Great news for Minnesota and all Midwestern travelers: Delta is starting nonstop flights from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Mexico City (MEX) on Saturday, June 8.
The airline made it official back in December, more than 12 hours after flights first went on sale online for service. Delta will fly to Mexico City and back in an Airbus A319, equipped with Gogo 2Ku high-speed WiFi.
At the time of publishing, fares are available for $640 in basic economy (and $60 more for standard economy) or 52,000 SkyMiles with $103 in fees/taxes for a main cabin fare.
“We've heard from our Twin Cities customers that Mexico City is at the top of their most requested destinations and this new service will give them just that and more,” Steve Sear, Delta's president of Global Sales, said in a statement. “At the same time, it allows for more choice and options for customers in many U.S. and Canadian cities through one convenient, easy connection as well as easy connections to dozens of destinations in Mexico thanks to our partnership with Aeromexico.”
This isn't exactly a surprise. Delta CEO Ed Bastian suggested this spring they would start flights to Mexico's capital city “in the not too distant future.”
And Delta has been putting a lot of emphasis on building up its international route network out of MSP. The airline will launch nonstop flights to Seoul-Incheon (ICN) in April. Delta is also looking to start service from MSP to Shanghai (PVG) in 2020.
Our Analysis
Surprise or not, this is exciting.
Mexico City is a fabulous place in its own right. It’s one of the largest cities in the world, full of incredible food and culture to soak in. Delta already flies to MEX from some of its biggest hubs, including Atlanta (ATL), New York City-JFK (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX) and Detroit (DTW).
But the airline's close partnership with Aeromexico, Mexico's flag carrier based out of MEX, makes this new route even better. Direct flights to MEX would augment MSP’s existing flights to Mexico that get winter-weary travelers to the beach.
Delta already flies from MSP to Cancún (CUN) year-round. And there are seasonal routes to Puerto Vallarta (PVR), San José del Cabo (SJD), Cozumel (CZM), Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo (ZIH) and Mazatlán (MZT). But with a stop in Mexico City, much of Central and South America is within closer reach.
Aeromexico flies from its hub to dozens of destinations throughout Central America and South America. And the joint venture between the two airlines helps create a seamless way to hop on a Delta flight to Mexico City, then continue onward. Think Santiago, São Paulo, Bogotá, Lima, Quito, Buenos Aires, and more.
Bottom Line
We're a tad biased, seeing as the entire Thrifty Traveler team is based out of MSP. But this latest new route is a welcome addition. Mexico City is an underrated spot for travelers. But the ability to connect onward throughout Central and South America makes this new route even more exciting.