Airlines pile into Cancun

U.S. airlines are wagering that tourists will keep flocking to Cancun despite rising violence in Mexico and a warning from the State Department.

Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Delta Air Lines are adding flights to the resort. United Continental Holdings is using one of its biggest jets once a week to ply the Chicago-Cancun route.

The extra flights suggest stable growth in U.S. tourism even after the State Department said turf wars between crime gangs were fuelling a surge in violence in two Mexican states, including the one where Cancun is located. Mexico’s top beach destination potentially could also pick up visitors from other Caribbean destinations that suffered severe hurricane damage.

“It’s quickly become our largest international market,” Steven Swan, Southwest’s director of international planning, said of Cancun. It’s common for traffic to rebound after briefly dipping on travel warnings, he said.

“People tend to have a relatively short-term memory.”

From the airlines’ perspective, Cancun flights are good business because of their lower costs, high passenger counts and heavy sales of booze, said Mark Drusch, a consultant and former airline executive. American Airlines Group Inc. has more flights into Cancun than any other international destination, American spokesperson Kristen Foster said.

International passenger traffic to Mexico’s largest resort has climbed since the U.S. State Department’s Aug. 22 travel warning.