Viva Aerobus is expanding the number of travel options between Mexico and the US with the launch of four new transborder routes.

Two of the nonstop services are to new destination Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS), connecting the Texas airport with Mexico City (MEX) and Monterrey (MTY).

MEX-AUS will be seasonal from June 20 through Oct. 25, while MTY-AUS will operate year-round from June 19. Both routes will be served 2X-weekly using Airbus A320 aircraft.

“We look forward to providing a convenient and easy connection between these important destinations, linking our business sectors, bringing closer our Hispanic communities and a great leisure offer for our tourists,” Viva Aerobus CEO Juan Carlos Zuazua said.

Viva Aerobus currently serves four other airports in Texas, offering flights to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Harlingen (HRL), Houston George Bush (IAH) and San Antonio (SAT).

On the route between MEX and AUS, the ULCC will compete with Aeromexico, which is relaunching daily flights from July 1 using Embraer 190s. MTY-AUS is currently unserved.

Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows Viva Aerobus is also set to launch two more Mexico-US routes in the coming weeks—both of which are from the vacation resort Cancun (CUN).

On July 3, the airline will begin a 2X-weekly service between CUN and IAH, while a 1X-weekly route between CUN and Newark (EWR) starts on July 4. Flights will be operated using A320s.

The expansion increases the number of destinations Viva Aerobus flies to in the US from Cancun to four alongside Cincinnati Northern Kentucky (CVG) and Nashville (BNA).

On the CUN-EWR sector, the airline will compete directly with Frontier Airlines (1X-weekly), JetBlue Airways (daily) and United Airlines (3X-daily). American Airlines (daily), Delta Air Lines (2X-daily) and JetBlue (3X-daily) also serve CUN from New York John F Kennedy (JFK).

CUN-IAH is served by three other carriers—Spirit Airlines (daily), Sun Country Airlines (2X-weekly) and United (5X-daily), while Southwest Airlines flies between CUN and Houston William P. Hobby (HOU) three times per day.

The planned launch of Viva Aerobus’ new US routes come less than two months after the carrier announced the start of flights from Bajío International (BJX), which serves the cities of León and Guanajuato, to IAH and SAT.

On May 29, the airline is also opening a seasonal link between the leisure resort of Los Cabos (SJD) and CVG. Service will be 1X-weekly through Aug. 28.

OAG data shows that Viva Aerobus is this week (w/c May 17, 2021) operating 19 routes between Mexico and the US, offering a combined 63,500 two-way seats. During the same week in 2019, the airline provided 11,800 seats across eight routes.

The airline is currently the second largest Mexican carrier on transborder US routes by capacity behind fellow ULCC Volaris.

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Photo credit: Rob Finlayson