For those who’re flying to Mexico from the USA or must get from one airport to a different inside the nation, there’s one identify you’re going to run into repeatedly. Flying on Volaris is one thing you’re in all probability going to expertise eventually for the sake of time or comfort, even should you’re a luxurious traveler. So right here’s our tackle what to anticipate.
To start with, you have to know that Volaris is firmly and unapologetically a finances airline. No frills, numerous further charges, and no pampering. This isn’t uncommon: there’s just one true full-service airline left standing in Mexico and that’s Aeromexico, which normally sends you thru a busy hub. The remaining have raced to the underside, with an analogous expertise as you’ll discover with the likes of Allegiant, Ryanair, or Air Asia. A step up from Spirit and Viva Aerobus, however not an enormous step.
The excellent news is, their web site is in each English and Spanish, capable of spit out costs in a number of currencies, and more often than not it does what it’s speculated to do. You simply need to reset it again to English should you do a number of searches from inside Mexico as a result of it’ll maintain reverting again to Spanish and pesos.
The place They Fly
This airline can get you a whole lot of locations, particularly should you’re an expat dwelling in Mexico. By most measures they’re the nation’s largest provider now, forward of the flagship Aeromexico, and are increasing extra quickly. Sadly, whereas the previous will get you Skymiles factors they usually have codeshares with Delta, Volaris will not be aligned with anybody besides comply with no-frills airline Frontier.
Assume you may get to most of Mexico with Volaris, however additionally they fly to a whole lot of totally different nations.
USA: Atlanta, Chicago, DC, Dallas, and plenty of California cities, plus codeshares with Frontier.
Canada
Guatemala
El Salvador
Costa Rica
Honduras
Colombia
Peru
Determining these routes will not be all the time simple although as a result of there’s no map and a few of the combos are a fake-out. Your departure metropolis and vacation spot metropolis might be accessible as decisions, however then while you attempt to choose a day, no dates can be found in any month.
The Volaris Evolution to Funds Service
It wasn’t all the time the case that this was a low-frills finances airline, billing themselves as an “extremely low-cost airline.” I first flew on Volaris again in 2011, at a time once they have been attempting to woo clients with extra facilities and higher service. They have been competing laborious with Interjet (now kaput) and on the time they have been each extra prone to shock you to the upside than the draw back. To indicate how far downmarket they’ve gone, right here’s what I wrote again then:
Attendants hand out headphones to make use of to look at TV in Spanish on the seatback screens. Quickly a drink cart got here round with all kinds of non-alcoholic drinks. (It was early within the morning; they might provide beer and cocktails later within the day). My daughter squealed with delight when she noticed the snack they have been giving us: Krispy Kreme doughnuts! There have been some commercials on three overhead baggage panels, however all of us ended up with a free can of the marketed iced tea earlier than deplaning, so not a nasty trade-off. In addition they had a basket of taffy sweet to choose from as we walked off the aircraft. Good contact.
Be suggested that none of that’s in place now. Plus the free checked bag and open seat choice we had then are each gone too.
Assume that you just’ll pay further for something and every little thing not included within the base fare when flying on Volaris. Your ticket is mainly only a license to enter the aircraft. They even do a bait-and change with the fares that come up on their web site: these don’t embody any of the airport taxes, although the taxes are obligatory and it’s important to pay them it doesn’t matter what. Volaris is simply sneaky they usually add them to your fare as you progress by the reserving course of. So your possibilities of paying the primary value you see are zero.
Volaris Baggage Charges and a Private Merchandise
There’s one piece of bags you might be allowed to carry on when flying on Volaris: a private merchandise that can match beneath the seat. The size for which are a skimpy 35 by 45 by 20 centimeters, so it’s takes some tremendous packing expertise to get away with that. That’s mainly a laptop computer bag with a couple of objects in it.
For those who can plan forward, you’ll save a small fortune by choosing a package deal deal that features baggage while you ebook your ticket. For example, right here’s the fare distinction (earlier than obligatory taxes) for a one-way excessive season ticket between Oakland and Los Cabos:
Zero (Base fare solely) – $211
Primary – $221 contains carry-on and restricted flight change
Plus – $263 contains carry-on, 55-pound checked bag, precedence boarding, absolutely refundable/changeable ticket
So except you’re actually pinching pennies, it’s greatest to go for the highest choice and get the very best choices for simply $42 extra.
Home flights are inclined to have extra of a value distinction, nonetheless, with the Mexican vacationers getting socked extra for not packing gentle. Right here’s the distinction on a high-season flight between Leon/Guanajuato and Cancun, when the beachgoers usually are not getting any slack.
Zero (Base fare solely) – $64
Primary – $77 contains carry-on and restricted flight change
Plus – $138 contains carry-on, 55-pound checked bag, precedence boarding, absolutely refundable/changeable ticket
On this case, you’re basically paying $51 further to examine a bag, board sooner, and have extra change choices.
For those who’re studying Luxurious Latin America, you’re in all probability the kind who will take that deal with out stressing about it except you’re good at packing gentle.
You’re nonetheless not completed paying although. Moreover the taxes they’re going so as to add on, there’s additionally an absence of seating talked about in these package deal inclusions above. So you could possibly be caught in a center seat within the again by the lavatory should you depart it to probability.
So if you need an incredible seat, you have to take one other step to finish that consolation course of…
Flying on Volaris With Extra Consolation
As a result of these finances airways are so coin-operated and don’t even attempt to fake they’re providing an incredible journey expertise, you should buy your self an improve with out spending very a lot. Whereas on legacy U.S. carriers it will probably price you greater than $100 to get a greater seat, it’s a neater alternative on Volaris. You’re going to need to pay for a seat choice anyway, even should you select the highest package deal, so that you may as effectively pay a small premium to get probably the greatest seats on the aircraft.
There’s no enterprise class on Volaris, after all, however you possibly can pay just a little extra to have a bulkhead seat on the entrance, be one or two rows again to get off quicker, or choose an exit row seat and have extra legroom. For those who’re not going to want a lot at your seat, the bulkhead ones are the roomiest and are in all probability the very best wager for households with a toddler, however it’s important to stow every little thing at take-off, so you possibly can’t maintain your laptop computer helpful you probably have work to do.
Right here’s an instance of the totally different seat choice costs on a home flight I ebook pretty typically: Leon/Guanajuato to Cancun:
Center seat within the final row: $9.34
Aisle seat in the course of the aircraft: $12.99
Exit row seat: $19.49
Bulkhead window: $23.55
In different phrases, the distinction between the worst seat on the aircraft and the very best one for this 2.5-hour flight is round $14. You’ll achieve a couple of extra inches a minimum of over the usual seat pitch of 30 inches.
Right here’s what the seats price on a for much longer worldwide flight, from Leon/Guanajuato to Oakland, California:
Center seat within the final row: $13
Aisle seat in the course of the aircraft: $16.89
Exit row seat: $28.59
Bulkhead window: $39
As you possibly can see, choosing the very best seat on this 3 hour and 40 minute flight solely prices $26 greater than the worst. So purchase your self some legroom.
Different Volaris Journey Suggestions
As with most finances airways, Volaris goes to present you an entire lot of nothing to eat and drink. Plus what they do have on provide seems loads like what you’ll discover on the shelf of Oxxo: every little thing is processed and filled with sugar, with numerous warning labels on the packaging.
So order a beer or a cocktail if that’s your factor, however in any other case assume you’ll must carry a stuffed water bottle on board, carry your personal espresso if you need one thing first rate, and convey your personal meals if Pringles aren’t your concept of a meal.
The airline has switched to a cell mannequin for leisure by the app, however most of what’s on provide is in Spanish or is 10 years previous a minimum of. Or each. I’ve seldom used it and normally simply obtain one thing to my pill or learn a ebook on my Kindle.
There are normally no retailers for charging on these flights, whether or not USB or common. The seats don’t recline (in all probability a superb factor because it’s so tight) they usually’re fairly skinny to be able to cram the utmost in.
Be suggested that should you journey with this airline loads, chances are you’ll discover the Volaris Annual Go to be a superb deal. It’s usually $499 for a 12 months and for you can journey wherever on quick discover (3 days for worldwide, 1 day forward for home) with out paying the fare. You continue to need to pay every little thing else although: taxes, seat choice, change charges, and baggage.
That final one is absolutely going to price you too: they make annual move holders pay the walk-up baggage charge as an alternative of the advance reserving charge everybody else will get once they do a flight search. So on some latest flights I took between Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, they needed a stunning $79 for me to hold my very own small wheeled bag on or a rapacious $90 to examine a bag. I took an underseat bag as an alternative and purchased a brand new outfit on arrival.
I’m nonetheless glad I purchased it although as a result of I obtained it for $349 once they have been working an advance promotion. It has already paid for itself and I’ll use it extra earlier than it expires in six months.
One final tip: make sure you’re flying into the appropriate airport in Mexico Metropolis should you’re headed there. AIFA is additional out and doesn’t have many connections. You need AICM (airport code MEX).
In conclusion, Volaris isn’t going to be essentially the most nice flight you’ve ever taken and also you’ve obtained so as to add on a whole lot of extras to get to what everybody receives robotically on a superior airline like Southwest. These are point-to-point flights which are typically quicker although and even with all of the add-ons, it will probably find yourself costing you much less in the long run than being on a provider similar to Aeromexico, United, or Air Canada.
See particulars at the official web site.
