Viva Aerobus Flight Review

I'm a big fan of saving money on flights. Who isn't? But every now and then even I am stumped when I see a new airline cross my Google Flights search.

In this case, I was looking for fairly last minute deals to Mexico for Memorial Day weekend, when a new route popped up that I hadn't seen before - Nonstop flights from Orlando to Merida!

But the hitch? It was on Viva Airlines - one I'd never heard of.

Having written successful articles for low cost carriers like Avelo Airlines and Norse Airlines, I often get questions like - is Avelo airlines safe? Is it comfortable? Do I have to pay for my bags, or give you my kidney and my first born child?

I'll be honest, having never heard of Viva, my brain went to similar questions.

After pulling the trigger on the Merida flights, I'm here to answer those questions. Below find FAQs, my booking and Viva Air flight experience, and other great tips for having a worry-free, inexpensive and enjoyable flight on Viva Aerobus.

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What's the Story on Viva Aerobus?

Viva is a Mexican airline based out of Mexico City. They are not a new airline and have been in operation for years.

They operate routes all over Mexico (throw a dart and it probably flies there), with International destinations including (but not limited to):

• Chicago, USA

• Cincinnati, USA

• Dallas, USA

• Houston, USA

• Las Vegas, USA

• Los Angeles, USA

• Nashville, USA

• New York, USA

• San Antonio, USA

• Bogota, Colombia

• Quito, Ecuador

And, Orlando!

How's the Viva Aerobus Booking Process?

Search

Searching for and finding flights was easy from Google Flights search, with options for Friday or Monday nonstop departures, and only one option for a nonstop return.

I found the flight I wanted and navigated out to the website to book.

Choose Fare

Next, choose your fare:

Smart, light and zero. Each adds the ability to add bags and other perks.

Looking for cost savings, I always choose the lowest fare, even if that means I have to travel light. Packing a personal bag for a week long trip happens to be a specialty of mine!

Then it wants me to sign up for their program to save some more money. Sure, why not?

This will be an annoying distraction for a few minutes but it will eventually spit you back to your booking information after you confirm your email address in the new portal.

Extras

Baggage Fees

At a certain point you can add bags individually (you may want to consider this if you are packing for Mexico with kids).

I decided to bring a large checked bag for the family to share, because I ALWAYS buy a lot of great souvenirs in Mexico.

WARNING about buying extra bags:

This process is not clear cut. I walked away from my booking experience confident that I had purchased a 55lb check bag, when in reality I only purchased a 33lb checked bag. We got fleeced at the airport in both directions for extra bag payments. Communication from the airline staff was unhelpful and we ended up paying $164 for ONE checked bag round trip after all the headaches and extra payments.

LESSON TO BE LEARNED:

Be extremely thorough about what bag size you are purchasing during the booking process. Keep all proof of purchase paperwork.

Additionally, they didn't seem to care about carry-ons and personal sized bag sizes too much. They were more focused on the weight of checked bags.

If you do get charged at the airport, it might cost you around $57 (we were told this was round trip), but in fact it was for a one way weight upgrade. If you step out of the line and pay online, you'll actually come out better price-wise, but it is still a total dog and may ruin your time at the airport.

Next time I will be packing only a personal bag. The one I used (and recommend all over my blog) is this Samsonsite tote. It's durable, reliable, inexpensive, and holds a LOT of stuff. Read more here.

Seats and Other Fees

You can also choose and pay for seats, if you wish. In my experience, both flights to and from Mexico were nearly empty, or at least had plenty of empty seats. Unless you absolutely have seat requirements and comfort needs, I don't think this is a necessary expenditure.

By the end of booking I also noticed a fee added for being a non-resident (of Mexico, I assume) and for my airport departure fee, boosting the 'added fees' column to $211. Yikes.

It turns out, this added TUA fee is common in Mexico. Viva has provided more information on this here, so you can feel more comfortable about the seemingly random charge.

Once you are booked, all you have left to do is plan your trip. In our case, one week in Merida!

Here's some other things you'll want to know about Viva Aerobus first.

Is Viva Air Part of the TSA Precheck Program?

Yes! Be sure to add your Known Traveler Number at booking.

Is Viva Airlines safe?

Yes. All airlines must adhere to federal regulations somewhere, where it is in the United States or wherever they launch from. Just because a carrier offers low cost flights, doesn't mean they skimp on safety.

If anything, they skimp on amenities. For instance, our first flight was an extremely old aircraft.

The second flight was extremely new. It's the difference in aircraft that will dictate the quality of the amenities.

Is Viva Airlines comfortable?

In my experience, Viva is as comfortable as any other short-haul, low cost carrier.

Seat back pockets were not available on my first flight, but they were on my second flight, which I noticed also offered VIP seating and Space+ seating, both which seemed to have more leg room.

The AC worked great on both flights.

Seats reclined on the older aircraft, but the newer aircraft did not offer reclining seats.

Drinks and snacks are an add-on option, and there are no free items. Snack combos and drinks are actually priced very reasonably, with prices listed in Mexican Pesos. $20 MXN is about $1 in USD.

What are the bag sizes for Viva aerobus?

Personal bags are 18 in. x 14 in. x 8 in. (45cm x 35cm x 20cm), which is pretty spacious if you are used to flying on European low-cost carriers.

For checked bags and carry on bags, consult their website and be super careful about what you end up paying for. It's all about weight with Viva.

Can I Bring a Car Seat for My Kid?

Maybe. Sort of. Unclear. The website is no help, but here is what we gathered:

Car seats can be checked for free if your child is 2 and under and you purchase the baby bundle.

Again, this is a huge failure of this airline's communication though - no clear direction on whether this costs money or not. On our departure flight we were told the car seat was free. On the return flight, they tried to get money out of us for the car seat.

You may want to consider adding a car seat to your rental car reservation at your destination if the costs are better than the unknown car seat fees at the airport.

When Things Go Wrong

I would be remiss if I didn't share my final experience with Viva Airlines, and it wasn't a pleasant one. While I understand weather happens, my two hour flight from Merida to Orlando turned into an eight hour ordeal.

Circling the Orlando airport the pilot announced we needed fuel, so we had to fly to Miami, land, refuel, wait for Orlando's weather to clear up, and then fly home.

While this is responsible piloting, I do have questions about the decision making.

Once we were on the ground in Miami, they kept passengers placated by selling snacks and drinks. Always be selling. Right?

Even though the delay was not ideal, the staff didn't add to the tension. (See how I spun that positively)?

In fact, they were so laissez-faire that they didn't bother enforcing sitting and buckling on the tarmac and active taxiway, which made my blood boil as passengers roamed around with children, teens swung across the rows of seats, and general pandemonium ensued, slowing us down to buckled everyone up again to move. Not super and not safe practices.

This is a failure of the staff, not the safety of the airline. They should have kept better control of the passengers.

When You Get to the Airport at Your Destination

Prepare for customs lines, and have a car rental booked in advance. Optionally, I've got a handy guide on How to Get From the Airport to Your Hotel Overseas. 

If you encounter any delays or cancellations for your flight, you have rights. Contact AirHelp to see quotes on possible compensation for your troubles.

For additional travel medical insurance or trip insurance needs, be sure to consult Visitor's Coverage in advance of your travels.

Last Word

As a final note, be aware you will receive communications via email from the airline leading up to your flight and they will be in Spanish. In fact, most of the communications in person will also be in Spanish.

You can always auto-translate these emails using Google to ensure you don't miss any important details! Just hit the 'translate to English' button at the top of your emails (if you are using GMAIL).

There are other options for using Google Translate tools if you need them. Learn more about Google Translate here.

Bottom Line

Do I feel the airline is unsafe? No.

I think overall they need to spend more time working on their people skills, as they take a very hands off approach on some things and a very hard headed approach on others. There needs to be a middle ground.

Their website needs to be clearer and less confusing, especially with non-Spanish speaking audiences trying to navigate it.

Their staff needs a good hug. That usually does the trick.

Would I fly with them again? Yes. Only if I am carrying a personal bag only.