- I can't feel my legs.
- Oh, hello from the border wall
between the U.S. and Mexico.
That brown wall behind me, well that's the wall.
Just over the other side of there is San Diego, California
but we're here in Tijuana, in Mexico.
You see that bridge across there? That's called the CBX
and that allows people from San Diego
to walk across the border and take a domestic flight
within Mexico on one of the many low-cost airlines
and get to anywhere they like really, within Mexico.
Domestic flights within Mexico are really, really cheap
and one of the airlines that operate those cheap flights
is an airline called Volaris
and that's the airline we're flying on today.
- Tijuana airport sees service from all
of the main Mexican airlines from low cost airlines
such as Volaris and VivaAerobus
up to full-service airlines like Aeromexico.
It offers flights the entire length of Mexico
from right here on the border.
Got me a burger, all very good.
That was sort of another reason, actually,
going through security or just thinking of
how easy it was. Came through security here,
at Tijuana Airport, compared to how it can be
sometimes in the States with TSA and everything;
shoes off, the electronics and everything,
all the rest of it.
It's a lot more laid-back here, at Tijuana,
and I can see why people living in San Diego
might want to pop over here to the border through the CBX
and stop on a domestic flight here. It's a lot easier
flying from Tijuana than it is from airports
over in the States.
My first flight today was on this Airbus A320neo
which offers a knee-crippling 186 seats.
Along with Frontier and EasyJet,
Volaris operate its aircraft in its densest configuration.
All right, I think they are boarding by like windows
and aisles and middles, and then toilets and then bathrooms
then kitchens 'cause I don't know what they're doing.
But I know I'm zone three and they've told me to wait here.
Yeah, Volaris' boarding procedure was,
let's just say, interesting.
All right. We're due to be departing now,
in 10 minutes from now,
and they haven't even started boarding yet.
This is going to be fun, isn't it?
And I've got quite a tight connection on at Puerto Vallarta
on the way down to Mexico City
so who knows if we're going to make that flight
at the moment? Well,
we've got 10 minutes to board 186 passengers.
Call me a cynic, but I don't exactly think
that's going to be happening.
Finally they started boarding using their new
COVID procedures which, to be honest,
didn't seem to make much sense.
What I don't get is: if this is for social distancing
and literally I'm in the last row in the window, so surely
that means that I've got to walk past everybody to get on.
Doesn't seem to make much sense but, hey we'll see.
- Volaris A320neo offers just 28 inches
of seat pitch which makes it pretty tight,
especially on a busy flight like this.
So, as predicted they boarded the aisles first
then the middles and the windows last; makes complete
and utter sense to board the windows last, doesn't it?
It's not going to inconvenience anybody
but nevermind I'm on board. And look at this leg room,
isn't it amazing?
This is the world's most densely packed Airbus A320.
They've got 186 seats on an A320neo,
which is more than almost any other airline in the world.
And yeah, I've only got six hours on these so rock on.
Fairly soon we were all wedged in place
and ready to start our way on the DVT express
down to Puerto Vallarta.
- Our first leg today then took us
down the coast of Mexico to Puerto Vallarta.
Flight time today was two hours and ten minutes
cruising at 39,000 feet.
- get airborne from Tijuana heading down to
Puerto Vallarta on the, I think it's
on the coast of Mexico actually.
- You know, that feeling that you get when you put your hand
under the seat and you feel someone's leftover chewing gum.
Yeah. That's my feeling right now.
- Before long, the buy on board service started.
The interestingly-titled Entre Nubes magazine
is actually the on board menu.
It translates to between clouds or so, I found out later.
Okay. So the trolley's been around and I bought my water.
Interestingly, they operate on like a restaurant type system
where you just, they add stuff to your bill
as you go through the flight and they come around
and you pay it at the end. It's pretty cool.
I've not known any other airline do that.
It's quite an interesting way of working it really.
Mental note: accidentally letting one out
on an A320neo - it's pretty loud
and the aircraft's pretty quiet, and people look.
Okay, so sit right for an hour now we're into the flight.
I can't feel my legs.
It's just so, really uncomfortable.
We do have about an hour left
down to Puerto Vallarta on the coast.
Scenery is good out the window, but it's just so tight
on this A320neo and I really do hope
that the next plane that we get with Volaris
is a little bit more spacious than this. We'll see.
And yeah, that last hour really did drag.
Fortunately, it was topped off with this
absolutely stunning approach into Puerto Vallarta.
Disembarking was done by row with the flight attendants
stopping at each row to let people out.
Now, this did actually make sense compared
to their rather chaotic boarding process.
Ah freedom, albeit temporarily, for about an hour
until we gotta hop on one of those again.
Okay. So the connecting flight,
there was no connections here to Puerto Vallarta
so we'll have to all the way out and
all the way back in again. Yay.
Okay then, we're back in the check-in hall. Okay.
Look, I need to hop up to security then
get back to the other side again. Great.
Once I got upstairs, this beautiful Instagram-worthy view
was just begging for a photo.
- All right then, through to the gate
at least I get to stretch my legs again
and leaving after that.
It's a bit deserted here at Puerto Vallarta.
All right, I made it to the gate
even with a bit of time to spare as well
so it's quite funny.
We're actually going off the gate next to the one
where we've just arrived to.
And actually we could probably have gotten back to Tijuana
cause that's my plane that's just come in from Tijuana.
I don't know if you can see it there.
Looks like it's been left it here, they're just doing
the final call now and then here is my plane to Mexico City.
I'm heading off to Mexico city on Julian.
Let's go and have a ride on Julian to Mexico City.
It was time to see whether boarding here
would be just as chaotic as it was up in Tijuana.
- Okay, so just wait here? Okay.
Here we go again. I'm on the flight with Volaris
on the DVT Express over to Mexico City.
Okay, so this seems to be of an older Airbus A320.
The seat's certainly a lot more battered
but I do seem to have slightly more leg room
than I did on the A320neo. I think
if I remember right, there's an extra two rows
on the A320neo compared to this one
so we should have a little bit more leg room
It'll just feel a little bit more spacious
even if the seats are sort of
a bit creaky and old
but nevermind. It's only an hour on this one,
that's what I think, up to Mexico City.
Looking forward to it, should be a good flight.
I'm looking forward to getting back
to my hotel room, for certain.
Oh, boarding's complete. We seem to have
quite an empty flight tonight and I've got
a row to myself. Even better, I can stretch out a bit.
There's barely anybody on the plane.
Should be a nice quiet flight over then.
Leg two tonight then took us across to Guadalajara and down
to Mexico city. Flight time on this leg was one hour
and three minutes cruising at 33,000 feet.
So that last flight of the day over to Mexico City
around about one hour's flight time from Puerto Vallarta
over to Mexico city. We've about half an hour left now.
We've just passed Guadalajara down on the left,
cruising at 35,000 feet and it's been
quite a nice little trip actually.
I know that the leg room on the A320 Neo
was just absolutely shocking and the whole payoff
at Tijuana was just crazy as well.
But you know what? Volaris,
as much as they've got the quirks, I don't think
they're actually too bad.
The cabin crew all seem really friendly.
That's the thing I have taken away from this trip
is that the cabin crew have just been really, really nice.
Friendly throughout, which has been brilliant.
So yeah, about half an hour an hour until we land down
on the ground into Mexico and looking forward
to getting some rest, I'll have to say.
We got an absolutely stunning view of Guadalajara.
Lit up at night.
The only thing more stunning
was the approach in landing into Mexico City,
which at night time is just
an absolutely incredible experience.
I recommend everyone try it, at least once.
My fight today cost me £110 or about $150 US dollars.
This works out to seven pence per mile.
So there we go, I made it back to Mexico City.
As always, a special mention to my Patreons.
You can join them at the link on the screen now
for access to my WhatsApp group, weekly zoom call
and exclusive supporters only merch.
- Right.
Back in me room.
What an exhausting day that was
and what an exhausting flight that was with
Volaris. I forgot what they were called. I was going
to call them Interjet then but Interjet don't exist anymore.
What is this? Montejo beer, a little freebie that I get
with being a gold member or something here at Hilton.
I'm not complaining. I get free beer every night.
Let me know what you thought too about Volaris
down in the comments below
and also your favorite Mexican beer. Montejo,
I haven't tried that one yet, but I will do
and I'll let you know what it's like, but yeah
let me know down in the comments.
In the meantime as always, thank you for watching,
take care and I'll see you on the next one. Bye for now.