Delta makes major Mexican moves

Cities across Mexico could soon be saying bienvenidos to Delta Air Lines as the carrier mounts a major push south.

By June, Delta plans to have a dozen new transborder routes, subject to approval from the Mexican government. If, as expected, the routes are okayed, what happens next will be the largest expansion into Mexico in Delta’s storied history.

The timeline is as follows:

- February 18, Cincinnati (CVG) to Los Cabos
- February 26, Atlanta (ATL) to Merida
- March 4, New York JFK to Puerto Vallarta
- March 8, Salt Lake City (SLC) to Mazatlan
- March 11, JFK to Acapulco
- April 5, ATL to Acapulco
- April 8, JFK to Los Cabos
- April 12, ATL to Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa
- June 1, CVG to Cancun
- June 3, JFK to Cozumel

Delta started the transborder momentum in 2005 when it launched services from Atlanta to Puerto Vallarta, added another flight in each direction between Atlanta and Guadalajara, and a lay in on a third daily nonstop between Atlanta and Mexico City.

The airline is capitalizing on three trends: growing business between the United States and Mexico; lots of families traveling between the two countries; and, finally, the nonstop demand for more cheap seats to affordable North American resort destinations.

The new flights mean that Delta can lay claim to offering the second-largest number of destinations to Central and South America from the United States, as well as operating the second-largest southeastern gateway to the Caribbean. Miami, dominated by American Airlines, is first. Atlanta is second.

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler