U.S. lifts Mexico flight restrictions; McAllen hoping to grow

A photo of San Luis Potosi is framed on the wall in Liz Suarez’s office at the McAllen airport. There are some flight statistics printed on the perimeter, but none of that matters. The meaning of it does.



Direct flights from McAllen-Miller International to San Luis Potosi only lasted from November 2013 until Jan. 1, 2015. The route had just 30 percent or fewer of its seats filled on a monthly basis at the time, said Suarez, McAllen aviation director.

That McAllen-San Luis Potosi route was one of two international routes for McAllen, and Suarez said McAllen probably pulled the trigger a little too early — a BMW plant was announced for San Luis in 2014, but is not expected to begin production until 2019.

So Suarez keeps the San Luis Potosi photo framed on her wall as part motivation, part inspiration and part recognition. She doesn’t want to put too much into something without it panning out, but she doesn’t want to stop going for it.

The U.S. State Department lifted restrictions on flights between the U.S. and Mexico this month, a change expected to bring more options and possibly lower prices for travelers.

Mexico and the U.S. agreed in December to open their flight markets to each other’s carriers. Rules that had generally limited two or three airlines from each country to a particular route will vanish.

Suarez evaluates the restrictions lift in two important ways: It will reduce certain international fees and taxes and that airlines can fly to any destinations they want. Thomas Engle, from the State Department’s transportation wing, echoed Suarez’s thoughts.

How it will specifically affect McAllen is unclear just yet, but Suarez has been looking at several options. Not revealing specifics is typically an industry standard as to not give competitors an advantage.

Still, Suarez is looking at tourist and business destinations throughout Mexico. These flight restrictions will potentially lower prices because the big problem for expensive flights to Mexico is the international tax. Now, with more options for flights across the country, prices could possibly go down. Cancun and Los Cabos are typically the most popular tourist destinations for those flying to Mexico.

McAllen currently has direct flights nearly daily on Aeromar to Mexico City.

American, Delta and Southwest have already said they will offer new flights across the border later this year. United is monitoring the demand for flights and will then respond, a spokesman said.

American and United are the two large U.S. carriers that fly in and out of McAllen.

Suarez looks at potential routes in a unique way. She studies bus routes. Perhaps it was her 13 years in McAllen’s transportation department. She sees what routes are popular, where people are going, what the trends are.

But now, places don’t have to be as hyper-specific and careful with planning flights to Mexico.

“There are more opportunities now,” Suarez said, “to talk with a maximum number of people.”

(culled from www.themonitor.com)