We recently flew to Cozumel from Cancun (Boston to Miami to Cancun!) and this last leg was on Mexicana. We also flew from Cozumel to Cancun on the way home on Mexicana. The planes were just slightly different and I will note the differences later.

My first impression was a positive one, which was at the check-in counter. The representative was very friendly and nice. We had d 7:00 PM flight but there was room on the 6:30 flight so we took it figuring we would get in a tad earlier which was great since we had been traveling for 12 hours at this point. We were reassured out luggage would get on the 6:30 flight not the 7:00 one. I bet you can guess the end of that story!

We only waited a few minutes and the waiting area at the Mexicana gate was spotless. I noted that because I saw no trash in the ashtrays or anywhere else. It is a small area and I saw 2 carts selling drinks and snacks. The announcement of boarding was done with a bullhorn not an intercom system. There are no assigned seats.

We took a small bus to the plane, which I have found to not be unusual in some other countries. I was a bit taken aback, though, when I couldn’t bring on my knapsack. The plane is small and other than pocketbooks, all carry ons had to be left on the ground to hopefully be put on the plane.

This is a less than 20-minute trip and I didn’t expect a jumbo jetliner nor did I get one. You may be wondering how I got on this plane if you read my horror story about American Airlines…don’t ask! My husband thought he was very funny when he commented that perhaps the ticket taker, bus driver and pilot were all the same person!

The plane to Cozumel held 20 passengers and did have a restroom! We were given plastic bags with a soda and cookies, which I thought was nice given the short time on the plane.

Once we were in the plane I found out that it flies very low. I couldn’t see because it was dark but on the way home I could and that is quite an experience. This plane flies at 2,000 feet which is ½ mile versus a conventional plane that flies 32,000-37,000 feet – about 6 miles. Again this was a less than 20 minute trip…a puddle jumper some call it.

The ride itself wasn’t as scary as it could be but I had quite a few things in my system by then so I’m not sure how good a judge I am on that score. I can say that the bit of bumpiness bothered no one on the plane in either direction and in all honesty I have had worse bumps in huge planes.

The plane was very, very loud. In fact it made so much noise that I had no idea what the pilot was saying when he spoke. There was no door to the cockpit and we could see the pilot and right out the front window. This differed on the way home. That plane held twice as many people and a door closed to the cockpit. We were also able to bring on our carry ons on the way home. There is actually quite a bit of legroom. More than in other airlines I have flown and in general the seats were quite comfortable.

American music played throughout the flight. There were no flight attendants evident on either way. There may have been one sitting in the back of the plane who had given out the cookies; if so she or he kept a very low profile. In fact it was the pilot who told us to fasten our seatbelts.

There are no overhead bins which is why I thought we couldn’t bring on our carry ons, but there were none on the larger plane going home either and we could so I am not sure of the logic of that. There were no trays either.

Of course our luggage was not on that plane so we had to wait at the airport for the 7:00pm flight to arrive. That wasn’t a tragedy we were just hoping to shave off that ½ hour but we were just glad that our luggage did arrive.

A point to note: there are no taxis from the airport to anywhere. There are buses which are fine and will take you to the same places a taxi will take you just not as comfortably. There is a deal between taxi drivers and the bus system. Taxis can take you from your hotel to the airport but not vice versa.

It cost us $110 each round trip through Travelocity.com. That price does vary by time of the day. If you get a round trip ticket earlier in the day it will cost you less money.

You can get to Cozumel from Cancun by ferry but it is a long trip and late at night when one is tired I wouldn’t recommend it. Spend the money; the plane is small and noisy, but surprisingly I felt safe in it. It was a very strange feeling heading home to see how low to the ground we were actually flying. Perhaps that gave me some comfort since it wasn’t too far to drop!


To read more about Mexico, please visit these reviews:


Cozumel

Chankanaab Park

Fiesta Americana Cozumel Dive Resort
Puerto Villarta



Mexicana Airlines






Recommended: Yes