Mexicana Renews Leisure Focus on Puerto Vallarta Route

Mexicana Airlines’ new nonstop flight between San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta, the carrier’s re-entry on the route after an absence of 17 years, is part of the airline’s strategy to get back to basics and make North American leisure travelers its top market segment.

The restructuring includes a renewed emphasis on North American leisure travel to Mexico, which made up 75 percent of Mexicana’s revenue in the 1970s. The carrier years ago moved away from the market and shifted to serving ethnic Hispanic travelers, according to Goytortua Bores.

The new strategy is part of parent company Grupo Mexicana’s decision to start domestic carrier Click Mexicana three years ago. “We’re leaving the domestic service to Click, so now we have the aircraft for more international flights,” Goytortua Bores said.

A year ago, Mexicana launched nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, a route that has been very successful, he said.

The new San Francisco flights to Puerto Vallarta started Dec. 3. They will operate four times a week using Airbus A320 single-aisle aircraft, configured with 12 passengers in business class and 138 in coach.

“This is only good news,” said Carol Fox, business development manager for Northern California for Gogo Worldwide Vacations. “There’s so much happening in Puerto Vallarta right now. ... People are going back to Puerto Vallarta to see what’s new.”

Nora Martinez, national sales manager for tour and travel groups for NH Krystal Puerto Vallarta, said the timing of the new air service is ideal. “It’s going to be a good time for Mexico because of the U.S. economy,” she said. “Americans are going to be looking at places where their dollar will go farther.”

The Puerto Vallarta connection is the second new Mexicana flight from San Francisco this year. On Nov. 1, Mexicana added a second daily flight to Mexico City, providing connections to Cancun, Ixtapa and other resort areas.