Hopper Editors - Thu Oct 26 2017
If you’re pining to come down from those high desert plateaus this year for a jaunt away from Albuquerque’s adobe homes and newfound crowds of Breaking Bad tourists, then why not consider hopping on one of the many connections departing out of the city’s International Sunport, cruising across the Gulf of Mexico and reclining back on the shimmering white beaches and tanning decks of Cancun?
If that image tickles your fancy, then be sure to check out these 10 top tips for getting cheap flights from Albuquerque to Cancun, each painstakingly discovered by Hopper’s expert flight team, using more than 200,000 pieces of data relating to the route in the last four weeks alone!
Our stats have shown that last-minute bookings for flights between Albuquerque and Cancun are liable to cost passengers a whole lot of cash, with the cheapest fares going at 21 days before departure. Before that, overall return trip prices tend to hover nicely below the $600 mark, while within the last five days before take-off it’s possible for averages to skyrocket in excess of $700! So, it’s definitely best to save your spontaneity for the bars and clubs of the Yucatan Riviera and plan your jaunt to Mexico with plenty of time to spare.
While the months of July, December and November remain the overall cheapest for passengers looking to fly from Albuquerque to Cancun, we’ve discovered that traveling any time after May can help save up to $100 off the price of a seat. Unfortunately that means no bargains for any New Mexico students looking to hit the spring break parties in March, but plenty of wallet-friendly options for families or backpackers eager to make someshoulder season savings or get a dose of winter sun.
If you’re not worried about making weekend-to-weekend changeovers, and don’t mind flying out on a Monday, then the stats show that you could make a possible saving of $38 on flights between the Albuquerque International Sunport and Cancun International this year. It may not sound like much, but that’s a couple of extra cervezas on the sands or a few more rum punches in the cocktail bars, so it’s really not that bad at all!
Returning home to Albuquerque on a Thursday could offer travelers a possible overall fare reduction of up to $67, while we’ve discovered that Tuesday and Wednesday are also great days to fly, boasting $418 and $408 average return trip price tags respectively. The most expensive time to return is on the weekend, when fares soar in excess of $500, making these easy savings a real bonus for anyone eager to avoid that Saturday and Sunday rush at the airport.
Perhaps a little unusually, round trip seats to Cancun are at their cheapest on a Thursday, which is also when most people are searching for tickets on the route out of the Albuquerque International Sunport. Alternatively you could try to combat those Tuesday blues by opting to book your flight to the sun and fun of the Yucatan earlier in the week, when return trip tickets are also nice and low, at an average price of just $418.
Of the four separate airlines running regular connections between these two cities, we’ve discovered that it’s US Airways that offer the cheapest fares on average, at just $418 return, closely followed by United at $429 and then American Airlines at $529. The most expensive flier on the route surprisingly goes to budget carrier JetBlue Airways, who come in with an average price tag of $676. That’s a possible saving of up to $258 for just shopping around a little!
Airlines offering connecting flights from Albuquerque to Cancun:- US Airways makes the journey in 8 hours via Phoenix' Sky Harbor Airport for $418 round trip, on average.- United Airlines makes the journey in 7 hours via Denver International Airport for $429 round trip, on average.- JetBlue makes the journey in 12 hours for $676 round trip, on average.- American Airlines makes the journey in 8 hours via Phoenix' Sky Harbor Airport for $529 round trip, on average.
While it’s already possible to bag some seriously cheap seats with US Airways on the route between Albuquerque and Cancun, for members of the carrier’s frequent flier program, there’s some even better news in store. For just 35,000 air miles, US Airways offers reward flights to Cancun gratis, with passengers paying just taxes and standard booking fees. What’s more, first or business class seats on the route can cost as little as 60,000 air miles in total, which is great if you’re looking to start your holiday in style.
If you’re interested in getting familiar with all the ins and outs of Hopper’s findings here, then head over to our When to Fly and Buy Reports page, which collates over 200,000 pieces of data relating to flights between these two cities every month. That means regularly updated stats about every aspect of your flight; ranging from the cheapest time to book, to yearly highs and lows and details on the best airlines.
If you’ve settled on one of Cancun’s fine hotels, have packed those Hawaiian shirts, dusted off the sandals, and think you’ve bagged a nice bargain on flight connections into town but are a dreading those hidden carrier costs and extra charges, then be sure to check out our Airline Fees Calculator application. It offers a comprehensive look at all of the individual components of every ticket—from JetBlue’s added baggage fee, to American Airlines’ in-flight meal prices and more.
At just over six-hours and 1,500 miles, the flight between the Albuquerque Sunport and Cancun International is by no means a whopping long hauler. However, unfortunately for travellers out of the New Mexican metropolis, there are no direct departures connecting the two cities, which can sometimes mean a hike in fares. For that reason, we think it is best that would-be fliers consider anything under $400 a great deal—especially as more than 50% of passengers on the connection will pay in excess of $590 for their seat this year!