It’s been a long time since I’ve done a flight with the American Airlines 737-800 and even longer since I’ve done one to or from Mexico. I wanted to a do a flight with it that wasn’t to Mexico City, San José del Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, or Cancún, but the options for airports in 3D are fairly limited. One that stood out to me was Léon, located on the Central Mexican Plateau. I enjoyed this flight to a relatively out-of-the-way airport and I hope y’all enjoy the trip report!
Server: Solo
Airline: American Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Origin: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Grapevine, Texas (DFW)
Destination: Léon/Bajío International Airport, Silao, Mexico (BJX)
Flight Number: AA1244
Route: KDFW-MMLO
Seat: 17A (Main Cabin Extra)
Time En Route: 2 Hours 10 Minutes
“There’s some big black clouds blowin’ in from the west…”
Getting ready to board our aircraft at Gate D2 as a line of thunderstorms approaches the Dallas area. Our destination today, the Mexican city of Léon, is one of several ones south of the border served by American Airlines. In a curious twist of the usual relationship, Léon gets mainline service year-round, with American Eagle’s service being seasonal, an inversion of how it normally is for many airlines.
Pushing back from the gate as the sky begins to cloud up and darken. In the background are a number of widebodies, including a Qantas A380-800. Hopefully we can get out of here before the storm hits, as afternoon taxis as DFW can be long.
Taxiing to the runway across the field from the American Airlines maintenance hangars. On the runway next to us, American Eagle’s retro E170 rolls by on its way to San Antonio as AA3777. The mid-afternoon is probably the busiest time of day at DFW, as the afternoon domestic traffic gets out while a bunch of international flights come in. We’ve been making good time on our taxi, though, so it shouldn’t be too long until we’re airborne.
Taking off from Runway 18L by Terminal D. Aside from a few international carriers, it’s mostly AA metal there this afternoon. As for us, we’re just glad not to have been delayed by weather.
Climbing over where the suburbs south of Dallas meet the farmland. Despite the heavy weather entering the area, we’ve got a pretty smooth climbout today. Our seat is a typical Main Cabin Extra seat in economy, with a few more inches of legroom due being in an exit row. It’s comfortable enough for our journey today, but it lacks some of the amenities of the other full-service legacy carriers, namely a seatback IFE screen, which is somewhat irritating.
Crossing the Rio Grande into Mexico as we listen to Wayne “The Train” Hancock’s “Thunderstorms and Neon Signs” on Spotify. The man sounds eerily like Hank Williams Sr. if he hadn’t died in the back of that Cadillac and kept performing his music the way he had been. Oddly appropriate, considering what we left behind us. We got a snack and a drink from the cabin crew, which was much-appreciated after sitting around the terminal.
Descending over the Central Mexican Plateau, not far from San Lui Potosí. The sky down Mexico way is a lot clearer than up north, with the weather at our destination looking to be absolutely spectacular. We’re not reading or listening to anything at the moment, just enjoying the view out the window.
Landing on a hot afternoon at Léon/Bajío International. At this hot-and-high airport with a fairly short runway, our 737-800 is demostrating just how fast it can slow down. It’s a fairly busy day here in Silao, with most of the remote stands and all but one of the jetbridges being occupied. With the temperature being over 90° out, we’re hoping we get that last jetbridge so we don’t have to stand on the ramp waiting for a bus to take us to the terminal.
Taxiing off the runway while what looks to be some variety of Hawker lines up for takeoff at the other end. One of the flight attendants is letting us know how thankful the crew is that we’ve chosen American Airlines for our trip and how they look forward to seeing us on another American Airlines flight.
Well, we lucked out this afternoon, as we got to deplane via the last open jetbridge into an air-conditioned terminal. The flight was pretty solid overall, with the only complaint being AA taking out the IFE screens, which for some reason we noticed on this flight. We get the point of doing it, but it seems like a downgrade compared to United and Delta. Nevertheless, we’re still more than willing to fly with AA, but it’s now time to go get our bags and go explore Léon.