffee with baileys.
A few minutes later, a snack basket was brought around. I got a kind bar.
One thing I must say that I like about the E-175 is that it’s a relatively quiet aircraft. When you’re in the cabin, you can’t really hear the engines in cruise flight.
Descent and Arrival
At 7:17, as we were over Victoria, Texas, the captain came on to announce our descent and that we’d be in the ground in about 20 minutes.
We touched down on runway 8R at 7:40 am.
We had a very quick taxi to the gate and parked at gate E21 at 7:43, for an early arrival into Houston.
