Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines has issued an interesting fare for flights from Dublin to Mexico City. Business Class roundtrips are currently on sale for less than €2,000 – and while the routing via Istanbul is a bit whacky, it comes with three major upsides.
Firstly, Turkish Airlines has a decent short-haul business class product with recliner seats in a 2-2 pattern, making the journey between Dublin and Istanbul more comfortable than the ordinary European business class experience. Secondly, flights to Mexico are operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with a state-of-the-art business class product, not their outdated Turkish’s Airbus A330 or Boeing 777 product. And last but not least, the long travel distance makes it a decent Mileage Run – earning you more than half of the miles required for Miles&Smiles Elite.
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to Turkish Airlines with your selected flight dates. You can also check what OTAs have to offer, as they sell these tickets up to €60 cheaper.
All itineraries include a change of planes in Istanbul both ways. The in-bound flight from Mexico City has a refuelling stop in Cancun. The long-haul flights features Turkish Airline’s newest business class product, with lie-flat-seats in a 1-2-1 seating pattern. Flights between Ireland and Turkey see you seated in a recliner seat with extra-legroom, personal video screens and superb catering.
Visa Info
Most EU citizens do not need a visa to enter Mexico. All you need to do is fill out the tourist card that is handed out onboard the plane. For touristic and business purposes, a visa-free stay of 180 days is possible.
Search & Book
The fare rules for this date gave no sales period nor a travel period. There is also no minimum stay. It shows very good availability throughout the entire year, with the summer holidays being the lone exception. You can add a stopover in Istanbul for free both ways. Turkish Airlines actively offers such connections when searching for flights.
Google Flights helps you find additional flight dates. While tickets distributed by OTAs are offered at a lower price on Skyscanner, we still recommend paying a little more for extra-security by booking directly on Turkish Airlines’ website.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Miles & Points
Turkish Airlines issues tickets for all flight segments in booking class J. Star Alliance frequent flyers can earn the following miles and points:
- 36,004 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 27,005 Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 24,225 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 23,835 Award Miles + 520 Points on Miles&More
- 23,403 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 22,503 Miles on Egyptair Plus
- 19,803 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 18,002 Award Miles + 2,742 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 18,002 Miles on Asiana Club
- 18,002 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 18,002 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 18,002 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 18,002 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 18,002 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 18,002 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 18,002 Miles on Azul TodoAzul
- 18,002 Miles on GOL Aéreos Smiles
- Customize Calculation
You can use our status calculator to see how close this will get you to Star Alliance Gold:
Destination
Information & Tips for Mexico City
3 Tips for Mexico City
Mexico City is not quite as touristic as, for example, the seaside resort city and party destination Cancun. This means that hardly anybody speaks English, but you also don’t have to be afraid of being ripped off because you look like a tourist. My 3 tips for Mexico City:
- Torre Latinoamericana: The office tower – which looks a bit ugly from the outside – offers a fantastic view over the city, especially at dusk. The ticket is valid for several visits over the course of a whole day and costs 110 Pesos (= 4,50€).
- Chapultepec Park: There is a free zoo in Chapultepec Park. Even though admission is free, you can admire a total of 252 different animal species.
- Teotihuacán: A little outside of town are the impressive pyramids of Teotihuacán. I recommend that you get there early, otherwise you’ll have to wait in line for a long time. I came by public bus (not through an organized tour), I found the instructions on how to do that in this blog. I would also recommend checking out the cave restaurant there!
For getting around Mexico City I recommend using Uber. The countless taco stands are also great and extremely cheap. However, make sure that the meat is adequately cooled. Unfortunately, you often see that raw meat is lying somewhere in the blazing sun.
→ All Dealz for Mexico City
Information & Tips for Mexico
Mayan pyramids, dreamy beaches and tacos – Mexico is an incredibly diverse country. If you want to experience the Spanish-speaking country to its fullest, you should definitely stay somewhere other than the tourist hotspots and seaside resorts.
The Best Time to Travel
The perfect travel time is from December to April, during this time it hardly rains and the temperatures are pleasant. Unsurprisingly, during the rainy season from May to October there is more rainfall. Beware of some extreme weather phenomenons that might be unknown to Europeans: Hurricane season lasts from June to November! Those who want to travel to typical holiday areas like Cancún and do not want to spend lots of money should travel in the off season. Areas with less touristic relevance such as Mexico City, on the other hand, are relatively constant throughout the year from a price perspective.
Currency, Credit Cards & Tipping
The official currency of the country is the Mexican Peso. 1 EUR equals about MX$22. The acceptance of credit cards is comparable to or even slightly better than Germany. In almost all shops, even small kiosks, it is possible and quite normal to pay by card. The same applies to restaurants. For street vendors, street snack bars and the like, it is advisable to have a few pesos in cash with you. It is unusual to tip taxis or cab drivers. At a restaurant, 10-15 percent are normal, as long as the tip is not already listed on the bill as a line item. When paying by card, you can usually choose how much you want to tip at the card terminal before entering the pin. Housekeeping at a hotel should usually be tipped 20-40 Pesos per day, small favours have a going tip rate of 5 Pesos.
Immigration & Visa Requirements
Most EU citizens do not need a visa to enter Mexico. All you need to do is fill out the tourist card that is handed out onboard the plane. For touristic and business purposes, a visa-free stay of 180 days is possible.
→ All Dealz for Mexico
Cover Picture: © Turkish Airlines
