Points Capital

For about a year, Aeromexico couldn’t add a single new route between Mexico City and the U.S. That’s over. On October 16, 2026, the U.S. Department of Transportation revoked the order that had frozen Mexican airlines’ growth out of Mexico City, and Aeromexico is already lining up its first new flights. If you live in Orange County, South Florida or Portland, this could mean a nonstop to Mexico City starting in January.

One big caveat up front: as of October 26, 2026, Aeromexico hadn’t formally announced the three routes below. They come from schedule data and Mexican press reports, so treat the dates as likely, not locked in.

What changed

Back in October 2025, the DOT blocked Mexican carriers (Aeromexico, Volaris and Viva Aerobus) from adding U.S. flights at Mexico City’s Benito Juárez airport (MEX) and Felipe Ángeles airport (NLU). The fight was over slots taken from U.S. airlines at MEX and Mexico pushing cargo flights out of the main airport. Thirteen routes got caught up in it, according to Live and Let’s Fly’s reporting.

After talks between the two governments, Mexico agreed to give slots back to U.S. airlines and reopen MEX to all-cargo flights, as reported by El Financiero. The DOT then revoked its order on October 16, effective immediately.

The routes Aeromexico is reportedly adding (as of October 2026)

• Mexico City (MEX) to Orange County/Santa Ana (SNA): starting January 10, 2027. This one would be new to Aeromexico’s network.
• Mexico City to Fort Lauderdale (FLL): starting January 14, 2027, a return to a market Aeromexico has served before.
• Mexico City to Portland (PDX): starting January 21, 2027, also a comeback route.

All three show up as daily Boeing 737 flights in Cirium schedule data reported by Aviation Club Center, which notes the schedules could still change. El Financiero, citing its own sources, reported the same three markets with mid-January starts. Aeromexico told the paper it would share details on Monday, October 26, so an official announcement may land right around the time you read this.

There’s more coming, too. Aeromexico CEO Andrés Conesa said on October 20 that a first batch of U.S. routes could start in early 2027 and another group around mid-2027, according to Airways. He pointed to San Juan as a likely return, though probably in the second half of 2027.

What about Delta?

This is the part SkyMiles members care about. The DOT had also tried to pull its approval of the Delta-Aeromexico joint venture. In August 2026, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals set that order aside, so the partnership keeps running. Delta’s statement at the time: “We appreciate the 11th Circuit’s careful review.”

In plain terms, Aeromexico is still Delta’s main partner in Mexico and a SkyTeam member. That usually means you can earn Delta SkyMiles or Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles on Aeromexico flights, and book Aeromexico awards with those programs. Whether the new routes show partner award space, and how much, won’t be clear until the flights are fully loaded for sale. Don’t assume it’ll be there on day one.

Who this helps and what to do

• Orange County flyers: if you’ve been heading up to LAX to fly Aeromexico to Mexico City, a daily flight from John Wayne could save you the drive.
• South Florida and Portland: a nonstop to Mexico City also opens up one-stop connections across Mexico and Latin America on Aeromexico’s network.
• Points collectors: as of October 2026, American Express Membership Rewards has a 20% transfer bonus to Aeromexico Rewards through October 31, per several points outlets. Only move points once you’ve found a specific flight you want to book, since transfers can’t be undone.
• Everyone: wait for the official announcement before booking anything nonrefundable around these dates. New-route schedules shift more often than you’d think.

Our take

This is good news, and it’s probably just the start. A year of no growth means Aeromexico has a backlog of U.S. routes it wants to fly, and the CEO is openly talking about more in mid-2027.

Here’s the catch: none of these three routes is official yet, and a 737 on a brand-new route doesn’t guarantee much award space. If you’re counting on Delta miles to get to Mexico City from Orange County next winter, keep a backup plan. We’d jump on a launch-week cash fare if it’s cheap. We’d hold off on transferring points until saver space actually shows up.

The bigger win might be competition. With the freeze gone, Volaris and Viva Aerobus can grow out of Mexico City too, and more seats on these routes tend to push fares down.

Source: El Financiero (in Spanish); Aviation Club Center (in Spanish, citing Cirium); Airways; Live and Let’s Fly; Delta News Hub.

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