American Airlines Monopoly on Cozumel

[ggunn]

It does kinda read that way...

Not interchangeable; all nonstop flights are direct (how could they not be?) but not all direct flights are nonstop, although I understand that in the official industry jargon they do not overlap.

What have you been on that would require a new definition?

What I meant was that in many years I haven't been on a flight that stopped someplace and then took off again without my having to exit the aircraft. The last I can remember was something like 30 years ago when I was on a HOU - CZM flight that stopped in CUN first.

Aside: Before that I was on a commuter airline flight between Austin and Birmingham that had scheduled stops in Taylor, TX, and Little Rock, AR. Soon after we left Austin, the copilot turned to us and said, "We don't have any scheduled pickups or dropoffs in Taylor; does anyone mind if we skip that stop?" No one did, so we flew on to Little Rock.

 

[Shawn C]

What I meant was that in many years I haven't been on a flight that stopped someplace and then took off again without my having to exit the aircraft. The last I can remember was something like 30 years ago when I was on a HOU - CZM flight that stopped in CUN first.

Exiting the aircraft doesn't have any bearing on the direct flight definition as long as you get back on the same aircraft. If you have to change planes, you're on a connecting flight.

Aside: Before that I was on a commuter airline flight between Austin and Birmingham that had scheduled stops in Taylor, TX, and Little Rock, AR. Soon after we left Austin, the copilot turned to us and said, "We don't have any scheduled pickups or dropoffs in Taylor; does anyone mind if we skip that stop?" No one did, so we flew on to Little Rock.

You were on a direct flight that turned into a non-stop - how about that? Cool!

 

[ggunn]

Exiting the aircraft doesn't have any bearing on the direct flight definition as long as you get back on the same aircraft. If you have to change planes, you're on a connecting flight.

Yes, I realize that, but I do not remember ever getting off and back on the same plane. It could happen, I guess, but it never happened to me. I don't know why an airline would want to completely unload a plane and then reload it with a lot of the same passengers, but they do many things that don't make much sense to me.

You were on a direct flight that turned into a non-stop - how about that? Cool!

Nope, it was still only direct to Birmingham; it stopped in Little Rock.

 

[Shawn C]

Yes, I realize that, but I do not remember ever getting off and back on the same plane. It could happen, I guess, but it never happened to me. I don't know why an airline would want to completely unload a plane and then reload it with a lot of the same passengers, but they do many things that don't make much sense to me.

Nope, it was still only direct to Birmingham; it stopped in Little Rock.

Oops, I missed the third stop in your post. Direct 'twas.

 

[Bookworm11]

I fly out of Hartford. There are no nonstop flights to Cozumel out of Hartford, or JFK or Boston. And even the connecting ones have connections under an hour. Pretty much the same for Cancun. AA has no nonstops or doable connections any more. This November, I'm having to go to Boston and fly Delta nonstop to Cancun and do a bag drag. It's awful!!!

 

[ggunn]

I fly out of Hartford. There are no nonstop flights to Cozumel out of Hartford, or JFK or Boston. And even the connecting ones have connections under an hour. Pretty much the same for Cancun. AA has no nonstops or doable connections any more. This November, I'm having to go to Boston and fly Delta nonstop to Cancun and do a bag drag. It's awful!!!

Why not fly to Houston on SWA or United, or to DFW on AA, and then to Cozumel? I hate the bag drag.

 

[DandyDon]

This November, I'm having to go to Boston and fly Delta nonstop to Cancun and do a bag drag.

From BDL, it looks like United and Delta require overnight itineraries which I refuse to use and Aeromexico doesn't have any one-connection choices. Only American works to CZM but their itineraries do suck.

 

[Brodydog]

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[Brodydog]

This November, I'm having to go to Boston and fly Delta nonstop to Cancun and do a bag drag. It's awful!!!

Have you done the bag drag? I find it only slightly more bothersome than deplaning, sitting in an airport for the same amount of time that a connection would take and then re-boarding a second plane. Of course it’s been probably 10 years since I did the drag and I may change my mind after doing it again next week. Thanks a lot Delta for taking away my non stop to Cozumel!

 

[ggunn]

Have you done the bag drag? I find it only slightly more bothersome than deplaning, sitting in an airport for the same amount of time that a connection would take and then re-boarding a second plane.

I have done one or the other on virtually all my trips to Cozumel, although I only did the bag drag once or twice. For a multitude of reasons I would far and away rather change planes in Houston than deal with ground and water transportation hauling myself and all my stuff back and forth between Cancun and Cozumel even when my layovers were longer than the surface transit time would have been. To each his own.