American Airlines is celebrating 80 years of service to Mexico this month. In 1942, the airline launched service from Dallas to Mexico City with a Douglas DC-3 aircraft, first stopping in Monterrey to refuel. With this flight, Mexico became the airline’s second international destination, following the launch of Toronto, Canada, in 1941.

Strengthening the footprint in Mexico

Mexico is American’s largest international destination, where the airline operates more than 500 weekly flights to 27 cities: Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Cancún, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Cozumel, Culiacan, Durango, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Huatulco, La Paz, León, Loreto, Mazatlán, Mérida, Monterrey, Morelia, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta, Querétaro, San José del Cabo, San Luis Potosi, Torreon, Zacatecas, as well as seasonal service to Zihuatanejo and Manzanillo.

American has more than 1,100 team members based in Mexico, the largest number of employees outside of the United States. The operation includes two Reservations offices in Mexico City and Monterrey, four Ticket Sales Centers in Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara and León, and an Admirals Club at Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City.

2022: A banner year

In 2022, American has had record growth in Mexico with a more than 40% increase in capacity compared to 2019. In addition to operating more strategic routes with larger aircraft, the airline has also launched new flying, such as Austin to Cozumel, and, beginning in November, new service from Mexico City and Monterrey to New York.