American Airlines: Some Good News for Anglers Headed to Mexico?

It’s been a tough couple of years for the airlines, and even worse for anglers headed to Mexico. Between route reshuffling, delays and cancellations, no trip is safe, and few have been easy. Our trips to Mazatlán to fish were already limited by the dearth of routes and times, but it’s gotten worse. As the primary carrier to that locale, American Airlines has taken the brunt of the blame, fairly or not. 

There may be a slight bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Per this article from Simple Flying, “[b]y April 2022, American Airlines will have a 28% growth in overall presence in Mexico, compared to 2019 levels, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Expanded service to Puerto Vallarta and Cancun may not help traveling bass anglers, but some of the other steps they’re taking might. 

For example, American will now serve Culiacan, a city that is the gateway to several Mexican lakes but not necessarily an easy one to access without making another stop in Mexico. Hanna and I flew there when we fished Lake Mateos in 2010. We had to go from BWI (not our closest airport) to Phoenix to Hermosillo to Culiacan before driving to the lake. It was a full-day affair. Now that route might be shortened. 

Perhaps more importantly for those heading to El Salto and Picachos, starting in March, American will substantially increase the capacity of its flights to Phoenix. Instead of Embraer E175 planes, they’ll use Airbus A319s. The former plane seats 76 and the latter plane seats 128. The three-on-each-side configuration also provides larger overhead storage and less likelihood that your rod tube will be bumped due to embargoes. It’s unclear how, if at all, this will impact pricing, or whether it may alter the number of flights or the time of day. We will continue to watch for updates and report back.