DOT Revokes Mexico City Routes, AICM Slots Shift to U.S.

DOT Mexico City routes revoked actions are now reshaping U.S. to Mexico itineraries after the U.S. Department of Transportation cut approval for 13 Mexico City linked routes by Mexican carriers. Travelers booked on Aeromexico, Volaris, or Viva Aerobus services should confirm whether their ticket uses Mexico City International Airport (MEX) or Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU), because the airport choice can now determine whether a nonstop exists at all. Build extra buffer for airport transfers, price backup routings, and be ready to request a reroute or a refund if your flight disappears from the schedule.

DOT Mexico City routes revoked means fewer approved nonstop options tied to Mexico City airports, and a fast moving airport slot dispute that can change schedules with limited warning.

The DOT action, announced on October 28, 2025, targets flights the department says were filed or operated in a way that conflicts with the 2015 U.S. Mexico Air Transport Agreement and Mexico's handling of access to Mexico City's airports. In the same move, DOT said it was moving to terminate "combination" passenger and cargo operations by Mexican carriers from Felipe Ángeles, a step that matters to travelers because most passenger flights also carry belly cargo, and regulatory language about "combination service" can translate into real passenger schedule cuts.

What changed for travelers is not just politics, it is inventory. When a route is disapproved, it can vanish from sale, and customers holding tickets can be forced into rebooking contests for a smaller pool of seats at the same time that holiday demand or weekend peaks are already tight.

The 13 disapproved routes named by DOT included an Aeromexico service between Mexico City International and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and a Volaris service between Mexico City International and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). DOT also listed Viva Aerobus services that were filed from Felipe Ángeles to multiple U.S. airports, including Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Denver International Airport (DEN), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Miami International Airport (MIA), Orlando International Airport (MCO), and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Separately, DOT listed Aeromexico services between Felipe Ángeles and Houston, Texas, plus McAllen International Airport (MFE) in Texas.

For travelers, the key operational detail is that Mexico City is effectively a two airport decision. Mexico City International (often shown as "Benito Juárez") is the centrally located hub most visitors assume when they book "Mexico City." Felipe Ángeles is a newer airport farther from the traditional hotel and business corridors, and the ground transfer between the two can be long enough to break tight same day plans even when everything runs perfectly. If you are rebooked from one airport to the other, treat it like a material itinerary change, not a minor terminal swap.

Mexico's response adds another moving part. On November 17, 2025, Mexico's president said Mexican airlines had agreed to hand over some takeoff and landing slots at Mexico City International to U.S. carriers, a gesture aimed at addressing competitiveness claims in the slot distribution fight. Even if that helps thaw the dispute, slot transfers can still produce short term churn as airlines rebuild schedules, retime departures, and decide which city pairs are worth restoring first.

Here is what travelers should do if their route was revoked or their flight disappeared from the schedule. First, pull up your booking and look for the operating airport code on the Mexico City end, MEX versus NLU. Do not rely on a city name alone, and do not assume the airport you used last time is the one you are using now. Next, check whether the flight number still exists on your travel date, because some of the named routes were described by DOT as proposed or newly filed, which means they may vanish quietly without the same pattern of day of travel disruption you would see with a long established daily service.

If the flight is canceled, move quickly, because the practical problem is seat availability, not policy language. Ask your airline to reroute you through Mexico City International if your original plan involved Felipe Ángeles, or consider alternate gateways such as Guadalajara International Airport (GDL), Monterrey International Airport (MTY), or Cancún International Airport (CUN) if Mexico City seats are scarce. If you are connecting onward within Mexico, also compare routings that skip Mexico City entirely, because a disrupted Mexico City arrival can cascade into missed domestic segments, and reaccommodation inside Mexico can be harder when flights are full.

Refund rules matter if you decide not to take the replacement itinerary. DOT guidance states that when a flight is canceled, or significantly changed or delayed, and you choose not to travel or accept the offered alternative, you are generally entitled to a refund to your original form of payment, rather than being forced into a voucher. The fastest path is usually to request the refund through the airline or the ticket seller you used, then keep screenshots or emails showing the cancellation or major change in case you need to escalate.

Finally, build a Mexico City ground plan that assumes uncertainty. If you have meetings, events, cruises, or tour departures that cannot move, consider arriving the day before rather than on the day of. If you must connect same day, aim for longer buffers, and avoid self made "airport change" connections between MEX and NLU unless you can tolerate a missed onward flight.

For related context, see our earlier coverage of U.S. pressure on Mexico routes and airline cooperation, including U.S. Flight Cuts Hit Smaller Mexico Routes, Impacting Texas Cities, and DOT Ends Delta, Aeromexico Joint Venture on January 1. For a broader traveler focused explainer on what you can reasonably expect when flights change, see U.S. Backs Off Airline Delay Compensation Plan.

Sources

• Trump's Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Slashes 13 Mexican Carrier Routes to the U.S.
• Mexico Hands Over Some Flight Slots at Capital Airport from Mexican Airlines to U.S. Carriers
• Refunds, Aviation Consumer Protection
• U.S. Orders Delta and Aeromexico to Dissolve Partnership
• AIFA Official Site
• Volaris AIFA Travel Info, Felipe Ángeles (CDMX, NLU)