Interjet Airlines is the 3rd most flown domestic Airline in Mexico, carrying over 12 million passengers each year.
We many many Interjet flights over the years, domestically and internationally, we have a good understanding of all the secrets about flying the carrier.
Off the top of my head, we’ve flown Interjet Airlines to Cancun from Miami, from Cancun to Mexico City, from Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City and from Mexico City to San Jose, Costa Rica.
Interjet is a budget carrier of sorts – which means you have to pay more for bags,
So with the benefit of thousands of miles flown under our belt, we can confidently write this InterJet review with helpful tips about saving money on bag fees,
InterJet Reviews
Since we’ve flown the airline many times, we’ll give our review for flights domestically and internationally.
Is Interjet a good airline? Or is Interjet a bad airline?
We discovered a few idiosyncrasies about the flight from Cancun to Cuba.
In-Flight Experience
What’s it like aboard an Interjet A320? Well, it’s pretty comfortable actually.
Although the fares are cheap, Interjet really is a budget carrier like Chile’s SkyAirlines (grimace). This is noticeable on board.
What are the Seats like?
We flew on a modern Airbus A320 which I was pleased to find did include the additional leg room in each seat.
The seats are upholstered with leather or faux leather and they actually recline, unlike Ryanair or Wizzair.
Each seat also has a headrest which extends up for taller people and has neck support on either side. I’m not saying these are the most comfortable seats I’ve ever experienced, but these little touches do make the flight more bearable.
Entertainment Options
Or really, lack of entertainment options. There is no on demand entertainment system but there are TV screens every 4 or 5 rows.
Usually I couldn’t care less about what’s on the screen but it was neat watching the plane take off and soar through the clouds from the nose camera.
Once we ascended to cruising level the screens showed some short TV programs, mainly just destination guides featuring chefs preparing local food like fresh cerviche to make your mouth water.
Snacks & Drinks
Speaking of food, a snack and drink is included with all fares. This translates to a bag of crisps / chips (doritos, Lays salted original or chicken ruffles) and soda (Pepsi, lemonade etc) or water.
Disappointingly there were no beers to chose from but you can get tequila, gin, whisky or Bacardi white rum.
That’s the extent of food and drink options on domestic flights because there is no food menu to order from.
Baggage Allowance
Overview: Interjet is the only Mexican carrier which for domestic and international flights permits you to check up to 110 lb of gear for every traveler. So your free baggage allowance allows you to carry two bags of 55 lb or one bag of 55 lb plus: your pet, bike, or a musical instrument.
Carry On
Every Interjet ticket includes 10kg (22lb) carry-on baggage allowance. This includes a personal item and carry on bag or backpack like these convenient carry-on bags.
Everything that you carry with you personally is included in your carry-on baggage allowance which may be 22 (10 kg) or 44 lb (20 kg) depending on the type of reservation you choose (maximum 2 items).
Checked Baggage
On flights to and from Mexico and the United States, one checked bag is included if you select the Optima fare. Light or UltraLight fares do not include checked bags on United States flights but can be purchased for $30.
On Interjet flights in Mexico and to Latin America, one 55lb (25kg) checked bag is included with the Light fare.
Comparisons
If you considering whether to book Interjet or Volaris or Aeromexico a deciding factor could be baggage allowance.
InterJet vs Volaris
Both airlines feature a bare-bones fare (Interjet’s Ultra Light fare vs Volaris’ Basic fare) which includes 22lb (10kg) free carry-on bag allowance.
So if you’re searching for the cheapest fare on Skyscanner and you don’t need a checked bag, you don’t need to delve in any further to compare the price of checked bags.
If you need a checked bag, Interjet and Volaris both offer another fare which includes a 55lb (25kg) checked bag.
Vuela Classic is the equivalent of Interjet’s Light fare.
InterJet vs AeroMexico
AeroMexico is the established, national airline and carries a more expensive price tag without a lot of the extra benefits you get with InterJet. Many people prefer InterJet to AeroMexico because of the greater leg room.
InterJet Fares
There are four fare classes with varying levels of benefits. One thing I like about flying InterJet is all fares include 2 pieces of carry-on baggage up to 22lb (10kg) max. total combined weight.
All Interjet Fares come with 10kg free carry on
UltraLight Fare
Includes 10kg free carry-on baggage, snacks and not much more. A checked-bag costs $30 USD ($550 MXN pesos) per flight within Mexico and from Mexico to Latin America.
Checked-bags on flights to and from the United States and Canada cost $30 USD / $36 CAD.
Best for: Travelers flying super light who don’t need to bring any liquids greater than 100 mls.
Light Fare
Includes all the perks of the UltraLight fare plus a free 55 lb (25kg) checked-in bag on domestic flights and flights to Latin America.
However, flights to and from the United States do not include a free checked bag. So for the popular Interjet Miami to Cancun route, which we have flown ourselves, we paid an additional $30 USD for a checked bag.
Extra bags on all flights cost an additional $30 USD.
As we always fly with at least 1 checked-in bag we buy the Light Fare because it is usually less than $30 USD more expensive.
Best for: Travelers who need to check at least one bag.
Optima Fare
Within Mexico and to / from Latin America, Interjet Optima Fare customers get all the perks of the Light Fare plus an additional 11 lbs bag allowance.
For flights to and from Mexico and the United States, one 55 lb (25kg) bag is included with the fare price.
Also included is your choice of seat from the 3rd row back.
Best for: Heavy packers (because you get an extra 11 lbs bag allowance) and travelers without certain plans because you can change flights without a fee.
Priority Fare
Interjet’s Business Class fare with perks including Free changes, free snacks, free carry on and a whopping 110 lb bag allowance which you can split over two bags.
You also receive preferential boarding and your choice of seat in the 1st or 2nd row.
Best for: Models and Instagrammers because you can fit most of your wardrobe in the included 110 lb bag allowance.
How to Check In
There are several ways to check in with Interjet: using the App, checking in online, or in person.
Airport Counter
One question I couldn’t find the answer to before I flew Interjet was do I need to check in online?
Flying budget airlines like Ryanair has conditioned me to check in online to avoid a hefty €70 counter check-in fee.
I’ve developed a paranoia of failing to check in online when I need to.
This usually strikes about 1 hour 55 minutes before the flight and persists until we’ve checked our bags through. Can I check-in at the airport with InterJet?
For anyone in this boat, the answer is yes, you can check in at the airport with InterJet without paying any more.
Something I appreciated about flying Interjet was the amount of staff they employ to check-in everyone smoothly.
Taking our recent Cancun flight as an example, there were about 10 – 15 groups ahead of us for the domestic check in.
However, we waited in line no more than 5 minutes because there were 6 or 7 staff checking everyone in. Simple.
Interjet App
Fortunately, Interjet does not charge to check in at the airport. However, you can skip the check-in counter altogether by checking-in online from 48 hours up to 1 hour prior to your flight.
Download the free Interjet App to check-in, receive flight updates and to purchase additional bags (it’s cheaper to buy bags when you buy your tickets).
You can use the Interjet App to show your boarding pass at the gate.
Cancellation Policy
Interjet’s cancellation policy on all flights to and from the United States permits free cancellation within 24 hours of booking your flight provided the flight is not within the next seven days.
Aside from this rule, Interjet flights are completely non-refundable. All reports from people trying to cancel their Interjet flight for medical emergencies, family deaths et cetera have been denied.
How to Book Cheap Interjet flights
We recommend a two step process to find cheap Interjet flights to Mexico:-
- Start with a flight aggregator and enter your nearest airports + nearby airports + select “anytime” or “whole month” if you can be flexible. We search with SkyScanner
- When you’ve narrowed your selection down, make sure to check the actual website price to ensure the fare includes baggage and taxes.
- Consider using Google Flights to find cheap flights (they display their data in a table which some users prefer)
- Find a great deal and book it. You won’t regret your decision!
Booking Tips
If you have bags to check in, consider booking the Light fare to save money. We found it was the same price to book two Light fares included 2 x 25kg bags as it was to book 2 UltraLight fares and buy just 1 bag separately. If you bought the UltraLight fare and two bags seperately you would pay more!
InterJet has Black Friday deals – bookmark our post for the best travel deals for 2020. This year there were $1 transatlantic flights!
Frequently Asked Questions about Flying Interjet
When friends and family book trips to Mexico we always get quizzed about flying on Mexican airlines.
The main question is usally is it safe to fly Interjet? Or whatever other cheap airline pops up in their flight search.
Accidents
According to Aeorside.com Interjet had two non-fatal accidents in 2019.
Interjet Partners / Award Program
Who is Interjet affiliated with?
Interjet is not owned by another airline but the Mexican budget airline has alliances with pretty good airlines including Alitalia, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, LATAM Group Airlines, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, EVA Air, and Hainan Airlines.
Is the fleet new?
The Interjet fleet of airlines includes new Airbus A320, A321, A320neo, A321neo and Superjet 100 aircraft. Check out the Interjet Fleet.
One thing which we appreciate about the airline is the good seat room compared to budget airlines like Ryanair.
This is an intentional decision by Interjet who say:
To offer a better service to our passengers, each plane has been adapted with less seats than the maximum capacity in the aircraft’s original design, which makes us the airline with the most space between seats in the whole American continent within the high efficiency category.
