New kid on the block
Interjet keen on new Canadian routes
IAN STALKER
(Photo above: Among those on hand for a recent Interjet reception in Toronto were Interjet’s Sheilla Moonens and Francisco Javier Porragas Torres, Rudolph Nareen of Astor Travels and Toronto-based Mexican consul general Porfirio Thierry Munoz.)
Mexican carrier Interjet is upbeat about its prospects in the Canadian market, despite being the new kid on the aviation block in this country.
This year has seen the airline begin linking Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver with both Mexico City and Cancun, and an airline that has traditionally had a somewhat low profile in Canada says it has a couple of aces up its sleeve when it comes to attracting Canadian clients.
“We’re pretty happy,” Miguel Arana Martinez of Interjet’s North Zone Commercial Relations told Travel Courier during a Toronto reception last week. “I believe it [Canada] is a great market.”
Air Canada and Aeromexico also service Mexico City from Canada.
Interjet – which began operation in 2005 and which now has more than 70 planes that carry people to points in North, Central and South America, as well as parts of the Caribbean – is pleased Ottawa lifted visa requirements for Mexicans wanting to visit Canada, leading to a growing number of Mexicans heading north.
Arana Martinez said he believes Interjet will make inroads among Canadians through the likes of offering passengers free drinks and snacks, and what he said is a generous 34-inch seat pitch, made possible because the seating on the A320s Interjet uses on its Canadian routes are configured for 150 passengers, rather than the 186 A320s normally carry.
Interjet sales director Francisco Javier Porragas Torres told the same gathering that Interjet doesn’t overbook and praised its “affordable” fares, with fares from each of the Canadian cities in its network to Mexico City starting at $256, while Cancun fares from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver all begin at $250.
Porragas Torres said Interjet’s service “has been embraced everywhere we fly.”
An Ontario tourism official in turn welcomed Interjet’s service, adding Mexico is now the fastest-growing market for her province. Arana Martinez noted those travelling to Mexico City with Interjet will arrive in the Mexican capital early, enabling them to make same-day connections to other destinations in the airline’s network.
He added that the airline can deliver people from this country to other Mexican points of interest that see relatively few Canadian visitors. “We would like to prove that there’s a lot more to see in Mexico than Cancun.”
Interjet also has a tour operator division offering Mexico packages.
Meanwhile, Gonz Moreno of Toronto-based Mexico specialist Moreno Travel praised Interjet’s “competitive” nature in the Canadian market and said client response to Interjet service is “very positive,” with those clients appreciating “plenty of legroom, friendly staff and modern equipment.”