Cancun flights to start in May

Sun Country Airlines is launching twice-a-week service from San Antonio International Airport to Cancún, Mexico, on May 28 — the latest sign that the aviation industry is expecting demand for international travel to climb this year as more people get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The flights will depart on Monday and Fridays, with an introductory one-way fare of $129.

“As travel picks up, we expect Cancún to resume being a popular destination for leisure travelers,” city Aviation Director Jesus Saenz Jr. said in a statement. “Prior to the pandemic, more than 61,000 travelers flew between San Antonio and Cancún each year.”

Sun Country joins a number of airlines betting that South Texas residents are tired of staying home and want to travel internationally.

Vivaaerobus is expanding its four-times-a-week service to Monterrey, Mexico, to seven days on Feb. 3. Aeromexico launched a second daily flight to Mexico City earlier this month, and Southwest Airlines will resume once-aweek service to Cancún on March 13, said Brian Pratte, the airport’s chief air service development officer.

“The added service is reinforcing our reputation as being a really good hub for Mexican service,” said Pratte.

The optimism may be dimmed, though, by new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rules that go into effect on Tuesday. Passengers ages 2 and older who travel abroad will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of their return flights.

The new requirement is the CDC’S attempt to encourage U.S. travelers to stay home, said airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group in San Francisco.

“The U.S. is taking steps to throttle back international travel,” he said.

He said CDC officials are worried that Americans have a greater risk of catching fast-spreading mutations of the COVID-19 virus overseas.

“The new testing requirement will definitely kill some desire for traveling abroad,” Harteveldt said. “People don’t want the hassle of getting a test while on vacation, plus the added cost if their insurance doesn’t cover it.”

Harteveldt said he doesn’t see the CDC lifting the test requirement until large segments of the U.S. and international populations are vaccinated.

Pratte, meanwhile, said he said travel scene could improve by the end of May, with the CDC possibly lifting the testing rule by the time Sun Country begins its flights.

Sun Country spokeswoman Erin Blanton said the airline will list COVID-19 testing sites in Mexico on its website to help travelers meet the CDC requirements. The airline is waiting until late May to start its Cancún service because demand usually is strongest in the summer, she noted.

Pratte said the travel industry is working to increase the number of COVID-19 testing sites to encourage people to fly.

“They are certainly looking at making testing as easy as possible so their profits aren’t restricted,” he said.

In September, the CDC issued a travel advisory asking Americans to reconsider travel to Mexico because of the country’s high COVID-19 rates.