 |
Mexicana
Airlines
Compa??a Mexicana de Aviaci?n, S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Mexicana, was
the first airline established in Mexico. Today, in addition to domestic
services, it is the country's largest international airline in terms of most
passengers transported, operating services to North America, Central
America, the Caribbean, South America and Europe. As well Mexico's Flag
Carrier. Its primary hub is Mexico City's Benito Juarez International
Airport, with hubs at Canc?n International Airport, and Guadalajara's Don
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport.[1]
Mexicana's main competitor is Aerom?xico, although the two companies
"code-share" on several routes and were merged for more than a decade. It is
North America's oldest airline and the world's third oldest airline
operating under the same name, after the Netherlands' KLM and Colombian's
Avianca.
The airline joined Star Alliance in 2000, but left the alliance and joined
Oneworld on November 10, 2009
How to get a ticket of Mexicana Airline?
It is very easy to purchase an airline ticket from the Mexicana. The web site of Mexicana is very easy to navigate Just Click exicana chose your dates and destination and start the search once you the a flight that suits you click on "Select" and the next screen will show you the airfares. Chose the fare that suits you and continue to puchase the ticket.
The airfares offerred on Mexicana Web site are cheaper than travel agents and also cheaper than the fares offerred directly at the counter.
Chronological History of Mexicana Airlines
Mexicana in 1920s
The "Mexicana" brand name was established on July 12, 1921, by American residents in Mexico L.A. Winship and Harry J. Lawson when the Compa??a Mexicana de Transportaci?n A?rea, S.A. (roughly "Mexican Air Transport Company" in English), (CMTA) was awarded the Mexico City to Tampico route by the Mexican government. The purpose was to transport wages to the oil fields near Tampico, on the Gulf of Mexico. Mexicana's first aircraft type was the Lincoln Standard, a two-seat biplane, starting operations with two airplanes of the type. The 1920s were groundbreaking times for the airline, with air mail service being established and other services like aerial photography being undertaken.
William Mallory and George Rihl headed Compa??a Mexicana de Aviaci?n ("Mexican Aviation Company" or "Mexican Airline Company"), a competitor to CMTA; they acquired the latter's assets in 1924[3] and the company that emerged is the one that exists to this day. In 1925 Sherman Fairchild purchased a 20% stake in the Mexican airline introducing Fairchild FC2 airplanes in 1928. In February 1929, Juan Trippe of Pan Am took over the majority of the airline's stock, and the company opened its first international route, with service to the United States. Mexicana used the Ford Trimotor plane to operate the Mexico City-Tuxpan-Tampico-Brownsville, Texas, USA, route. Charles Lindbergh piloted the first flight on this route.
Mexicana in 1930s
The 1930s saw route expansion and service improvement. Mexicana opened a route from Brownsville to Guatemala City, stopping over at Veracruz, Minatitl?n, Ixtepec and Tapachula. In addition, flights were started to El Salvador, Costa Rica and Cuba, and the association with Pan Am gave them access to Nicaragua and Panama too, through Pan Am's Miami base. (Pan Am had undertaken flights from Mexico City to Miami.) Mexicana also became then the first foreign airline ever to fly to Los Angeles when it began flights on January 3, 1936. The fleet expanded during that decade, as eight Fairchild FC2s and three Fokker F.10s were incorporated.
Mexicana in 1940s
The 1940s were primarily a period of domestic growth, although service was established from Mexico City to Havana. Routes were opened to Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, and M?rida. Additionally, a night flight to Los Angeles was established. The M?rida flights also operated at night. Mexicana initially used Douglas DC-2s for these flights but, as time went on, larger aircraft, such as the Douglas DC-3s, were acquired and, later, Douglas DC-4s. The DC-3s were known as El Palacio A?reo (The Air Palace) for their luxury and comfort. The DC-4 allowed Mexicana to offer non-stop service on the Mexico City to Los Angeles route. By this decade, Mexicana was able to create a certified pilots' school in Mexico City.
Mexicana in 1950s
The 1950s saw the airline's growth slow, but Douglas DC-6s were welcomed to the fleet, and a flight attendant school was opened. The DC-6s were put to work on the Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City to Oaxaca routes. Service to San Antonio, Texas was initiated later in the decade.
Mexicana in 1960s
In the 1960s, four De Havilland Comets were bought and Mexicana entered the jet age on July 4, 1960 with the first jet service between Mexico City and Los Angeles (One of which is being restored by Seattle's Museum of Flight.) At this point, Mexicana was still a Pan American Airways subsidiary and these Comets were intended to replace Pan American's Boeing 707s should this type not fulfill the expectations of Pan American's owner, Juan Trippe. Despite its use of technologically advanced aircraft types, competition was stiff. By the late 1960s, the company faced bankruptcy. Amidst the difficulties, the airline received its first Boeing 727.
The difficult times brought about a change in the airline's administration and on January 15, 1968, Mexican Crescencio Ballesteros, took over as chairman.[3] Manuel Sosa de la Vega was appointed as President and CEO. The new administration implemented strategic plans and the airline was able to recover from its economic problems soon after.
Despite its economic revival, 1969 was a difficult year for the airline as it lost two Boeing 727 jets. The first occurred in bad weather on a flight from Mexico City to Monterrey. The second occurred on an international flight between Chicago and Mexico City.
Mexicana in 1970s
In 1971, Mexicana started flights to Luis Mu?oz Mar?n International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a route it would maintain for more than 25 years without interruption, and to Denver, Colorado. The jet fleet kept expanding and eventually consisted of 19 jets, the largest jet fleet in Latin America at the time. They also started a flight simulator service with a 727 simulator at their hub in Mexico City International Airport. By this time Mexicana had the largest fleet of 727s outside the USA.
Mexicana in 1980s
A Mexicana Boeing 727 flying over a radar facility at Los Angeles International Airport in 1986During the 1980s, Mexicana's growth was static. However, a few events touched the company. In 1981, three DC-10-15s were received and began making their way through the airline's Caribbean routes. This was the first "wide-body" aircraft type Mexicana ever operated and was intended for use on high-density routes. In 1982, the Mexican government acquired 58% of the airline and re-privatized it in August 1989.[3][4] In 1984, construction was completed on the company's new corporate headquarters, a building 30 stories tall meant to resemble an air traffic control tower, on Xola Avenue in Mexico City. In March 1986, tragedy struck, as a Boeing 727, Mexicana Flight 940, en route to Puerto Vallarta suddenly caught fire and crashed in the mountains of western Mexico, killing everyone on board. This is the most recent fatal accident involving a Mexicana aircraft. In 1988, Aeronaves de Mexico (AeroMexico), Mexicana's closest rival, declared bankruptcy. Consequently, Mexicana took over some of AeroMexico's longer flights during the 1990s, including flights to Canada and South America.
Mexicana in 1990s
For Mexicana, the 1990s kept bringing changes. The Mexican airline industry was deregulated, which allowed new competitors to form. Seeking to remain competitive and modern, the airline incorporated European-built Airbus A320s in 1991 and Dutch Fokker F100s in 1992. In 1993, a reorganized AeroM?xico took over as the company struggled financially. During the mid-1990s, the Mexican economy was hard-hit by the devaluation of the Mexican peso and Mexicana, AeroM?xico, and their regional affiliates were nationalized when their parent company, CINTRA (Corporaci?n Internacional de Transporte Aereo), was taken over by the government. The airlines remained in their merged state until 2005. As happened in 1967, a new management team was hired, this time headed by President and CEO, Fernando Flores. The company was reorganized and rationalized, with a new emphasis placed on international service. Unprofitable routes were cut and the DC-10s were retired. The airline ventured deep into South America by adding flights to Lima, Peru, Santiago de Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina and further into North America, adding flights to Montreal, Canada. To operate these new and longer routes, the airline leased Boeing 757s, a medium-sized jet that is more modern and smaller than the DC-10 and better suited to the airline's needs at the time. Another aspect of this reorganization involved the creation of alliances. It was part of the regional alliances, LatinPass and Alas de America, and later formed an alliance with United Airlines. This latter alliance brought Mexicana into the network of global alliances, as it eventually led the airline into the Star Alliance. Recognizing the usefulness and importance of the Internet, the airline launched a website meant to promote its service and eventually included a reservation center, allowing potential passengers another option for purchasing tickets. Also around this time, Mexicana adopted a new color scheme, with assorted colors on each tail of the planes.
Mexicana in 1995-2005
In 1995, Mexicana was merged with AeroM?xico as a part of CINTRA. In 1996, the old assorted color scheme was dropped in favor of just the green tail with white on the majority of the plane and the word "Mexicana" in black letters. In the 2000s, Mexicana had continued to grow. It celebrated its 80th anniversary in July 2001, just before the terrorist attacks of September 11 sent worldwide aviation into a tailspin. Nevertheless, the airline continues to evolve. It officially joined the Star Alliance in 2000 amid much fanfare, only to exit in March 2004 in response to rapidly changing market conditions related to United Airlines bankruptcy, and the aftershocks of sept-11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The current CEO, Emilio Romano, has stated in the airline's in-flight magazine, VUELO, that the airline left the alliance to pursue more effective code-sharing relationships with other airlines. Simultaneously, the airline created an alliance with American Airlines and several oneworld Alliance partner leading some to speculate whether the airline will join that alliance. Nevertheless, it has maintained ties to some of its former Star Alliance partners, such as Lufthansa. In 2003, the airline retired the remaining Boeing 727 after operating the type for almost 40 years. These aircraft were replaced with newer A320, A319, and A318 types. Thus, the airline, once an important Boeing Company operator, is now an important Airbus Industry airline, although it still operates one Boeing aircraft. Notably, the airline's long haul operations are conducted by Boeing 767s, the latter type introduced in December 2003, although fleet renewal plans may see long haul operations taken over by Airbus types and the Boeing 757s were phased out of the fleet.
Mexicana in 2005
2005 was an important year for Mexicana as the airline was sold and several low cost carriers were established in Mexico to compete with AeroM?xico and Mexicana. For its part, Mexicana rebranded its regional subsidiary, AeroCaribe, as "Click Mexicana" and promotes it as a low cost carrier. This is part of the company's plan to remain competitive as the aviation industry changes and competition intensifies. Another component of this plan includes increasing its international presence. Also, the color scheme was changed again to a dark blue tail and blue lettering on a white background.
Sale ofMexicana
Despite government announcements indicating that the airlines were going to be privatized, that move did not occur until November 29, 2005, when CINTRA sold Mexicana and its subsidiary, Click Mexicana, to the Mexican hotel chain Grupo Posadas for USD$165.5 million. The road to privatization was long and winding. The government reversed its course on several occasions. At times, it proposed to sell Mexicana and AeroM?xico separately; other times, it proposed to sell them together to increase the bid price. It also proposed to sell the companies merged, but separate from their regional affiliates to increase competition. Several companies expressed interest in purchasing one or both of the airlines. For example, Iberia Airlines of Spain announced it had plans to buy part of both Mexicana and Aerom?xico. However Mexicana's owners rejected the offer possibly because another Iberia-owned Latin-American airline, Viasa of Venezuela, had gone bankrupt under Iberia's ownership. Further, Aerol?neas Argentinas had previously rejected a similar offer by Iberia.
Mexicana in 2006-2007
Former Mexicana logo used fom 1998-2008On July 12, 2006 Mexicana announced that it intends to begin service to several new destinations in the United States: Seattle, Detroit, Charlotte. It intended to return to Puerto Rico, but the service came back only as a charter operation. It is also negotiating with the state of Arkansas officials to begin service to Little Rock National Airport. Mexicana is named "Best Airline in Latin America" in 2006 and "Best business in Central and Latin America".
Mexicana in 2008
On 9 April 2008, Oneworld invited Mexicana to join the alliance and the airline is expected to join the alliance on 11 November 2009, together with its two subsidiaries MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink, thus adding 26 destinations to the network.[5] Iberia is sponsoring Mexicana's invitation to the Oneworld alliance. Mexicana will compete with SkyTeam members AeroMexico and Copa Airlines (possibly to be a Star Alliance member because of the Continental Airlines' move to that alliance) and Star Alliance potential member TACA and member TAM for US and Europe service to Latin America. Mexicana will start new international flights to the US, Europe and Brazil to better leverage its position.
In October 2008, Mexicana announced the introduction of three additional destinations, by serving London's secondary airport (Gatwick), S?o Paulo (Brazil) and Orlando (US). Service commenced Dec/08 for S?o Paulo (GRU) and Orlando (MCO), followed by London (LGW) in Jan/09. With this service expansion, Mexicana becomes the second Mexican airline with service to Europe and Brazil (Aeromexico has long established service to Paris, Madrid, Rome and Barcelona in Europe, and S?o Paulo in Brazil), and first with service to the United Kingdom. Mexicana will compete on the basis of lower prices with British Airways, albeit BA's flight serves London's premier airport (Heathrow). Except for Orlando which will be operated with a medium range Airbus 320, London and S?o Paulo will be operated with 2 leased Boeing 767-200ER. In addition, Mexicana announced a Mexico City to Madrid route to compete with Aeromexico and compliment its partner's (Iberia) existing service. Mexicana has announced that it will begin service to Madrid beginning in Feb/09 through the acquisition of 2 Airbus A330-200 not taken by XL due to bankruptcy. These aircraft types are well suited for medium-density, long-range travel. The company also unveiled the new colorful livery on November 27, along with "Mexicana Click" brand new name for Click Mexicana.
Mexicana in 2009
On 4 February 2009, Mexicana has won a concession to operate a new feeder
airline that will complement the routes currently covered by Mexicana and
Mexicana Click.[6]. The new airline will be called MexicanaLink and will operate
in lower density routes to feed mainline operations from Guadalajara's
international airport. The airline will fly Canadian Regional Jets (Bombardier
CRJ) aircraft.
Also in February 2009, Mexicana applied to the US Department of Transportation to initiate daily, non-stop service between Guadalajara, Jalisco and New York utilizing either an Airbus A319 or the larger Airbus A320. On the 25 of February Mexicana joined the Airbus MRO network evaluating the Airbus A350 as it looks to further expand its new long-haul network.
Mexicana officially joins the Oneworld Alliance on November 10, 2009. It is a former member of the Star Alliance, which it left in 2004.
Mexicana in 2010
Mexicana will take delivery of two A330-200 to start replacing the current
Boeing 767 fleet.
