Hello everyone, I've been somewhat busy these days so I've picked a backlog on FRs.
This one will cover a trip to Mexico I took last summer with my family.
Originally we were going to fly CM to MEX using their direct flight between BOG and MEX. Unfortunately I was unable to book the tickets…it seems CM never wants me to fly with them or something as I have been systematically unable to book through their webpage. Enter AM. So for this summer, Mexico City seemed to be THE destination ex-BOG, and most airlines (except for AV) where in for the fight, fares were as low as 180 USD !!! I was very happy booking AM, as I would add a new airline to my list, I ended up hating CM on long flights after my trip with them to the US on 2014, and …this is somewhat geeky, I love trying the airline of the destination I'm flying to.
So now to what concerns us…
Our flght was to leave at midnight, so we arrived around 8pm so we could comfortably dine at the Crepes and Waffles restaurant @ BOG.
Upon arrival to the terminal, a line had already formed for our flight. But it moved rather swiftly. The lady at check in was friendly, and we were done in no time. We were handed our immigration forms and boarding passes on a paper jacket…so old school (in a good way)! After checking in I saw a friend from high school, whom I hadn't seen in a very long time…funny.
After dinner, we were off to the airside
I found these guys funny…
They were taking the DL flight to JFK
One thing I hate about these redeye flights is that chances for a nice view of one's plane…in this case it would be one of the newest 737 on AMs fleet.
While we waited to board, my friend showed up and we talked and talked and talked. It turned out she was on a very similar trip with her family, and we were on the same flights between BOG and MEX….go figure!
Boarding was done by groups, strictly enforced by the ground crew, and thus organised by Colombian standards.
Upon entering the plane we were greeted by the crew…I don't recall the exact composition, but I do remember one of them was cheerful, the other one was quite grumpy. BTW I find AM's uniform a bit ridiculous with the hat…
The cabin looked crisp new.
The seats were covered in a faux-leather, with the usual perks nowadays for a seat:
I thought the advertisements on the seats looked tacky and cheap….so Ryanair.
The boarding process took a long while…longer than necessary to fill a 738. In the meanwhile, the grumpy FA gave hell to a pax who was misbehaving…she reminded me of the sweetheart on the JFK-PTY flight on 2014, and soon I was dreading the flight.
Boeing's new winglets look awkward, but cool though.
After boarding was done we were kept a long while on the tarmac…weird…. we ended up taking off almost 45m after the STD.
In the meanwhile the crew showed off the plane's lighting systems. IFE was also available so the wait wasn't that horrible. I spent the time watching The Big Bang Theory…I didn't want to watch a movie in case I would fall asleep and end up ruining it for the flight back home. Movie offerings were mediocre compared to AV's. The guys at the cockpit were very engaged with keeping us updated, a nice touch.
Finally, around 1am we were going to take off from RWY 13L (unusual for southbound departures)
Moving map would be my entertainment for the night…even though the BOG-MEX flight is scheduled to last for 5h, it only takes 4 hours in reality…maybe that's why we spent an hour on the ground (?)
Not much to see outside…
About 40m after take off they handed out the food trays. No options offered.
The seat table also had advertisements…beh. I found this one a bit telling about Mexico's health concerns, I recently read it has the highest rates of obesity on earth!
…surprise surprise
it ended up being….the usual inedible airline salad, a chicken breast sandwich, a bag of peanuts and a cookie. The sandwich was actually good.
While the food offering wasn't top notch, it did its job for the flight. I was quite worried I would end up having stomach issues that would result in me going to the loo. Fortunately none of this happened.
With my belly full…I was ready to doze for the rest of the flight. I woke up when the guys at the front warned the FAs we were starting descent. And soon we were over the huge sea of lights MEX is…sadly my camera wasn't good for night photos, the view was mind blowing.
The captain did a great job with a smooth landing…and taxi took no time to the gate. Upon descending from the plane the environment felt damp and hot. The terminal building looked as if it was made of the cheapest materials available, not too impressive for one of Latin America's most important cities. Immigration took around 20 minutes, the agent was very friendly, he even gave us travel recommendations. And then…the big f… up, as it turns out all flights from Colombia into Mexico are treated as if they carried the plague (well, in a way they do). We were warned by the AM crew that bags would take up to 1 hour to show up…and it was true! Every bag is scrutinised by the Federal Police. Some other flights were also inbound and the place was crowded and a bit chaotic…not the greatest welcome to Mexico City, but in the end… the country lived up to expectations: awesome!
Thanks for this FR.
Even if the crew wasn't top notch, it seems the experience was still way better than on Copa, with better seats, IFE and a a decent meal.
yeah...it seems AM was the best choice, compared to CM. The return flight will be a different story though
Gracias Chibcha.
The new AM planes look very nice compared to what the US carriers are opting for. These seats/IFE are the same ones used by UA on their B787s, but the actual seat looks much better on AM. The ads to make the cabin look ‘cheap,’ really a shame that AM went for that.
I’d expect something more than just a turkey sandwich for the main. That looks a little cheap, but compared to the US carrier offerings on a flight into Mexico of a similar length, it is far superior.
Chatty pilots on a red-eye, interesting. That could leave many passengers angry.
The seats were really good, the catering OK, but it seems the standard nowadays is rather mediocre on this side of the globe, wait for what AV gave me on the BOG-LIM run.
The pilots were chatty while on ground. During the flight they were silent...a very silent and comfortable flight IMO.
Gracias Chibcha por compartir este buen reporte.
I agree with you that the ads inside planes are tacky and very LCC. Trying the airline of the destination that you are going to is a nice prelude to your trip and gives you a small taste of your destination.
What a great fare you got. USD 180 is unbeatable! AM is an OK carrier in my opinion. It's not the best, but neither the worst.
CM's fleet of 737's is fine for short and medium haul flights, but I would dread flying in those for long haul.
A meal for a red eye flight of this duration is generous in my opinion.
Too bad about the long wait for your bags once you arrived in MEX. It's a fascinating city with lots of charm.
De nada, gracias por pasar por acá y opinar !
Indeed, sometimes it is a nice prelude, sometimes not, eg.: this flight...with such a mixed composition of characters in the FAs, its not really representative of how caring, nice and attentive Mexicans can be, plus catering wasn't so Mexican on both flights, food offerings were rather...international.
You've nailed it, AM is OK, not an airline you'll come to dread flying with, but neither one you'll lose your sleep over, but for 180USD to MEX I'd probably even fly in VivaColombia!
I have yet to try the new CM 737s with PTV...maybe that's a game changer.
I wouldn't complain either, most people would like to sleep on this flight.
Yeap, it's awful, I've heard flights from CCS are even worse! Mexico is awesome, I really fell in love both with the city and country.