Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Sep 17, 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
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×