Aero California

Aero California was formed in 1960 as an air taxi company with its base in La Paz, Mexico. But it wasn’t until 1982 that the airline scheduled services for domestic flights between La Paz, Tijuana and Hermosillo using Convair 340 planes. Los Angeles was the first international destination for the airline, with services departing from La Paz, Loreto and Los Cobos airports. The airline’s activity was suspended by the Mexican Ministry of Transport and Communications in 2006 for lack of safety standards but quickly resolved the problems and resumed services at a satisfactory standard.

Aero California is the third largest airline in Mexico. Its no frills, low cost approach sees that its services to over 20 domestic destinations are used regularly and repeatedly by its loyal customer base. Some of the main destinations include La Paz, Mexico City, Los Mochis, Tijuana and Tepic, and the airline's main base is Manuel Marquez de Leon International Airport.

Bookings for Aero California flights can be made online or by credit card over the telephone. They have interestingly recently introduced a 'pay by cash' scheme, which can be sent through Western Union from within Mexico. Seating is designated by booking staff but preferences may be requested upon booking. Some in-flight refreshments are supplied at no added cost but more substantial meals must be paid for. Check in opens three hours and closes 45 minutes before departure.

Aero California is a ticketless airline, meaning that with each reservation the customer receives a reservation code which is used to retrieve the booking. At present all fares are non-refundable and name changes cannot be made to the booking name. The baggage allowance stands at 25kg and a charge of $75 MXN stands for each additional kilo. The Mexican air carrier service uses DC9-30 aircraft with a passenger capacity of 115.