One of my all-time favorite moments in Mexico travel happened in the window seat of an Aeromexico Boeing 737. Nightfall was breaking and there appeared to be more stars on the ground than in the sky. My flight's descent into Mexico City seemed to go on for at least a half an hour, with each minute and each patch of a thousand blinking pinpoints shedding light on the sheer magnitude of the metropolis.
Then we landed and the magic slipped away a little. Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport is remarkably modern, safe, and efficient especially for being the gateway to one of the world's biggest cities, but its still huge, and travelers still have to venture through some of the city's roughest neighborhoods in order to reach our destinations.
After dozens of similar trips with equally amazing views, recently it was time for me to test out the alternative -- Toluca's Licenciado Adolfo López Mateos International Airport (TLC), which lies just 52 km (32 miles) southwest of Benito. I had snapped up round-trip tickets from LAX to TLC on Volaris, a Mexican regional airline whose flight attendants' fuchsia uniforms are some of the snappiest in the biz, for only $250 including taxes and fees thanks to one of the airline's frequent email promotions.
TLC has been a convenient alternative for Mexican nationals since it opened in 2002, kind of like the Burbank near LAX in Los Angeles or La Guardia near JFK in New York City, but it wasn't until Continental Airlines began offering non-stop flights from Houston in 2006 that international passengers began to take advantage of being able to arrive only 45 minutes away from Santa Fe, Mexico City's financial district. This summer Volaris followed suit by connecting with Southwest Airlines for a codeshare program with direct routes from Oakland and Los Angeles.
Built on land formally utilized for sand mines and a landfill, Santa Fe now is now flecked with dramatic, modern skyscrapers that are home to the Latin American headquarters of companies like Microsoft, Nokia, and Ericsson. The area has also become a luxury shopping Mecca with the massive Centro Comercial Santa Fe, home of First Saks Fifth Avenue outside of the United States. Going along with the luxury/business theme several high-end hotels have popped up in the area including the refined Fiesta Americana Santa Fe, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Distrito Capital, the latest gem to be opened by the design gurus behind the Habita boutique hotel chain. The latter features rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the city not unlike the ones I initially saw on my first flight to Mexico City. It's in the same building as six top-notch restaurants, including Cebicheria Peruana La Mar, where renowned Peruvian Chef Gaston Acurio has filled a menu with classic ceviches and new Asian infusion Saltados, or wok stirfries.
When I arrived at TLC at 8pm there appeared to be more janitors in the terminal than passengers, allowing for the entire customs ritual to last about ten minutes. I easily found the terminal for Volaris' shuttle ($20 pesos or about US$1.50) to their Santa Fe bus terminal, which took only half an hour. I spent the night in Santa Fe, got a little window shopping in the next morning and took a $90 peso ride into the heart of Mexico City. A couple days later I made the reverse trip back out to Toluca. The alternate route added around two additional hours to my total travel time, but it did come with its advantages -- I had plenty of time to get reading in on the shuttle buses, and now I have another window seat memory to add to my list.
I got to experience Volaris' version of an in-flight security video, which involved a telenovela actress falling in love with a fellow passenger. When her desires caused her to run out of breath, the video cut to the overhead breathing devices. I was still giggling by the time the flight attendant came and offered me my free glass of tequila and Squirt.
I'd take that route again any day.
If You Go
Volaris (tel. 866/988-3527; www.volaris.com.mx)
Distrito Capital, Juan Salvador Agraz 37, Santa Fé, Mexico City 05300 (tel. (55) 5257/1300; www.hoteldistritocapital.com; doubles from US$170).