Today’s reader review is by regular contributor Jason about his trip to Mexico City – Sao Paulo in Aeromexico B787 business class. Look out for his return journey on LATAM soon as well.
In this post:
AM014. Dep 20:15. 8hr50min. Boeing 787-9
Check-in
Aeromexico predominantly uses terminal two at Mexico City along with most of its SkyTeam partner airlines. There is a Premium check-in zone to check in and we were issued our boarding passes within minutes. Although there is no priority security checkpoint the wait was minimal and with no outbound immigration formalities at MEX, we were from kerb to airside within around fifteen minutes.
Lounge
The poorest aspect of the journey. I had read reviews online in advance so was managing my expectations but oh dear. Awful. A very crowded and dark room with no windows and very limited food and beverage options. If you had ever been in one of the American Airlines domestic ‘Admirals Clubs’ in the early 2000’s you would get the picture.
A tended bar with a few alcoholic options for free, the rest chargeable. A few packaged snacks with an additional menu with some hot items for purchase. Bearing in mind this is the airline’s hub it is a really poor show. As a comparison, the Aspire Lounge at Liverpool Airport I had used a couple weeks before felt luxurious compared to Aeromexico’s ‘flagship’ lounge at its hub. Suffice to say, we were at the departure gate well ahead of time.
Boarding & pre take off
Mexico is still observing COVID protocols onboard aircraft, so it was masks on for boarding and the duration of the journey.
Boarding was a very orderly affair by group numbers and commenced bang on time. Aeromexico uses their 787-9 on this route which is a huge step up from the 787-8 (which is on the MEX – LHR route). The 787-9 has an all-aisle access 1-2-1 configuration, the 787-8 whilst still offering full flat beds is a 2-2-2 set-up. Any Aeromexico regular will tell you that AM very often swap around the -9 and the -8 but as I was travelling with hubby it would not have been the end of the world if they had.
We boarded the aircraft at doors two and entered the open cabin of the 787 (like QATAR there is no galley at doors two) and the cabin is indeed very premium. It is basically a carbon copy of the Qatar 787 minus some of the extra customisations Qatar install.
The cabin basically looks like it has been delivered to ‘generic airline’ with very little to make you feel you are on an Aeromexico aircraft. There is no branding, no motifs on the bulkheads, very little colour – everything basically being airline standard blue and white. Like the lounge, it seems a bit of a missed opportunity although it could just be down to personal preference also.
At my seat was a very well-stocked washbag, a pair of slippers, lovely bedding and a bottle of water. The friendly crew came and offered a pre-departure beverage of water or champagne. Meal orders were taken on the ground or in my case, my pre-ordered meal confirmed. There are no menus which I found odd. I am all for saving trees but on a modern aircraft like the 787 if the airline wanted to be environmentally friendly (or more likely accountant friendly) they could feature the menu on the IFE.
We were pushed back on time and into the Mexican night sky headed south in no time.
Inflight service/catering
I will say from the outset, my expectations were not high in either the service or the catering aspects. I am happy to report that they were well exceeded on both fronts. Not having a menu on board, I was unsure as to what kind of service would be offered on board. Considering the departure time and duration of the flight I was guessing some kind of one-tray affair for dinner and maybe a very light breakfast before arrival.
Service was delivered by meal cart which I actually prefer to the ‘restaurant style’ service some other airlines aspire to. First, an airplane is not a restaurant. Secondly, if an airline doesn’t provide the crew numbers necessary to execute a hand-run service well it is just inefficient. A tablecloth was laid, and I was offered a drink (I chose a Malbec). A starter of tomato and mozzarella was also presented alongside a cheese plate. A cheese starter served alongside a cheese plate seemed a little odd, but the presentation was very premium, and I enjoyed the cheese with the wine.
The starter plates were cleared, and a tray was then served with the main course and a substantial side salad. I had pre-ordered the beef main course (from an impressive selection of eight dishes available) and it was delicious, moist, and perfectly cooked. After I finished my main and remembering I had a four-and-a-half-hour drive when arriving in Sao Paulo, I passed on dessert and reclined my seat. It is worth mentioning that until this time, the seat belt sign had remained on since the beginning of the flight although everyone just ignored it as the air seemed perfectly clear.
I woke up in the middle of the flight to use the loo (there are two in the middle of the business class cabin and one at the front) and the bar area at doors two had been set up with drinks including champagne, some sandwiches, and snacks. It was the first time I had seen an onboard bar area with a self-help espresso machine although there were not any pods left out to help yourself to.
I woke up around two hours before landing and noticed a Wi-Fi voucher offering two hours free browsing had been left at my seat. A nice touch however it would have been great to have received this earlier on in the flight.
Breakfast got started one hour and forty minutes before landing and it was not the simple pastry and hot drink I had been expecting. It was instead an impressive spread of fresh fruits, pastries, yoghurt and a choice of three main courses – omelette with bacon, pancakes or a bagel with smoked salmon. I had an espresso with breakfast and really enjoyed it.
Throughout the flight I found the cabin crew to be polite, kind, efficient and service-oriented.
Half an hour before our landing the captain advised us, we had begun our decent into Sao Paulo and we were on the ground bang on schedule.
Final thoughts
I was really impressed with my Aeromexico flight, especially the beautiful 787-9 cabin and the impressive catering. Everything ran on time and the staff were friendly. It would be great if they could introduce menus, even via the IFE screen. The lounge was definitely the weakest part of the journey overall. During this trip I also flew Air France (Paris to Mexico City) and LATAM (Sao Paulo – LHR) and overall, I enjoyed my Aeromexico flight the most.
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10 comments
Great review! Will you be writing about Air France to MEX as well?
Good to read you enjoyed the beef short rib 🙂 My pre order main of choice every time! Have flown this route a few times on the 787-9 in business, recently just 2 days ago…the complete food & drinks menu has always been on the IFE every time.
Great review. It’s nice to read about airlines that are not reviewed regularly.
The cabin and food look really good.
That looks great, far better than I would have expected of Aeromexico even if the lounge was so poor.
Totally agree James. It wasn’t what I was expecting to read when I edited it but now I’d actually consider them!
Thankyou for this concise review. Twice a year I fly to Mexico City and I always use KLM and Air France via Amsterdam or Paris. I avoid Aeromexico based on its reputation which has not been very good in the past.
It is nice to read an experience from more recent times and indeed I will consider them in the future as they are part of Skyteam so i will earn KL miles.
I wish Aeromexico would put this aircraft on the Mexicoto London run instead of the smaller 787 they use. The seating is very old fashioned and there is no privacy if travelling alone.
I don’t understand why AM wouldn’t want to give some decent competition to BA which still uses the old Club seat.
It does seem odd but I guess a lot depends on the type of passenger on the route and the pricing they can achieve. BA always used to use their worse aircraft on Bangkok as it was hard to achieve a profit on the route due to the mainly leisure travellers.
Mexico City to Madrid flies 3 times a day andhas great Biz seats and so much cheaper than LHR. Worth considering
Great review, I enjoyed it, and shared your opinions related with nice meals, friendly services and the “British” punctuality. Mexico City airport it is still an issue that doesn’t seems to be solved in the short term.
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