Aeromexico Boeing 787-9 Business Class Review [MEX to GRU]

Airline: Aeromexico (AM)
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9
Flight #: AM14
Route: Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez (MEX) to São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU)
Date: July 9, 2024
Duration: 9 hours, 45 minutes
Cabin and Layout: Business class; 36 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration
Seats: 2J and 3J
Cost: 77,805 American Express Membership points each (including previous flight from LAX to MEX)

This was the second flight in our journey from Los Angeles to São Paulo when my wife and I needed last-minute flights to Brazil. Aeromexico was the best option using our points, and we were excited for this flight more than the previous flight from Los Angeles to Mexico City. That’s because this flight offered a newer business-class product.

The downside was that we didn’t get seats together, as we had to take what was available at the last minute. Service was a mixed bag, the seats weren’t as comfortable as we’d expected for sleeping, and there were unexplained departure delays. The food was just so-so, but the fact that the experience was the same as our previous flight segment was a bummer for us.

Overall, the flight was average, but it let us down in a few ways. Here’s what our experience was like on Aeromexico’s Boeing 787-9 in its newer business class.

Booking Aeromexico Business Class on the Boeing 787-9

If you’re buying just this flight from MEX to GRU, it typically costs over $3,000 for a round-trip journey. Luckily, that’s not what we paid.

Looking for a short-notice flight in business class was complicated. Some flights had no award availability. Others were charging a ridiculous number of miles.

After eliminating “not available” and “costs too much” options, we wound up flying with Aeromexico because we found a decent cash ticket with a 1-stop itinerary from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) with a 2.5-hour connection at Mexico City’s Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez (MEX). The total cost for the journey was $1,197 per person in business class.

Since we wanted to pay with my points, we relied on a feature of The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, which my wife has. When paying for this flight, we were able to get 35% of our points back, making the cost tolerable for us.

Amex Business Platinum cardholders can get 35% of their points back when they use Pay with Points for first and business class flights with any airline; this also applies to flights in any cabin with a preferred airline chosen each year. There’s a maximum of 1 million points back each calendar year.

As this flight was available for $1,197 per person on AmexTravel.com, we paid 119,700 Membership Rewards points per person. After getting 35% of our points back, the final price was 77,805 Amex points each. To be clear, that covered the entire itinerary from Los Angeles to São Paulo — not just this flight from Mexico City.

Plus, we each also earned 9,224 Delta SkyMiles since these bookings are treated like paid reservations.

Hot Tip:

Flights booked on AmexTravel.com using Pay with Points are treated like paid tickets with airlines, so you’ll earn miles and qualifying segments on these flights. Our flights were booked into an “I” fare with Aeromexico, so we earned 200% miles and 30% Medallion Qualification Dollars by crediting the flight to Delta SkyMiles.

At Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez (MEX)

Transiting at MEX

When we landed, we followed signs (and the crowds) for transit passengers who arrived from outside Mexico and would continue out of the country on a connecting flight.

Aeromexico Salón Premier Lounge

Upon entering the terminal, we asked an employee for directions to the Aeromexico business class lounge, called Salón Premier. The lounge was open daily from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. While there were 2 other lounges available in Terminal 2, those were in the domestic departures area. This was the only Aeromexico lounge for international flights.

Friendly employees greeted us in both Spanish and English, checked our boarding passes, and then welcomed us into the lounge. The lounge had a bi-level layout that maximized space.

Entering on the main floor, we found numerous types of seating, and there was a U-shaped bar with a TV at the rear of this area.

Past the bar, an arrow indicated a mezzanine, restaurant, and bar on the upper level.

On this level, we found more seating, another bar and TV, plus booth seating against the walls.

There were self-serve drinks and bottled water along the wall.

And a cooler held juice, sodas, wine, and beer for guests.

The hot food bar had a combination of Mexican food and slices of pizza.

Along the wall, we found sandwiches and cold cuts.

There also were salad fixings nearby.

Several items were available for purchase, including soups, salads, and hot plates, ranging from MX$160 to MX$495 ($8.33 to $25.77).

For those looking to get work done, a long, high-top table with tall chairs had outlets.

There also was a small seating area in front of the entrance to the lounge’s spa area.

The spa offered massages, facials, and an oxygen bar. These services weren’t complimentary.

Boarding

Boarding started on time, with business class passengers boarding first. Surprisingly, we entered the jetbridge and then realized the plane door was closed, so we got stuck there for a minute.

All passengers boarded through the middle door, turning left to business class or right for economy after entering the plane. After the door issue was resolved, boarding was very efficient and moved smoothly.

On Board Aeromexico’s Boeing 787-9

Clase Premier Business Class Cabin and Seat

Aeromexico’s newest business-class product is on this plane type, the Boeing 787-9. The B787-8 has older seats with a 2-2-2 layout. The B787-9, however, has 36 seats in a 1-2-1 layout.

Each seat in Clase Premier (business class) had 60 inches of pitch and was 20 inches wide. The cabin had a very light color palette, aside from the purple, red, and dark blue on the seats.

The seats felt very spacious, and we both had window seats, with my wife sitting behind me. With this reverse herringbone layout, all window seats were the same, and all middle seats were the same.

On our seats, we found plastic wrap surrounding not just a blanket and pillow but also the headphones. Seats were in a unique dark blue and purple color scheme, and we had a 3-point shoulder harness to use during takeoff and landing.

While the seat looked cool, the material was a bit rough, and it wasn’t very comfortable when trying to sleep. Offering a mattress pad to customers would make the lie-flat sleeping concept much more comfortable here.

Finding the headphones in the bedding pack, rather than on the seat or in a storage compartment, was interesting. It reminded us of health protocols for sanitization at the height of COVID-19 restrictions.

We loved how many flip-open storage compartments there were. Along the aisle, the armrest opened to reveal a deep storage compartment. Along the window, we found several tray-like compartments, including a mirror on the back when opened.

The larger compartment, closer to the front of the seat, also had the headphone jack, USB-A and universal outlets, and a removable remote control with touch-screen and button options.

Charging my phone and using the headphones made for a bit of a mess of cables during the flight. Below this compartment, a touchscreen panel had buttons to adjust the seat position.

At the front of this doorless space was an 18-inch screen. The tray table slid out from under here before unfolding.

At the rear of the seat, next to the window, was a literature section that held magazines, safety information, and the duty-free catalog.

At shoulder level, near the literature, was a flip-out reading light that turned on automatically.

While the footwell at the front of the seat was deep, it also felt a bit cramped, thanks to its triangular shape.

On the plastic molding near the footwell was safety information and a sign indicating that the plane had Wi-Fi.

Choosing the Best Seat

Middle seats on this plane are essentially the same, and all window seats are also the same. Thus, if you’re traveling with a friend or partner, you should choose middle seats (seats D and F). Those traveling solo or wanting to look out the windows should choose seats A and J.

However, it’s worth pointing out the location of the galleys and lavatories on Aeromexico’s B787-9. Passengers in rows 1, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are more likely to encounter noise. Take that into consideration.

Food and Beverage

At boarding we found a menu at our seats, outlining the 3 options for dinner: short ribs, sauteed shrimp, and cheese ravioli. Interestingly, this was a shorter menu than our flight from Los Angeles to Mexico City, despite having double the flight time.

While looking at the menu and checking out our seats’ features, staff came around offering a welcome drink of water, orange juice, or sparkling wine. They also confirmed our special meal requests (2 for 2 on vegan meals with Aeromexico, well done!) while taking dinner orders from other passengers.

Plus, flight attendants asked passengers if they wanted to sleep through breakfast or be woken up. When they confirmed that we had a special meal for breakfast, my wife chose to wake up for breakfast. I told the flight attendant to let me sleep.

For dinner, we received fruit, grilled vegetables, a piece of focaccia, and an interesting rice dish with some vegetables. As a huge fan of Mexican food, I’ll rate this pretty low among what the country can offer. In terms of special meals on airplanes, it was average.

Our special meals at breakfast included granola, fruits, and a roll. Sadly, Aeromexico didn’t have any type of plant-based milk, so the granola was served dry.

During the flight, business class passengers also had complimentary snacks and drinks available in the galley, including sodas, water, chips, and fruits.

Amenities

Each passenger received an Etro amenity kit, distributed by flight attendants once we’d pushed back from the gate.

The kit was navy blue with orange highlights, and it held a lot of goodies. We found slippers, an eye mask, a notepad, a toothbrush and toothpaste, mouthwash, lip balm, a pen, earplugs, and a comb.

Entertainment

Each seat had an 18-inch screen for watching movies, TV shows, the flight map, or listening to music. Sadly, there were only about 20 movies to choose from, and we’d only recognized a handful of them.

Unfortunately, trying to watch the live coverage of the Olympics listed on the home screen didn’t work.

Internet

Business class passengers received a code for free Wi-Fi access during the flight. As I slept most of the flight, I didn’t test it.

Lavatories

The lavatories felt pretty standard; there were 2 bathrooms at the rear of business class and 1 up front, next to the cockpit.

Aside from a silk flower near the mirror, the only thing setting this apart from lavatories in economy was the pump bottles of Etro products.

However, flight attendants did a great job keeping the lavatories clean during the flight — even the toilet was clean!

Service

While boarding started on time and was efficient, there was an initial delay in the jetbridge. We also sat at the gate without pushing back for nearly half an hour, and no one made any announcements to explain what was happening. We just … sat.

During the trip, flight attendants were 50/50: half of them were really friendly, and half of them were super rude. There was no in-between, and no person changed moods during the flight. By the time we arrived, we knew which flight attendants we liked and which we didn’t.

Moreover, the flight attendants made a lot of noise in the galley around meal times, so being in rows 2 and 3 — AKA not far from the front galley — meant we heard a lot of noise at our seats.

I will give the staff bonus points for the spectacular job cleaning and stocking the lavatories during the flight, and they did a good job with announcements as we approached São Paulo and as we taxied to the gate.

Arrival in São Paulo

Once we landed, we had a quick taxi to Terminal 3, where most international flights arrive and depart at GRU. The staff made a few announcements about baggage claim, border control procedures, and that we would exit through the middle door. They thanked us for flying with Aeromexico, and then they did the best part of the announcements: ended them. Neither the pilots nor flight attendants dragged out the announcements more than was necessary.

Final Thoughts

Once we arrived at the gate, the door was opened quickly. Flight attendants stood in between the business and economy cabins to ensure business class passengers got to deplane first, and we were out the door in a matter of minutes.

While we were excited to try Aeromexico’s newer 1-2-1 business class, it was a mixed bag. Staff were hit or miss, and the cloth on the seat was rough in an uncomfortable way when lying down. However, we got our special meals, got some sleep, and the bathrooms were super clean. This was above average in terms of long-haul business class, but it would need a few improvements to move into “great” territory.