Playa del Carmen Forum: Mexicana Airlines Ceases Operation

"YIKES!!!! They have ceased ops according to their website and a few news sites. Now what to do!! Does anyone know what that really means???"

Hmmm...what does it really mean...finito, done, finished, no Mexicana at your airport tomorrow, or any other airport.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mexicana-20100827,0,1947495.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fbusiness+%28L.A.+Times+-+Business%29

The country's biggest airline was forced to shut down because it does not have enough money to keep flying, Juan Francisco Molinar Horcasitas told reporters.

But Mexicana da Aviacion "is in a process that should lead to restructuring," he said.

This thread should be moved to the airline forums

Actually beaucoup travelers need to read this to determine what they have to do to continue their trips. Just like discussion of impending tropical storms is relevant and not relegated to a weather forum.

If anyone has gotten info on refunds, reticketed on another airline, ticket is worthless, etc, please post to see it can help others

As a travel agent, I received notice last night on quite a few reservations that we have thru Funjet Vacations utilizing Mexicana and they are already protecting our passengers on other flights (speaking in general terms here, but out of Ohare in Chicago for example)....the tour companies like Funjet and Apple are pretty adept at working out situations like this and while you may not have an identical schedule to what you had on Mexicana, they try to reaccommodate as best as they can.

Tami

Tami, does that mean that people are getting new reservations on another airline at no additional cost?

In our case, all of the reservations that I had on Mexicana (nonstop out of Ohare to Cancun), have been protected on United nonstop. This may or may not continue to be the carrier as seats fill up, but everything that I have seen so far has been United, and at no cost to passengers. Having said that, there is a possibility that if a passenger calls in and tries to move flights before they have been contacted by a tour company, that additional costs could be involved....case by case basis.

Tami

Tried calling Expedia...they tell me I am still confirmed for November!!! Go figure.

They aren't gone for good. Like a chicken that has been in the Pollo al Brasso window too long and reappears on a cheap taco cart they will be back. At least this way lots of folks now have venues for recouping tickets. Take a look at their structure. There is some kind of holding company that is now shedding their debt. Some ticket holders may get the shaft but most loses will be to banks and funds that insist on investing in Mexico. The name itself has a certain intrinsic worth. Their ticket counters can be sold to other airlines. Probably the least valuable asset will be the planes. But they will shed debt. Write off old aircraft and start back on some routes. They have been around since 1921, although it took awhile to get planes. But as recently as the 1950's they were making good money. No one is going to abandon that kind of record in the airline industry.

I don't know about that! Maybe come back under a different name. But when I read the Mexican Transport Minister's statement "By Saturday at noon, operations will definitively cease.” I'd say they're gone.

I wonder if the other airlines that serve their routes will start upping prices. Sounds normal to me. Supply goes down, prices go up.