That's My Story

IS HELP REALLY ON THE WAY?

Can’t I just have MY Aero California back, the way it used to be?

It’s been almost 4 months since Aero California’s fleet was grounded from flying from it’s U.S./ Mexico routes for “safety and maintenance inspections.” Thousands of travelers have been stranded and the economic damage all the way around hasn’t even begun to be tallied.

Although a handful of it’s planes have been cleared to get going, the airline itself is still being coy about when and where it will fly. Talk about a “manana attitude.” Aero Cal has been saying, “Next week we’ll fly for sure” since the beginning of April only to disappoint. As of this week, their current timetable is given as July 17th. Oh sure…

Aero Cal was the airline we all loved to hate and make fun of. It was the red-headed step kid that always got the brown end of the stick. It was habitually late. It lost luggage. It served “mystery” meals where travelers often unwrapped their food then looked around at each other wondering what it was. The toilets leaked. Window shades sometimes didn’t work. Water from the air-conditioning sytems sometimes dripped on you. It was called “Aero Scare-O”; “Scare-O California”; and even “Aero Tal Vez”(Aero Maybe) by many of my Mexican friends for it’s its tendancy for arriving late all the time.

But, you know what? It got us there as the most popular and economic way to connect through Los Angeles to destinations such as Loreto, La Paz, Cabo, Puerta Vallarta and others. Something like 200 flights a day. Since it’s grounding, travelers have suffered either no airflights or had to travel on inflated ticket prices on other alternative carriers who charged double and triple what Aero California once offered. That in-service beer and boxed lunch is NOT free when you’re now paying $600 bucks or more from Los Angeles to Cabo!

The biggest problem is that thousands of folks are already holding Aero Cal tickets and wondering what to do with them! Aero Cal is not offering refunds until they get back in the air. No matter what they say, that seems like a big “IF.”

From what I understand, even though a handful of planes have been cleared to fly, how will that handful of 5-7 planes replace what a fleet of several dozen Aero Cal planes used to do? Will there be daily flights? Where will it fly? Only Los Angeles has been slated as it’s sole international destination. The rest of it’s schedule is supposed to be only within Mexico.

Further, my fears are doubled by the fact that I’m told Aero California still owes a palapa full of pesos for back pay; airport fees and fuel. I can only hope they pull it together, but even so, how much confidence will the public have in the planes? Want to be on that very first flight from LAX to Cabo?

However, according to a recent story in the Los Angeles Times business section by Martin Zimmerman (July 10, 2006) http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-airmex10jul10,1,4126442.story?page=1&track=crosspromo&coll=la-headlines-business, if we can get through this season, it seems the skies of Mexico will look like a food fight in the junior high cafeteria. Duck! Here comes another Twinkie!

U.S. airlines such as Alaska, Delta, Jet Blue and Frontier are all making strong bids to jump into the void in the lucrative U.S/ Mexico travel market, especially from west coast points-of-departure such as Southern California and the Pacific Northwest. Mexican carriers such as Mexicana and Aero Mexico are still on stage, but make room for new econo air carriers such as Avolar and Interjet. Avolar, which recently started flying from Tijuana to other Mexican cities in brand new jets, plans to add several dozen more planes and expand into the U.S. Interjet is flying from mainland Mexico and has a similar agenda. Both airlines have been drawing rave reviews from travelers.

Competition is good. I think it will be great for prices (Sure, just like having a bunch of gas stations help keep down the price of gas!) We certainly need economic reliable air travel into Baja and other Mexican destinations. Lord know that places like where I am in La Paz have been strangled by the lack of alternative inexpensive air carries.

But a part of me also laments what all this easy travel will bring to the Baja. “If you build it, they will come” was the line from a “Field of Dreams.” They are already building. They are already coming. And THEY is you and me and we’re bringing with it everything we supposedly ran away from back in the states…urban sprawl, traffic, noise, crime, trash, graffiti and fast food as we import more and more of the gringo lifestyle. Now it will be even easier. I can’t wait to buy my ticket. Help is on the way, but who’s going to save us from ourselves? “Green Grow the Hills” indeed.

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.