Hello from Miami, as I wrap up the first portion of my Latin America review trip! Let me say upfront that I made a major change to my trip routing, which I’ll address in a separate post — but trust me, you won’t be disappointed when you find out why… I hope! 😉
I just flew Aeromexico’s Boeing 737 MAX 9 business class on the 2hr50min flight from Mexico City (MEX) to Miami (MIA). I wanted to share my initial impressions of the experience, and then soon I’ll have a full trip report.
For a regional product in the Americas, Aeromexico’s Boeing 737 MAX business class is excellent. If you ask me, it’s just a little bit better than what you’d get on the “big three” US airlines on a comparable route.
In this post:
Aeromexico’s 737 MAX business class seats are comfortable
Aeromexico’s 737 MAXs have a total of 16 seats, spread across four rows, in a 2-2 configuration. The planes are equipped with a customized version of the Collins Aerospace MiQ seat, which should look familiar, as you’ll find this seat on many airlines (including American, for example).
Seats have a respectable 38″ of pitch (about an inch more than most US airlines) there are seat back televisions, and there’s even a little foot rest, which can help with getting comfortable.
Seats have AC power and USB-C outlets, and they’re located underneath the center armrest, where there’s also a bit of storage space.
I found this to be quite a competitive product for a regional flight. I also appreciated how there were pillows and blankets, which made it easier to get cozy.
Aeromexico’s 737 MAX entertainment & Wi-Fi are excellent
Aeromexico’s 737 MAXs have seat back entertainment at every seat, with business class monitors being a respectable 13″. The entertainment options were extensive, from movies, to TV shows, to music, to games. Aeromexico even offers bluetooth audio, so you pair your own headphones with the entertainment.
I also loved the map feature, which is what I had on for most of the flight.
Aeromexico has Viasat Wi-Fi on its Boeing 737 MAXs, and it’s reasonably priced. Free messaging is offered, and then a full flight pass with no data caps costs $8. That’s super reasonable pricing, and the connectivity speeds were excellent.
Aeromexico’s business class meals are tasty
Catering is another area where Aeromexico does a bit better than US airlines. For example, pre-departure drinks were served in proper glassware, with the choice of water or orange juice. That’s nicer than the plastic cups you get on US airlines.
Breakfast was then served on a tray, with the choice of an omelet or waffle. I ordered the omelet, which had goat cheese in it, and was served with a mild hot sauce, which I enjoyed. There was also a side of fruit, some greek yogurt, and a croissant. The coffee was also surprisingly drinkable.
As soon as the meal service wrapped up, the flight attendant came around with a snack basket containing snacks.
I thought the food quality was a bit better than what you’d get on most US airlines.
The only quirk with the service was that there was no initial drink service after takeoff. There was one flight attendant working business class, and an hour into the flight she passed through the cabin with the cart, containing both drinks and breakfast, so everything was served at once.
The service was efficient, and to the flight attendant’s credit, she was attentive and kept checking on passengers after the initial service. But still, I do think the service flown could be modified so that there’s first a round of drinks, and then the meal. That’s minor in the scheme of things, though.
Bottom line
I’m a fan of Aeromexico’s 737 MAX business class, as it offers comfortable seats, great entertainment and reasonably priced high-speed Wi-Fi, some nice amenities, and a tasty meal.
I tend to think that this product is a cut above what you’d get on American, Delta, and United, on comparable routes, and I’d choose Aeromexico again in the future.
While there are always exceptions, I love Mexico in general, from the friendliness of the people, to the food, to the geographic diversity. When someone has a bad experience, I think all too many people like to say “it’s Mexico, what did you expect?” That doesn’t reflect my experience, so I’m happy my Aeromexico onboard experience was good (unlike in the lounge), and I wouldn’t hesitate to fly with the airline again.
If you’ve flown Aeromexico’s 737 MAX business class, what was your experience like?
I flew them MEX-SFO earlier this month and was pleasantly surprised with the seat and food. The service wasn't great but acceptable. What struck me though is that they don't offer alcohol because a 10am-3pm flight is considered breakfast... At take-off it's maybe a bit early for a glass of wine, but by the time they bring the food, I would have enjoyed a glass of something.
Aeromexico also has decent tequila on board, I always have some to sip neat when I fly Aeromexico.
@BenSchlappig you said that the Aeromexico 737 has a "customized version of the Collins Aerospace MiQ seat" which is similar to what you'll find on other airlines, including American. Can you do a post on what airlines do to "customize" a seat, beyond the obvious selection of material/color/pattern for the seats themselves? For example, how is Aeromexico's Collins Aerospace MiQ seat different from that used by American, or anyone else? Thanks!
Have flown their max from PVR-MEX a few times, but no meal service. Too short of a flight. Otherwise no complaints in Business Class. Tip: In the future ask for your "favorite beverage" x 2 and they will gladly serve you up!
As a yank who has passable spanish but a more impressive accent, I enjoy flying on AM (usually). I don't know if that would be the case if I were the average yank.
@lucky - what's your Spanish capability and how do you think it's affected your experience?
As a yank who has passable spanish but a more impressive accent, I enjoy flying on AM (usually). I don't know if that would be the case if I were the average yank.
@lucky - what's your Spanish capability and how do you think it's affected your experience?
Also - your blog says the name field is optional but does make you enter something there. Honestly kinda scammy.
Sorry idk why this posted twice. My points stand though.
Are you planning on eventually trying Clase Premier on the 787-9? Maybe a MIA-EZE with Aerolineas Argentina followed by EZE-MEX with Aeromexico?
I flew Aeromexico in business from SFO-MEX once. I asked for a scotch straight up. The flight attendant brought me an 8oz glass filled with neat scotch. At that point I thought “I like this airline”
The problem is Aeromexico's product is so wildly inconsistent. Yes, pillows and blankets are nice. And yes, you may get this excellent product on a Mexico City-Miami route or a Monterey-Mexico City route but then you get a small regional jet on Detroit to Monterrey. That's a flight time of over 3 hours. Or you get a European-style blocked middle-seat business-class on Mexico City to Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta flights. They used to flight 787s...
The problem is Aeromexico's product is so wildly inconsistent. Yes, pillows and blankets are nice. And yes, you may get this excellent product on a Mexico City-Miami route or a Monterey-Mexico City route but then you get a small regional jet on Detroit to Monterrey. That's a flight time of over 3 hours. Or you get a European-style blocked middle-seat business-class on Mexico City to Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta flights. They used to flight 787s with lie-flat seats between New York and Mexico City. That's not the case (or not exclusively the case) anymore. I agree that I've had better than expected meals on Aeromexico, but the wine selection is awful. But then you fly a dinner time Mexico City to Orlando flight and there's no meal service.
100%! Inconsistent and unpredictable. I had a goat cheese tamale on one flight that was honestly one of the tastiest airplane meals I have ever had (easily in my top 5). I have also had food that was completely inedible, or a redeye "snack service" that was laughable. I have had multiple equipment swaps, including swapping the JFK route from 787 to a 737. And one MEX-AMS flight was switched the day before from a...
100%! Inconsistent and unpredictable. I had a goat cheese tamale on one flight that was honestly one of the tastiest airplane meals I have ever had (easily in my top 5). I have also had food that was completely inedible, or a redeye "snack service" that was laughable. I have had multiple equipment swaps, including swapping the JFK route from 787 to a 737. And one MEX-AMS flight was switched the day before from a 787-8 to 787-9 (definitely a downgrade in business class seat).
Is it? Looks pretty basic to me, and quite comparable to what you'll get on the big 3 US carriers. Those seats look paper thin.
@ lavanderialarry -- It's comparable, but a little bit better, in my opinion. A little more pitch, large entertainment screens with bluetooth audio, Viasat Wi-Fi, pillows and blankets, etc. It's certainly a bit better than American, and Delta and United have a ton of inconsistency when it comes to their narrow body product.
Furthermore, looking at other traffic flows in the Americas, this is better than Copa's standard 737 business class, and Avianca and LATAM...
@ lavanderialarry -- It's comparable, but a little bit better, in my opinion. A little more pitch, large entertainment screens with bluetooth audio, Viasat Wi-Fi, pillows and blankets, etc. It's certainly a bit better than American, and Delta and United have a ton of inconsistency when it comes to their narrow body product.
Furthermore, looking at other traffic flows in the Americas, this is better than Copa's standard 737 business class, and Avianca and LATAM only have premium economy.
@BenSchlappig, LATAM has lie down seats in some of their US-South America routes e.g. LAX-LIM, LAX-GRU