The phrase “you can’t get there from here” often comes to mind when trying to book a trip to Mazatlán from many parts of the U.S. and Canada. Well, you can get here, but usually not easily or inexpensively, at least at certain times of the year. When I started traveling to Mazatlan, it was always in the peak season when Minnesota runs charter flights to different parts of Mexico, and the deals were phenomenal. There were often last minute deals for $99 per person plus taxes. Those charters run from Christmas to Easter, so when I wanted to find airfare for travel to Maz-atlán in November one year, I was shocked at the difference in prices and the difficulty in finding flights that would get me there without an overnight stay in Denver or LA or making numerous stops along the way. I spent a good deal of my travel agent life trying to find specials to Mazatlán from different parts of the U.S. and Canada for customers and tour groups, so here are a few suggestions you might find helpful when you’re trying to get the best fare for your next trip: • Check to see if there are charter flights that operate from your city or a nearby major city. Charter flights will usually have the lowest fares, but also are the most restrictive. They operate usually on a seasonal basis with one to two flights a week and you don’t have much flexibility in when you leave or return. Check with a travel agent or a major city’s Sunday travel section to find out if there are charter flights near where you live. • Visit major travel websites to check their prices and put yourself on a travel watch list to monitor the lowest airfares to Mazatlán. They will send you an email when the price goes down. They are also a good resource to go on and check prices for the flights you want on a daily or weekly basis to see whether the fares are going up or down, and you can check all the airlines at once without having to log onto each airline’s website. • Mazatlan is served by these airlines with scheduled service…these are subject to seasonal operations and changes to frequency of flights: Alaska Airlines: non-stops from Los Angeles Aerocalifornia: 1 stop from Los Angeles Aeromexico: 1 stop from Salt Lake City America West: non-stop from Phoenix, Los Angeles Continental: non-stop from Houston Frontier: non-stop from Denver Mexicana: 1 stop from Los Angeles, and many connec- tions through Mexico City from other cities Sun Country: non-stop from Minneapolis • Major airlines usually have a big sale in the

spring and the fall, usually in May and either late August or early September, so watch for these and buy if it seems a reasonable price. Don’t wait too long for travel deals if you are traveling over holiday seasons. Space goes fast, and you could end up paying a lot more. One other way to get discounted airfare is to purchase a package trip either through major airlines packages or travel website packages. You have to book airfare and hotel, but sometimes by booking the lowest priced hotel for the minimum amount of days gives you a better price than the airfare alone without the package. If you need a hotel package, this might be the most inexpensive way to book. Book far ahead or book last minute? Always a traveler’s dilemma when to book to get the best prices. Charter flights are usually the only ones that may go down in price if they don’t sell out and usually that happens only within a week or two of departure. Can you wait that long? If you can, take a chance, but don’t be disappointed if the flight sells out and you don’t get to go. Scheduled airline fares are higher, but if you keep track and see a lower fare for the same flights/dates/times, you can check with the airlines about receiving a voucher for the fare difference. For those Mazatlecos trying to get OUT of Mazatlán (who would want to do that?) to the U.S. or Canada, there is little to offer other than scheduled flights on major airlines. Sun Country and Frontier offer reasonable one way/roundtrip fares during the high season. There are some charter operators who offer flights to Mazatlán, but most of those have restrictions offering round trips starting in the US /Canada only. I would always check with local Mazatlán and your destination’s travel agencies for exact details on charter operations. Your best option may be to find an airfare sale and get the best price you can for when you want to travel. All in all, compared to other Pacific beach destinations, Mazatlán has fairly good air service during the winter months and fair service on the off-season. Continental and America West have been offering year round service for the last few years, which has been great. Due to their flight schedules, if you are coming from a northern destination, you may still have to either overnight in Phoenix, Houston or Los Angeles at least one way. But for all of us who have traveled many round-about ways to get to Mazatlán (Really, I loved spending hours in the Hermosillo airport!): No matter how long it takes to get here from there, vale la pena!