After an action-packed visit to Mexico City, I was ready to move on and catch my breath. I had originally planned to fly Aeromexico from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta on Monday after an adventure in Huatulco, but I shifted my plan. I was on a Delta award ticket, so I switched to Friday afternoon. I actually switched multiple times because Delta’s terrible tech failed when I tried to change myself, and the agent the first time screwed up and canceled the ticket entirely, something I didn’t find out until I tried to check in online. Thanks, Delta.

When I made the change, the morning flights had no award space, so I booked the 1pm. Even though there didn’t appear to be a mechanism for same day changes, I thought I’d try to go early and see if I could squeak on an earlier flight. That did not go well.

• Introduction to Cranky’s Mexican Adventure
• Cross Border Express is Great, But It Can Be Tricky
• Viva Kicks the Trip Off the Right Way
• Mexicana is Weird, But the E2 is a Delight
• The Spectacular But Distant AIFA Airport
• Mexico City is More Than Worth the Visit
• Aeromexico Does It Right in the Air but Not on the Ground
• Señor Air Has the Best Name and an Experience to Match
• Los Cabos and La Paz Couldn’t Be More Different
• TAR Was a Wild Ride
• Volaris, the Purest ULCC

I headed to the airport and got there about 1h20m before the next earlier flight, so I could try to get on. My Uber driver was a really curious guy, and we had a great conversation in Spanish. The ride went by quickly.

Aeromexico uses Terminal 2 on the south side of the airport, and every part of it seemed to be under construction, even the approach at the curb.

I walked inside and went to the counter where a lineminder understood what I wanted to do and when the flight was, so she pointed me to the line I needed. I got in it, and waited. There was one agent working this area, and she promptly left. At this point, a baggage checking agent and a SkyPriority agent would occassionally take a break and call one of us over. It was very slow.

By the time I got to an agent, he told me that the flight closed one hour before departure… which was 5 minutes earlier. Had Aeromexico’s lineminders been willing to help or had there actually been an agent working our line, I might have had a chance. The agent I eventually saw scolded me (in a nice-ish way, I guess) for not getting to the airport early. He then pointed me to the security area and wouldn’t have any further discussion.

I resolved to try the gate, so I went through security only to find he had directed me to the checkpoint near Hall M, furthest from the earlier flight’s gate, so I had a long walk. There was a central help area where I didn’t see anyone. (Maybe I missed them? There was a lot of construction going on here.) I went to the gate and waited for boarding to finish. I asked nicely if I could get on but was told no. I was willing to pay. It just seemed like Aeromexico’s default answer was no to everything, when I could find someone to ask.

So that was that. With only 2.5 hours until my flight, it wasn’t that bad, but I did have time to kill. I trudged back to the Priority Pass lounge where I got a sad and tiny plate of chilaquiles alongside largely non-functional internet and waited for my flight.

When the gate posted, it was on the other concourse this time which was closer to the lounge. This one was just as chaotic as the other concourse. There was active work being done which included a cacophony of drill and other loud noises that drowned out any announcements. It was a lot to take in.

I got to the gate about 45 minutes before departure and people were already lined up.

Soon after, boarding began.

Aeromexico 334
January 16, 2026

The airplane was beautiful on the inside, outfitted with big inflight entertainment screens and giant bins. I took my seat behind the exit and settled in. Unfortunately, IFE wasn’t usable while we were at the gate. It just scrolled through pre-programmed messaging.

We pushed back a couple minutes late. The nice part of Terminal 2 is that you’re close to the end of the runway, so it’s not a long way to go. We began our elevation-influenced, long and bouncy takeoff roll before heading up into the sky. I had a nice view of what could (should) have been a lovely new airport at Texcoco on my left.

Right after passing it, we did a long sweeping turn to the south to point our nose west for the short flight to Puerto Vallarta.

Aeromexico has Viasat internet, and it worked well. I watched a video to get a paltry 15-minute wifi session. If I wanted to pay, it was $5 for an hour or $8 for the whole flight… which was basically an hour. I didn’t bother.

The flight attendants came through and handed out… peanuts! You don’t see that in the US anymore. I had my headphones on and was looking out the window, so the drink cart just skipped me entirely, which was a bummer.

It was a pretty day outside with several large isolated thunderheads dotting the landscape. I only wish they were more isolated so I could have seen the terrain below.

We began our descent through several layers of clouds. The flight attendants came through to collect trash, but when they got to me, the guy looked at my peanut wrapper and told me to put it in the seatback pocket. Uh, ok.

We descended through the hazy sky until landing nice and early. We parked right back where my Mexicana flight had left from on Monday, and I again confirmed that there are no connections behind security allowed there, even if you arrive at a jet bridge. They route you straight into baggage claim and then out the door, which was exactly where I wanted to be this time.

I spent the next three nights at the Delta Hotels Riviera Nayarit which is not your typical Puerto Vallarta vacation. It’s west of the airport toward Punta Mita, and it’s in a valley. There are pools and buildings on different levels throughout the property.

There are great views, but unless you go to the beach club, you aren’t going to be in the sand. For me, it was perfect as I could rest up before the next part of the journey.