Mazatlán Flights From the US and Canada for 2023

Travel

Dec 29

Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos in Mexico are our most frequent international destinations – we’ve been approximately twenty times since 2009, and in recent years usually two or three times annually. Unfortunately, the flight options to Mazatlán, especially the direct ones, remain limited. That refers not just to the number of cities from which you can fly, but also to the number of flights per day.

For example, there are no direct flights to Sinaloa from the US east of Minneapolis (to the north) or Houston (to the south). Furthermore, while there seem to be more options from Canada than you’d expect, many of them are seasonal.

Here’s the basic flight map:

Commercial flights to/from Mazatlan airport 2023

US Options

To get to the lakes from the US in a minimal amount of time, you’re likely going to have to depart from or transit a major hub – LAX, DFW, PHX, MSP. Here are the options for 2023:

Chart listing direct flights from the United States to Mazatlan

Canadian Options

Somewhat surprisingly, Canada has more direct flight options to/from Mazatlán than the United States, although most of them are aimed at snowbirds, not anglers. They only travel on certain days of the week and are entirely seasonal, with many of them ceasing in January. Here are the current options:

Chart listing flights from Canada to Mazatlan

Notes

Be sure to continue to monitor the airlines for your particular departure city or cities. As Mazatlán continues to revitalize its appeal as a destination for general tourism, more options may arise.
Expect to get flight changes emailed to you. That’s reality in this day and age – if you book six months out, you may get two or three emails altering your schedule. The changes could be just a few minutes or they could be enough to mess up your travel entirely.
Some flight options have made it unlikely or impossible to make the trip in a single day – or may leave Mazatlán late enough to require that you take a redeye to get home without overnight in an intermittent city.
We almost always fly American on our trips, and generally through Dallas. I don’t have proof of it, but it seems like the DFW/MZT and MZT/DFW flights get altered more than the connection through Phoenix. The trade off is that that the Dallas flight arrives earlier in the day. If you’re going to get in a half day of fishing upon arrival, it’s a better (but potentially riskier) bet. Remember, Picachos is a little bit less than an hour from MZT and El Salto is a little bit less than two hours – if everything goes smoothly at baggage claim and customs, it’ll still be tight in the winter months when days are shorter.
In the past, Interjet and Volaris have had direct flights from Dallas.
The Tijuana options listed above are typically quite inexpensive — they require travelers to walk across the border, take a cab to the San Diego airport, and then fly home from there as necessary.
If you’re going to fly on Delta or a Delta partner, especially from Atlanta, you’re likely going to have to go through Mexico City. We’ve only taken that route once and the airport is huge and potentially overwhelming. We’ve heard multiple horror stories – not telling you to avoid it at all costs, but just to be aware that it may be a challenge.
No matter which airline you’re flying, and from where, check their baggage rules ahead of time, especially if you’re bringing a rod tube.
Global Entry may save your bacon on the way home, especially if you have a tight connection time at your entry point back into the US.