becket5

My wife and I are flying MIA-MEX-ACA on a coach award. We are both PLT and would normally have access to the AC in MEX. Is this still the case if the MEX-ACA segment is on Mexicana? We have a 6 hour layover so it would make a major difference to the quality of the overall journey.

georgehf

Technically, no. You have to be connecting to a Oneworld operated flight. It's always worth a try though.
You should get it in MIA on the way there and in MEX on the return.

JDiver

Generally, I believe yes, because you have access to available Admirals Clubs the day of international travel (which includes MEX, but not other Mexican airports.) So, you have access to the Admirals Club in Miami, prior to departure, and should in Mexico City after arrival (which coincidentally happens to be prior to departure for Acapulco) due to your same day departure from MIA to MEX. As you say, normally you would have access - and this time is no different, just because you fly out on MX later doesn't affect that.

AA says *AAdvantage Executive Platinum® and AAdvantage Platinum® members must be departing on a oneworld operated/marketed flight that day. Excludes AAdvantage members traveling on solely North American itineraries. North America is defined as U.S. (including Hawaii and Alaska), Canada, Mexico (except Mexico City), Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

As a similar example, I use the Flagship Lounge in ORD on the same basis if I fly BRU-ORD-SFO as an EXP; you would have access to the ORD AC as a Platinum - even though you are not departing ORD that day on a oneworld international flight you would have departed BRU on AA.

Check the Admirals Club Admit Policies for details.

The small challenge is you will have to process Migración and may be required to return airside on the domestic (southern) side of Benito Juarez International Airport and may not have physical access to the Admirals Club - though I am an AC member and have had no problem accessing the Admirals Club when flying through on domestic (Click! Mexicana or Mexicana) flights, it requires some walking (no problem, with six hours, I suspect!)

If you have an AMEX Gold or higher card, the Club American Express Centurión is open to you as well.

AAJetMan

I love to walk inside MEX and have had success all but once in passing from the international to the domestic portion of the airport, even though my ticket was int'l. And even that one time that I was not granted passage, I tried back about an hour later w/ different staff present and they let me through. So the modus operandi is to park my backpacks at the AC, grab a snack, and start walking the airport.

Mormik

Take a taxi (from the taxi stand at the far end of the airport) to go downtown to Zona Rosa or La Condesa for a few hours to eat, drin kqand sightsee. It is only 20 - 30 minutes by taxi and costs about 240 pesos ($24).
Much better use of time than the small AC in MEX.

PapiTheWriter

I have been able to use the AC in MEX several times, just show them your MIA boarding pass and that should do it.

Peace!

JDiver

You could also hop to a MX counter and see if they can accommodate you on an earlier flight. Juarez International vs. Acapulco... a nice beachside sierra mackerel ceviche and ice cold Bohemia trumps the AC any day.

abk

if you want a nice meal, bice opened up just across the street at the airport camino real.

ESpen36

Yes, the trick is to make sure you get processed through Migración at the "Zone 1" station (for travelers arriving from North America and Europe), NOT Zone 2 (for travelers arriving from Central/South America). The former allows you to exit from Migración back onto the international corridor where the AC is located; the latter does not.

becket5

Thanks for all the excellent advice. Much appreciated.

Efrem

This is one of those nuance issues that keep popping up: is it any day on which you are traveling internationally, including the day of arrival; just the day of an international departure (would still be OK here, MEX isn't an overnight destination), or just at the airport from which you have a oneWorld departure that is part of an international itinerary? Different versions of the rules lead to different conclusions, even without taking into account the possibility of translation into Spanish, which may be imperfect and may reflect the opinions of the translator as much as the original intent of the English version.

That said, I've been admitted to the MEX AC under similar circumstances.

HeadInTheClouds

Just a small note to advise people that may not have gone through here recently that there is a lot of construction going on that has eliminated the entry to the lounge area at the old "H" door next to the Immigration checkpoint. It looks like they are creating some sort of isolated corridor blocked off with glass where the moving walkways were located. Currently, you can still get through via the entry that takes you up the staircase and through the duty free area by the security checkpoints, and then back down on the other side (in other words, it's a pain - especially if you are popping over from the domestic side of the airport). But given the scope of what they're doing, it is possible that there may be further changes down the road.

ESpen36

Uh oh....sounds like MEX is in the process of installing sterile international arrivals.

HeadInTheClouds

That was definitely what I thought when I saw it. It reminded me of all the work they did in MTY recently that accomplished the same thing.

Spiff

That would suck. I love the free-for-all that is MEX.