Volaris vs Vivaaerobus, which is better?

As we all know, when it comes to flying in Mexico, the low cost or low price airlines are the most chosen; whom “Volaris vs Vivaaerobus, which is better?Let’s compare them…

According to data from Reportur, in May of this year, Volaris and Viva Aerobus already had half of the entire Mexican fleet, so in the first quarter of 2021, these Mexican airlines already operated with an index of 50% of the fleet of passengers, compared to 34% in the same period of 2020.

By then, Viva Aerobus operated with 45 aircraft and planned to add another six, to end the year with 51 aircraft; Volaris had 98 aircraft and planned to add eight more to the three aircraft it had planned, which highlights the great opportunity for growth in this segment.

In this context and considering the disappearance of one of its main competitors, the airline Interjet, today many of us have Volaris and/or Viva Aerobus as the favorites.

But the time has come to investigate a little more and see what each one offers, and then evaluate which one suits us for our next trip…

Comparison Volaris vs Vivaaerobus

1. Destinations

Viva Aerobus

Its date of operation dates from the year 2006. It currently has flights to 41 cities in Mexico and its international flights reach 9 cities in the United States, Havana, Cuba and Bogotá, Colombia.

Volaris

Company that began operating in 2003. Currently, it reaches 44 Mexican cities and also covers international destinations in countries such as the United States with more than 50 cities, Costa Rica, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

2. Rates

Both companies offer attractive rates that increase based on the services you decide to add. That is why the rates do not include TUA at the beginning, but when you get to the final choice, it does give you the real price.

Likewise, both Volaris and Vivaaerobus do not include food in the cost of their tickets, but both airlines sell snacks and drinks on board.

Each company has rate packages according to the services it includes, we present them below and in general terms:

Viva Aerobus has 4 different packages:

1 Zero: includes 1 personal item and web check in 4 hours before.

2 Light: includes 1 personal item, web check-in 8 hours before, carry-on bag up to 10 kg, up to 3 free changes (restrictions and/or fare difference apply).

3 Extra: includes 1 personal item, web check-in 10 days before, carry-on bag up to 10 kg, up to 3 free changes (restrictions and/or fare difference apply) and 15 Kg of checked baggage.

4 Smart: includes 1 personal item, web check-in 10 days before, 2 carry-on bags (15 Kg in total), unlimited free changes (restrictions and/or fare difference apply), 25 Kg of checked baggage, regular seat selection, priority documentation .

Volaris has 3 types of fares:

1 Basic Rateincludes 1 personal object.

2 Classic Rateincludes 1 personal item and 1 hand luggage up to 10 kg.

3 Tarifa Plusincludes 1 personal object, 2 carry-on baggage (weight up to 10 kg between the two), 1 checked baggage up to 25 kg, boarding area 1.

The selection of seats and changes of date or time, have a charge.

3. Travel with babies, Volaris vs Vivaaerobus

Both airlines consider the babies (infants) category to children between 7 days and 2 years, who do not pay a ticket if they travel in the legs of the adult. The Baby Combo is available on both airlines with similar benefits.

Viva Aerobus, clarifies on its website that babies must be at least 7 days old to be able to fly with this airline, otherwise, you must present a medical certificate that authorizes their air travel. It also clarifies that for your safety, only one baby per adult is allowed.

Volaris establishes that the service only applies if your baby is between 7 days and 2 years old. Likewise, it informs that an adult can travel with two infants, as long as one of them travels in a baby carrier paying the full rate and the other in the legs of the adult.

4. Benefits Volaris vs. Vivaaerobus

Both companies offer special discounts on most of their products and services, we mention some of the highlights below.

Beneficis Viva Aerobus

Viva Fan Membership, you can purchase it per month or annually and with it you get discounts on flights and other services. It is personal and non-transferable.

Viva Grupos is a good alternative for those who decide to travel in groups of 10 or more people, they offer special discounts on flights and services and have direct route options.

Flex Pass, benefit for passengers with Light, Extra and Smart fares, free of charge until December 31, 2021. It allows you to advance your flight, that is, change your flight for an earlier one on the same route, as long as there is a difference less than or equal to 6 (six) hours between the original flight and the flight to which you wish to change. Available only at some airports.

Travel Saving: with this option you get up to 50% discount on bus tickets when you buy your plane ticket in connection. You can check routes to which it applies.

Total Refund Insurance: the airline offers insurance so that in certain cases you can request the full refund of the money paid for the plane ticket. It also has travel insurance and corporate insurance options with special coverage in cases of delays or cancellations, health, luggage theft, etc.

It offers a Viva Aerobus credit card with special benefits and discounts.

Volaris Benefits

VClub Membership, there are several alternatives, one of them is for Friends and/or family, which allows you to obtain discounted flights for a group of 8 people plus the holder, this case is very useful if you have children (2 to 12 years old) since For them, you only have to pay the cost of the TUA, so you do not pay a ticket.

Others are the Individual and the Duo, the good thing is that you can contract it per month or per year, and you access the benefits of special discounts that can be very useful, just check the terms and conditions and routes for which discounts apply.

Add to that the Flexibility Combo, which allows unlimited time and date changes, without rate leveling; only in low season.

Combo Reimbursement, for cancellation or interruption of the trip and Combo Salud, both subject to terms and conditions, with accessible costs.

Combo Business allows you to choose a standard seat, unlimited time and date changes, additional carry-on baggage in the basic fare, all of this free of charge; It can be useful if you need all the services that it includes, since the expense would be less than paying for them separately.

One more is the Combo plus Luggage, it can be very useful if you carry several suitcases and also for those who travel with musical instruments or sports luggage, see conditions.

It offers a Volaris credit card with special benefits and discounts.

Final Recommendations

We cannot confirm if one or another airline is better since it is very relative, it will depend on the experience of those who access each of the services they offer.

An important recommendation to hire any service is to ALWAYS read the terms and conditions, so you can avoid misunderstandings and inconveniences when using it.

On the other hand, the prices of these companies can be very affordable and even more so if you have the flexibility to choose the dates and times and if you travel with very little luggage; the only thing you should carefully check the prices of each one and see what suits you.

Prices can vary according to the destination for each company and just as you find very low prices for a place in one of them, the other has very good prices but for alternative destinations. It’s all a matter of spending time searching.

Remember that we have more info and tips on this blog such as airport data for CDMX, Cancun, Guadalajara, Monterrey, etc., details of Mexican airlines, requirements to travel by plane in a pandemic, etc.