US Airlines Rethink Plans for Cancun, Cozumel Routes

Many U.S. airlines are postponing plans for new service to resort destinations in Mexico because of hurricane-related damage. Some carriers plan to sit out an entire year on certain routes.

USA 3000, citing hurricane-related damage in Cancun and Cozumel and the “resulting scarcity of available hotel rooms,” told the Department of Transportation it is postponing the relaunch of seasonal service from Detroit and St. Louis to Cozumel until December 15, skipping this winter season.

USA 3000 also told the DOT it no longer plans to operate service from Baltimore and St. Louis to Puerto Vallarta, which were markets it had planned to debut this winter, and from Washington Dulles to Cancun, which was a market slated for launch this summer.

Cancun is a big market for the airline, and Trevor Sadler, USA 3000´s director of sales and marketing, said the airline has not abandoned it. USA 3000 is still flying into Cancun from most of its markets, although at a slightly reduced level.

Spirit, citing “extensive damage to tourism facilities,” told the DOT it plans to start Tampa-Cancun service around June 30, more than seven months later than it originally planned.

Similarly, the Orlando-Cancun service Spirit had planned to start last December and the Dallas-Cancun service it had hoped to start in February have both been pushed back to the end of the year.

US Airways said it plans to resume Pittsburgh-Cancun service in late May or in June and Philadelphia-Cozumel in December.