Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Sep 06, 2025

Why Mexico's president is flying commercial to see Trump

Why Mexico's president is flying commercial to see Trump

If you happen to be flying between Mexico City and Washington, DC, this week, you could be seatmates with a president.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will fly commercial to the United States on Tuesday for meetings with US President Donald Trump. That means the president of the tenth-most populous country in the world will hope his flight isn't delayed, wedge any carry-on into the overhead and pray for a consistent cabin temperature, all while dreaming of more leg room. You know, like the rest of us.

The President, who says private presidential planes are the trappings of the "neoliberal elite," will even have to make a stopover. There are no direct flights from Mexico City to Washington," said López Obrador last week during his daily press conference. "But we can make a connection and arrive in Washington one day before the meeting we have."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not confirm the president's exact itinerary, citing security concerns. But we have many more questions than just what flight he's on.


So, logistically, how does this work?

We have some insight into how the President flies commercially because this is not the first time he has done so. He's done so multiple times on domestic flights in Mexico.

Videos and news reports show him starting his journeys in Mexico City's aging airport, mobbed by selfie-seeking travelers shocked to see a president walking by.


He then heads through security and makes his way toward his gate. CNN can't confirm if he is ever tempted to purchase unnecessary magnets at tourist shops or buy an overpriced coffee.

When he has boarded his plane in the past, he sits in coach, chatting with other passengers the entire time. The spectacle has become a signature of sorts for the longtime politician.

This week's flight will be slightly different, though - the trip will be López Obrador's first international visit since taking office in December 2018. It's unclear how exactly that might change what has, at least domestically, become pretty standard operating procedure.

In the US, he will have to go through customs and immigration, though his diplomatic passport should at least gain him access to a faster line. It will make for an unusual day at the office for whichever US Customs and Border Protection officer is tasked with stamping that passport.


Is this safe?

If you subscribe to the notion that presidents are targets, then the answer is no -- traveling through multiple public airports and being trapped on planes with strangers increases López Obrador's exposure to potential threats. But he might disagree.

The President has eschewed armed guards since taking office, disbanding the previous presidential security detail. He instead travels around with a handful of aides and escorts who routinely allow the public direct access to the President.

His office doesn't publicize the exact details of his trips and he often shows up to the airport unannounced.

But for this trip to the White House, the President has already said publicly he will fly on Tuesday.

A simple search online shows there are not that many flights to choose from, especially during a demand-sapping pandemic. Mexican officials could of course book a series of one-way flights, making the ability to map potential flights more difficult.
But anyone who wants to see the President in person could make a pretty reasonable guess about which flight he might be on leaving from Mexico City.

There also exists the risk of collateral damage any attack on the president could pose to the public traveling with him: Earlier this year, a passenger who discovered López Obrador was on his flight to the Mexican city of Villahermosa asked to be let off the plane. In a video shared widely online, the man could be heard saying it was not safe for his family to be onboard.

There's also the fact that the President is choosing to fly in the middle of a pandemic. The infection risk of flying can be mitigated when best health practices are practiced, like wearing a mask. But López Obrador has never worn a mask in public and it's unclear if he'll do so on this trip.

Mask or not, flying commercial is certainly riskier than staying at home or flying private. And López Obrador does have his own plane. He's just choosing not to use it.


Wait, he's got his own plane!? Why doesn't he just use that?

Officially, the Mexican government purchased a 787-8 Boeing Dreamliner for presidential use back in 2012. The plane's price tag was a whopping $218.7 million.

López Obrador, a leftist known for his populist positions and strong base among lower income communities, had long decried the plane as a notorious example of government excess and vowed to never use it.

The plane has been up for sale for more than a year (asking price: $130 million), but López Obrador has struggled to find a buyer. The government keeps it at an airfield in Los Angeles, California, and still pays for its maintenance and storage.

López Obrador said earlier this year he would sell tickets and raffle off the plane to the winner. But what, exactly, would the lucky raffle winner do with a wide-body jet engine passenger aircraft? He later changed his proposition, saying he would still sell tickets to cover the cost of the plane but, instead of gifting the plane itself to the winner, would instead give a 20 million Mexican pesos cash prize to 100 winners, the equivalent of roughly $900,000.

Meanwhile, attempts to sell or lease the plane will continue.

Critics say López Obrador's unwillingness to use that plane, or another plane from Mexico's Air Force, is a cheap political stunt designed to appeal to the many Mexican voters who will never be able to afford a plane ticket.

Supporters have backed his stance, saying boarding a plane with wide leather seats, a double bed, and a spacious bathroom with a shower would be unconscionable with so many Mexicans struggling with poverty.

No matter which side you fall on, flying commercial is definitely the cheapest option. A Kayak.com search over the weekend for a one-stop, roundtrip Mexico City - Washington, DC, ticket, leaving Tuesday and returning Thursday, was a little more than $1,100 USD per person.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
×