Aug. 1—The low-cost Mexican airline Viva Aerobus plans a new route between San Antonio International Airport and the popular business and vacation destination of Guadalajara.
The route will begin on Dec. 2 and fly back and forth between San Antonio and Guadalajara International Airport — in Mexico's Jalisco Valley — four times a week, according to a news release from the airport.
MORE COVERAGE: JetBlue spikes nonstop flights from S.A. to Boston, New York
Viva is also ramping up its service between San Antonio and Monterrey, Mexico, starting on Nov. 1, according to the airport. That route currently operates twice a day and the airline plans to increase it to three times a day on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
San Antonio already has a direct flight to Guadalajara operated by the Mexican airline Volaris, according to the airport's website. Volaris introduced the flight in 2013, with its CEO, Enrique Beltranena, calling Guadalajara the " Silicon Valley of Mexico." He also mentioned that thousands of migrants from the area had settled in U.S. cities and wanted to travel back to visit friends and relatives, with the alternative being a 28-hour bus ride.
"Viva Aerobus is doing so well expanding its nonstop service to Mexico," Jesus Saenz, director of airports with the city of San Antonio's Aviation Department, said in a written statement. " Guadalajara is a popular destination for business travelers, tourists who want to check out the birthplace of mariachi music and for people in our community who want to visit their friends and relatives."
The San Antonio flight is one of eight that Viva is launching from Guadalajara International, with half of those to U.S. destinations.
"The four new routes to the USA will strengthen the region's international connectivity," Viva's CEO Juan Carlos Zuazua said in a written statement.. "We see great potential in the Guadalajara market."
The new flight announcement is a patch of blue sky in an otherwise gloomy week for the San Antonio airport after JetBlue Airways revealed that it will cut its daily flights between San Antonio and Boston and between San Antonio and New York as it struggles to return to profitability after losing $716 million in the first three months of this year. A spokesperson for the airline said it was leaving San Antonio due to "under-performance and lack of customer demand." Boston has long been a coveted flight destination for the local business community.
After JetBlue pulls its service, travelers will still be able to fly nonstop to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Delta Air Lines.
Saenz told the Express-News that his team was "a little surprised" by JetBlue's decision and that the daily Boston flights have mostly been full. He said the airport aims to attract another airline to offer a nonstop route to Boston.
" Boston is very critical to us," he said. "We're already leaning in and having conversations with other carriers about obtaining that service. Or if at some point JetBlue wants to resume service, then we would be excited for that as well."
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