In this review, we’ll share our experience with Aeromexico from São Paulo to Mexico City. Aeromexico operates both the Boeing 787-8 and the 787-9. This flight was operated by the older 787-8 product. We’ve previously reviewed the 787-8 on Aeromexico from Madrid to Mexico City, and I was keen to see how consistent the airline’s experience is in business class.

Aeromexico operates one daily flight from São Paulo to Mexico City. Although the aircraft type used varies, this flight was operated by the 787-8. Unfortunately, it’s an inferior product to the 787-9, with a more dated configuration. This said, Aeromexico often offers some excellent value fares, especially if you’re flexible on dates. Although the airline doesn’t offer the best business class product, I’ve always enjoyed my flights and consider them good value. In this review, we’ll share more about the Aeromexico 787-8 business class experience.

Aeromexico São Paulo to Mexico City Check-in

Unfortunately, Aeromexico departs from São Paulo Guarulhos Terminal 2. It’s a big downgrade from the more modern Terminal 3, which is used by the likes of American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia. Fortunately, you can connect airside between the two terminals, but I’ll talk more about that later.

Check-in was a quick process. We arrived at the airport around three hours before our departure, and there was no queue – either in economy or business. We had an onward flight from Mexico City to Madrid, with a connection of 16 hours in Mexico City. As such, I was anticipating that it’d be possible for us to check our bags through to Madrid, without having to collect them during our connection.

Unfortunately, I was told this wasn’t possible and there was no option but to collect our bags in Mexico City. This was disappointing because our two checked bags were on the heavy side at just under 32kg each (we may have decided to bring back a few too many bottles of Malbec from Argentina!). We had booked a hotel in Mexico City and were hoping to be able to head straight there when we landed, without having to drag our bags with us. In the end, it took nearly two hours to collect our bags in Mexico City – but that’s another story!

Security & Lounge Access

There is no priority security in São Paulo, but fortunately, the queue wasn’t too big and we were airside in around 25 minutes. Aeromexico advised us to use the SkyTeam lounge in São Paulo. I’ll review this at a later date, but in short, it’s dreadful and one of the worst lounges I’ve used. Fortunately, there is a walkway between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. It takes about ten minutes to walk between the terminals. If you have time, you’ll then be able to use the much better lounges in Terminal 3 if you have access to a lounge membership programme like DragonPass or Priority Pass. We decided to use the Amex Centurion lounge São Paulo, which is much better than the SkyTeam option.

Aeromexico 787-8 Business Class Cabin

Our flight was running to schedule and started to board around 45 minutes before departure. The boarding process in São Paulo was slightly chaotic. While there were different lines for each boarding group, they weren’t really being enforced.

As previously mentioned, Aeromexico operates both the 787-8 and 787-9. Unfortunately, there is a poor level of consistency between the two different variations. The 787-8 is a much more dated product, and definitely feels like a step down from the more modern 787-9. The seats are configured in a 2-2-2 layout. One advantage of this, to be fair, is that if you’re travelling as a couple, the window seats are still a good option.

Aeromexico allows you to reserve your preferred seats for free after booking. We decided to book 3G and 3E – the same seats we’d chosen on our last flight in this cabin with Aeromexico. Overall, I think they’re a good choice. You’re far back enough not to be disturbed by any activity in the galley, but far forward enough to be served more rapidly during meal services.

While I found the seats comfortable, they lack privacy. This would be even more apparent if you were travelling solo. I didn’t particularly like the colour scheme, which again, feels a little dated. As typical in long-haul business, the seats are lie-flat, and it was easy to adjust the angle for relaxing.

Upon boarding, a pack with a blanket, pillow and earphones was awaiting us. These are of a fairly good quality, and I especially like the pillow which adds a good extra level of comfort to the seat or when sleeping.

Aeromexico also offers all business class passengers an amenity kit. The quality and appearance was very good, and I especially like the design of the eye mask.

Connectivity and IFE on Aeromexico 787-8 Business Class

All of Aeromexico’s 787’s are equipped with wifi. All passengers, regardless of fare, can use messaging services for free. If you’re in business class, you’ll also be given a voucher at the beginning of the flight which allows you to access all internet services (except streaming) for two hours. This works really nicely because once you’ve activated your session, you can pause the connection while you’re not using it.

At the beginning of the flight, we were advised that wifi services would not be functional until we reached Peru. Personally, I enjoy taking some time to disconnect during a long-haul flight. I did test out the wifi for an hour or so though, and it worked very well.

The in-flight entertainment system wasn’t functioning correctly during this flight. While there were a few different films and series to choose from, everything appeared to be synced incorrectly. For example, clicking to play one movie, actually resulted in an entirely different one playing. This meant it was pretty much impossible to access the content you wanted to see. I did ask the cabin crew to reset the IFE system, but it didn’t resolve the problem.

To be fair, I usually don’t make much use of IFE on my flights, but I would expect it to at least work properly. I noticed that the selection of available options hadn’t actually changed since my last flights with Aeromexico, 5 months previously. The available selection was pretty poor and I didn’t find much I’d have been interested in.

Business Class Service

Although the cabin crew ensured all of the various service aspects of the flight operated correctly, they weren’t particularly friendly. As standard, a welcome drink of either water, orange juice, or champagne was offered shortly after boarding.

A menu for the flight was also distributed. Interestingly. this only included information about the main course options. If you want to see the full menu (including drinks) it’s necessary to access the in-flight entertainment system where a more detailed menu is available.

Main Meal on Aeromexico from São Paulo to Mexico City

Approximately two weeks before our departure, the option of pre-ordering our main meal was offered through Aeromexico’s ‘Your Trip’ portal. Interestingly, there are 3 or 4 additional options to choose from if you reserve in advance. I took advantage of this by ordering the salmon option. Our flight departed from São Paulo at 9:30am and was scheduled to arrive at 16:10pm. We were offered a lunch service around one hour after departure, and a snack before arrival. I was happy with this as I never particularly enjoy breakfast on a plane.

Unfortunately, the pre-ordering system doesn’t seem to work very well. The cabin crew came around as normal to ask what we’d like and didn’t refer to our pre-order. Upon mentioning I’d ordered the salmon, there seemed to be some confusion. They did go to the galley to double check though, and returned with the meal I’d ordered. It seems like the process could be improved though.

Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the main meal. The starter was slightly disappointing – there was only one option which consisted of cheese, ham and pesto with some basic crackers. The main course was a lot better. Although my salmon initially looked overdone, it was very well cooked through and wasn’t dry at all. It was served with roasted vegetables and a quinoa salad – all of the accompaniments were very good.

The braised short rib, which appears to be a frequent option in business class, was also of a high standard.

Dessert was served after the main meal and was a choice of either ice cream (strawberry or dulce de leche) with berries or some sort of cake – which I was shown by the cabin crew – but it looked a little dried out so I decided to pass.

Drinks, Snacks & Pre-Arrival Meal

The drinks selection in business class on Aeromexico is fairly basic, when compared to some other airlines. Jacquart Brut champagne is offered, as well as a couple of red wine options, and a couple of white wine options. I tried out the Louis Eschenauer Bordeaux and it was perfectly acceptable, although not outstanding. A range of different spirits are also available, although these are mostly at the lower end of the scale, such as Beefeater Gin and Johnnie Walker Black Label.

After the main meal service was finished, a small snack area was set up in the galley. This was far less impressive than the self-service bar available on Aeromexico on the 787-9, but still a nice touch. There were a few different sandwiches to choose from, as well as crisps, chocolates and fruit. I quite like the self-service aspect, which feels easier than having to ask the crew directly.

Approximately 90 minutes before we arrived in Mexico City, we were offered a pre-arrival meal. We opted for the smoked salmon option, and again, it was very good. As with the main meal, it was served alongside a salad. I felt the catering had improved since my last trip with Aeromexico.

Aeromexico 787-8 Business Class Conclusions

Aeromexico offers a fairly good business class experience. Although the flight wasn’t outstanding, there were some good elements. While I don’t particularly like the older 787-8 business class configuration, it was still a comfortable way to fly. I ended up sleeping for four or five hours during this flight, and found the seat in its lie-flat configuration comfortable for this.

The meal service was better than I’d expected, and has certainly improved in recent months. It’d be good if Aeromexico improved the pre-ordering system though, as it doesn’t always seem to work as planned and can seem disorganised.

If you’re able to find a good-value fare in business though, I’d recommend giving Aeromexico a try.