Quick Review: Aeromexico 787-8 Business Class From Mexico City to Los Angeles
Updated: Feb 17
Intro
After booking my flight with Aeromexico for next month, I wrote an article on how much I love Aeromexico and why which you can read here, (https://www.jettoajet.com/post/booked-aeromexico-business-class-from-santiago-los-angeles-787-9-787-8). I thought it was only right to post a quick review on a flight I had in November with Aeromexico that was a spectacular flight. While this review won't represent every aspect of the experience, it still tells a story.
Route- Mexico City- Los Angeles
Seat- 1A
Flight Number- AM646
Date- November 5th 2023
Flight Time: 3 Hours 58 minutes
Price Paid- 35K Virgin Miles+ 90$
How I Booked
With cash fares ranging upwards of 1000$ on this day to fly back to Los Angeles (economy 500, business 1-2K), I thought that was too expensive to justify this flight. Considering it was Day of The Dead weekend, I do understand the reasons for this price. However, when I checked the Virgin Atlantic rewards program 2 weeks before departure, I came across award availability in business class, with a lie-flat bed!
While I was in Mexico City, the tequila played a role in how I felt at 4 am when I woke up that morning. I still think this was the best option. The total came out to 35K points and 90$. To add onto that there was a 25% transfer bonus from Chase at the time! Talk about a good deal!
Boarding
While I would usually start with check-in, there was not much to report. It was efficient at this time of day, security was seamless, and the lounge I didn't take pictures of (wasn't into this full-time yet).
Boarding commenced at 6:40, about 10 minutes behind schedule. I was in group 1 today (1A) which meant I was the fifth person on the aircraft. Luckily, I didn't have to do one of those extra stops by the boarding gate where someone searches your bag... it always happens to me, I don't know how.
There was a 787-9 right next to our -8 which I sort of wished I was on since I haven't tried that out yet. It is what it is and everything is as it should be.
The Seat
The Aeromexico 787-8 layout is very similar to the Thai Airways 787-8 I have reviewed (https://www.jettoajet.com/post/review-thai-royal-silk-business-class-from-manila-to-bangkok-on-a-787-8). Business Class features a 2-2-2 layout with lie-flat seats across 6/7 rows. I was seated in the most forward seat on the left, 1A.
I love 1A on this plane as it features larger footwells I recommend either the first row or better so the 6th row, which I will be reviewing next month!
With the help of the lie flat mode, I was able to get some fantastic sleep for about an hour and a half. Aeromexico did a great job maintaining their fleet as the plane was in fantastic condition!
Departure
We pushed back from the gate about 20 minutes late, not that I had a 10 am class or anything 😒. No one mentioned anything about the delay, which makes me think this happens a lot.
Where we had a short taxi and lined up departing East.
Food
As I mentioned when I took this flight I wasn't fully into blogging yet. However, I did still take a few photos of the food I indulged in on this flight. I saw waffles on the menu and my eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas Day! While not as good as waffles from Belgium, this has been the best breakfast I ever had on a plane. Crispy and flavorful along with being warm.
The one aspect that stood out to me is the fact the crew served champagne. While it's technically stated that they don't serve alcohol before 11 am, I asked and they said they would do it! The champagne came in cute little cups as well🥰.
Amenities-wise, there were okay headphones offered, a pillow, and a blanket. Simple, but a lot better than any other airline would offer on this route!
Overall Service
The service on this flight was just like my previous experiences with Aeromexico. Every time my champagne was getting low, I was proactively offered more. Upon boarding, I was greeted with "Good morning sir". I would go as far as to say that this was one of the best crews I've experienced on a flight by a carrier in the Western Hemisphere, minus my United flight to Manila (https://www.jettoajet.com/post/review-united-polaris-business-class-from-san-francisco-sfo-manila-mnl-on-the-777-300).
Landing
Due to a late departure from Mexico City, we landed a bit late at LAX. It seems like we had an expedited approach though and jumped a bit of a queue, could be wrong though. We landed on 25R this morning.
And had a long taxi to the other side of the airport, LAX make life more efficient, please. However, that meant I could see the Qantas whale! Oh how I would die to try F on that!
Sadly, we deplaned through door 2L, which meant trying to get off behind a load of people who were half asleep.
Immigration was a hot mess but I made it through, albeit a little late to my 10 am class.
Final Thoughts
From start to finish, this was a seamless flight. I sort of compare this product to Thai Airways in the sense the hard product could be improved, but the soft product is fantastic. The same applies to the food, it is great! While the 787-9 (on the same days it does) would make a flight more comfortable on this route, the 787-8 on Aeromexico still would be the best service to fly from Mexico City to Los Angeles (for the right price). For 35K miles (before the transfer bonus) and 90$ in taxes, this was worth the redemption.
Looking forward to sharing the full review of both the 787-8 and 787-9 when I get back from my trip next month!
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