Aeromexico to add Fort Lauderdale, Orange County and Portland

Aeromexico plans to launch three new nonstop routes from Mexico City to the United States in January 2027, serving Orange County in California, Fort Lauderdale in Florida and Portland in Oregon. According to AirlineGeeks and The Points Guy, all three will operate daily and form part of the airline's partnership with Delta Air Lines.

Start dates and aircraft

Both outlets give the same launch dates from Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX):

• Orange County (John Wayne Airport, SNA): 11 January 2027
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL): 14 January 2027
• Portland International (PDX): 21 January 2027

Flights will use a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with 166 seats. AirlineGeeks breaks this down as 16 in Premier Class, 18 in AM Plus and 132 in Economy.

No competition on the routes

The Points Guy, citing schedule data from Cirium, reports that no airline currently flies nonstop between MEX and FLL, PDX or SNA. AirlineGeeks says Aeromexico will be the only airline in the world offering nonstop service on each of the three pairs.

The Points Guy notes that the cities are strong Delta markets. Portland was once Delta's main gateway to Asia and it retains a large loyalty base there, although Alaska Airlines is now the dominant carrier. At Fort Lauderdale, Delta is the largest network carrier, second only to market leader JetBlue.

The Delta partnership and regulatory backdrop

Aeromexico and Delta operate an immunised joint venture that lets them coordinate schedules, pricing and capacity and share revenue on US-Mexico routes, according to both sources. AirlineGeeks adds that Delta owns a 20% stake in Aeromexico. The Points Guy says Delta SkyMiles members receive reciprocal benefits on Aeromexico flights and can earn and redeem points.

The Points Guy places the announcement against a tense regulatory background. It reports that US authorities could downgrade Mexico's aviation safety rating to Category 2 as soon as February 2027. The rating assesses a country's regulator and safety regime rather than any individual airline. If it happened, Mexican carriers would be barred from adding new US flights but could keep existing schedules, while US airlines' ability to serve Mexico would be unchanged. The outlet notes that Volaris has also announced new US routes since August, to Boston, Nashville, Raleigh-Durham and Washington Dulles.

The same report says a court ruled in August that the Delta-Aeromexico joint venture could continue, and that the US Department of Transportation lifted its restrictions on Mexican airlines adding US flights from Mexico City earlier in October.

What this means for travellers

• Passengers in Orange County, Fort Lauderdale and Portland will have a nonstop option to Mexico City for the first time, with no direct competitor on the routes.
• Delta customers can connect through Mexico City on the joint venture and earn and redeem SkyMiles on Aeromexico flights.
• Daily 737 MAX 8 flights include Premier Class and AM Plus cabins as well as Economy.

Neither source gives fares or flight times, and it is not yet known whether the schedules will be affected by any change to Mexico's safety rating.

Sources: The Points Guy, AirlineGeeks.