ALMA de México
Aerolíneas Mesoamericanas, S.A. de C.V., operating as ALMA de Mexico, was a low-cost airline based in Guadalajara, Mexico. It suspended all service on November 7, 2008. The airline once operated flights to more than 18 domestic destinations, with plans for international service to the United States. Its main base was Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport, Guadalajara.
History
The airline was established in 2005 by former Aeroméxico COO Guillermo Heredia and received its air operator's certificate in September of the same year.On June 12, 2006, ALMA launched operations with its first flight from Guadalajara to Puebla. It had already signed lease agreements with GE Commercial Aviation Services for further Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft.
ALMA was awarded its security and safety certification on March 2, 2007.
ALMA successfully combined air travel with bus services in what it called a Multimodal service. This service was offered on the following routes:
- For any passenger flying to La Paz and travelling on to San José del Cabo or Cabo San Lucas
- For any passenger flying to Tijuana and travelling on to Ensenada or Mexicali
- For any passenger flying to Puebla with a final short trip to its center and vice versa. In this last case, there was no extra charge.
On November 7, 2008, ALMA announced on its website that it was ceasing all operations, effective immediately, citing the global economic crisis, the increase in fuel prices and the devaluation of the Mexican peso. The airline had not made any backup plans for its booked passengers. As a result, all such customers had effectively lost their money unless they were willing to make a claim to PROFECO, which stated that any such claim could literally take years to resolve. Aeroméxico offered to reprotect passengers, but it charged 999 pesos per segment subject to G class availability.
Fleet
The ALMA de México fleet consisted of the following aircraft :On order
- 2 Bombardier CRJ-900 NextGen the order was cancelled, when operations ceased