Programs: MSP raised, TUS resident; CO/NW Elite since age 17 :)
Posts: 4,863
Do you know that once upon a time FT had its own AeroCalifornia forum??? I became quite scizofrenic in there--- carrying on discussions with myself. No one else ever posted about JR.
They were partnered with AA waaaaay back, but now their program is stand-alone--- no US partners, no Mexican parters.... only JR.
Where are you planning to fly?? Aerocalifornia's route structure is generally like this: imagine about 12 daily flights from Mexico City to Tijuana. Each flight stops in a different city or two en route. The result is nonstop service from MEX to about every major city north and west of MEX, and from each of these cities into TIJ. Sprinkle in a few short hops across the Gulf of California, some random connecting flights from MEX to eastern places like Veracruz and Ciudad Victoria, plus international service into Los Angeles and Tucson. That, in a nutshell, is Aerocalifornia.
The following website doesn't belong to JR, but they can help you see JR-specific schedules.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Viajero Joven: Do you know that once upon a time FT had its own AeroCalifornia forum??? I became quite scizofrenic in there--- carrying on discussions with myself. No one else ever posted about JR.
They were partnered with AA waaaaay back, but now their program is stand-alone--- no US partners, no Mexican parters.... only JR. </font>
I did know that there was a forum--but only cause I searched right before I posted and found you talking to yourself
I thought I remembered JR with AA; good to know that my memory is OK, even though it's not current.
Was looking at LAX-MEX-GDL in some combination and they were cheapest and convenient. But the trip has changed so now it's moot.
Thanks for the info, though! <and sorry to have missed you in Palm Springs>
AeroCalifornia, JR has a very big route network in Mexico. They have been expanding east and now they cover most of the country. As Viajero Joven said, they don´t have a partner in the US anymore and they have a stand alone program.
There is a web site for JR in Germany (weird but true) so if anyone is interested here it is:
Actually, I don't live in Mexico any more but still have some JR timetables, since my mother is a very good JR customer. She lives in Puerto Vallarta and travels to Mexico City twice a month... Since she buys her tickets one or two days in advance, JR is the only one with good fares for that much time, so she sticks to them. The good thing is that JR flights to PVR are on a DC9-32 HK3, since they continue to LAX.
About Air Pass, they are available for international customers. I don't know the rules for them, but you can call JR and ask...
If you want to fly JR, the do this big promos of 50% off any ticket any place they fly. The promo runs for 5 days and the schedule this promo every three to five months...
Programs: MSP raised, TUS resident; CO/NW Elite since age 17 :)
Posts: 4,863
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Rojo: About Air Pass, they are available for international customers. I don't know the rules for them, but you can call JR and ask...
If you want to fly JR, the do this big promos of 50% off any ticket any place they fly. The promo runs for 5 days and the schedule this promo every three to five months...
</font>
Yeah, the airpass wouldn't work for someone from the US. Oh well.
Re. 50% off deal, that's good to know. Too bad they don't have a website to announce it....
The government mandate is temporary but ensures Aerocalifornia will miss out on 2 busy busy travel weeks-- easily the most busy weeks outside of Christmas. Interestingly, I would bet that not a single federal worker will do any inspections during the holiday week, but the plans will sit idle.
Some may recall TAESA, which had a temporary closure imposed on them immediately before the Christmas rush. They were allowed to fly a couple weeks later, after the rush had passed and they had to pay Aeromexico and Mexico for accommodating their passengers. TAESA closed its doors shortly thereafter.
Gotta love competition in Mexico. :-/ I hope JR pulls through this--- it's by far the most established "lower fare" airline in Mexico.
Meixican aviation authorities are known for late intervention, rather than being proactive. In all fairness to them, the article does say (in part):
"The government grounded the low-cost airline on Sunday following a two-week review of the company's operations, which discovered that the Aerocalifornia was cannibalizing parts from decommissioned planes, among other safety concerns.
'The problem has escalated to a higher category of deterioration,' said Gilberto Lopez, head of aviation for Mexico's Communications and Transport Ministry, at a press conference.
...The company couldn't verify how long some parts had been used in various planes and couldn't demonstrate that employees — ranging from mechanics to pilots — had received the proper training, he said.
"Due to the conditions encountered, it wasn't possible to guarantee the security of the company's operations in a sustainable way," Lopez said.
If Aerocalifornia can't correct most of the deficiencies and "reconstruct practically all of its system," the government will start the process of revoking its operating license, he said.
Beyond the ongoing costs of maintaining its fleet, Lopez added that "it will require a big investment to restructure the airline."
...Other airlines are offering Aerocalifornia customers tickets at a discounted price, averaging 500 pesos ($58).
...The suspension follows several inspections by federal authorities beginning more than a year ago, when the airline was instructed to make a series of changes to improve operations.
...Passengers were quoted by Los Angeles TV stations Sunday as saying they had boarded airplanes and then were suddenly told to get off. They said some passengers received refunds but others did not."
Frankly, scary and something for passengers to be thankful for, rather than be upset that a LCC has been temporarily grounded. Inconvenient, yes, but... better than after a plane goes down. Kudos to the other airlines for trying to be of help in this situation. If JR manage to come up with a believable plan and investors to back it, we may see more of them - otherwise, it wil indeed be "Adios, Aerocalifornia."
Programs: MSP raised, TUS resident; CO/NW Elite since age 17 :)
Posts: 4,863
I can't help but consider that the timing of this covers the very busy Semana Santa period (think Thanksgiving-type loads) and wonder if the government could have made their findings in, say, January, and given JR a couple of slower season months to resolve things.
It's like a flower shop being shut down for Valentines Day and Mothers Day. Yeah, there are 363 days remaining in the year, but those two days are so vital to the year-long earnings.
I can't help but consider that the timing of this covers the very busy Semana Santa period (think Thanksgiving-type loads) and wonder if the government could have made their findings in, say, January, and given JR a couple of slower season months to resolve things.
It's like a flower shop being shut down for Valentines Day and Mothers Day. Yeah, there are 363 days remaining in the year, but those two days are so vital to the year-long earnings.
Here is a listing of other low cost carriers currently operating in México.
Avolar www.avolar.com.mx
(Services include Acapulco, Colima, Cuernavaca, Hermosillo, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tepic, Tijuana, Uruapan, Zihuatanejo, etc. but not MEX - it appears with legacy 737s; website in Spanish, English pending.)
ABC Interjet www.interjet.com.mx
(Acapulco, Cancún, Cd. del Carmen, Guadalajara, Leon, Monterrey, Tampico and Veracruz from Toluca, as Mexico City; website in Spanish only.)
click Mexicana (mostly MX flight numbers) www.clickmx.com
(Hub is Mexico City / MEX, serves a wide network of MX and former QA destinations, including La Habana, Cuba, with former Aerocaribe's F100s; website in Spanish only.)
Volaris www.volaris.com.mx
(Serving Mexico City with a free shuttle from Santa Fé / Mexico City to the Toluca hub and Cancún, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Tijuana only, using A319s; website in Spanish only.)
)
Sorry...... I guess when you've done a bunch of Mexico and Central America milk runs (vs. LAN F non stop) you pick up a bit of knowledge. 
