InterJet to Offer Mexico City – Miami Link

Mexican low-cost carrier InterJet is to launch a new link between Mexico City and Miami, a route already served by Aeromexico and American Airlines. The budget operator will provide two flights every weekday and a single daily rotation at weekends from February 23, 2012, giving it a 19.0 per cent share of the weekly flights on offer on the international route. American Airlines currently dominates the market with four flights per day.

Miami is the fifth largest international destination from Mexico based on available seat capacity behind the US cities of Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta An estimated 915,000 O&D passengers travelled to or from Miami International Airport from Mexico in the past year with around 455,000 making the journey on the Mexico City – Miami – Mexico City route.

The arrival of low-cost competition between the two destinations could certainly impact the dynamic of the route. Aeromexico and American Airlines have strengthened their own share of the market following the collapse of Mexicana and the arrival of InterJet could force average fares, which have already declined in the past year, down further.

Although InterJet is the second largest carrier in the domestic market in Mexico with a 27.2 per cent share of the weekly seat capacity, it only has a very limited exposure in the international market with links from Mexico City to Guatemala City, Havana and San Antonio and from Toluca to San Antonio.