Thank you to all for the great advise! This community is a wealth of informaton. It sounds like we should be okay showing up 45 -60 min. prior to departure and using the first class check-in. Also, there are a couple of different lounge options and if we get lucky we may be able to buy an upgrade at check-in.

However, does anyone know about the carry-on policies?
Will they let me have a rollerboard and a briefcase? Mexiacana said that they only allow 1 piece of cabin baggage upto 22 lbs.