Air travel in Mexico — it's almost as easy as traveling by train in other countries. But railway communication in Mexico is not developed. The state is large; it takes more than a day to travel by bus from the capital to the outskirts, so Mexicans fly a lot. Mexico has almost 900 airports, including 10 large, 57 medium-sized and 824 small or local. It is possible to fly to almost any point in the country.
To fly domestically within Mexico, you need a plane ticket, an ID, and nothing else. If the ticket is electronic, you only need to present your ID when checking in for the flight.
Suitable identification documents for a Mexican citizen include a voter card (INE), a pension card (INAPAM), a driver's license, a passport, a professional ID and a number of other documents. Foreign citizens — Mexican residents may show a resident card, Mexican driver's license or passport. Visitors must show your passport. Basically, the airline cannot know which document is considered an ID in your country, which is why some fly with a foreign driver's license. But this is rather an exception.
Moreover, if you check in for a flight on the airline’s website and receive a boarding pass in electronic form, which you then apply from your mobile phone screen to a scanner at the airport, you may not be asked for your passport at all.
Do I need to show my Mexico visa (FMM immigration form)? No, you shouldn’t, airlines don’t require it. But you should always carry the FMM with you because it confirms that you are legally in Mexico. Nowadays, a paper immigration form is no longer issued upon arrival in Mexico by plane (but is issued upon entry by land), and they will check whether you have exceeded the allowed number of days, which is indicated in your passport on the entry stamp. Sometimes the migration service carries out checks at airports, and they have the right to ask you for documents to make sure that you are not an illegal immigrant. However, the same checks are carried out in other busy places. These checks have nothing to do with where you are flying from or to. It’s just that there are usually the most foreigners at airports, so they often organize “hunts for illegal immigrants” here.
If you are stopped for such a check, don't worry. You are free to move around the country as you please and do not violate anything. Therefore, do not offer money to anyone, because there is simply nothing to offer for. If you are late for a flight, make this clear. After checking your papers, you will be released.
Sometimes you can read on the Internet that for domestic flights foreign guests are required to have a return ticket or a hotel reservation in the city where they are flying. Nobody demands anything like that! A return ticket and hotel reservation are required upon arrival in Mexico, but not when flying within the country. You should also not confirm the purpose of your trip to another city, be it Tijuana or Mexicali. There are no airports or cities in Mexico where foreigners are prohibited from entering.
Other transport checks can be aimed at identifying members of criminal organizations. If you are not involved in cartels or drug trafficking, you have nothing to fear. Mexican police like to warn that “Mexico is very dangerous, and you are flying to an unsafe city.” They probably expect the tourist to faint from fear and change his mind about flying…
Don't forget about aviation safety. Sharp objects and liquids are prohibited from being taken in hand luggage. They must be checked in as baggage or left at home if you are flying only with hand luggage.
No Mexican airlines anymore include checked baggage in their cheapest fares. Moreover, purchasing baggage transportation at the same time as purchasing a ticket will cost much less than paying for baggage at the airport. Even Mexican low-cost airlines provide carry-on luggage with a small suitcase that will fit on the overhead bin, and not just a briefcase or handbag.
In general, flights within Mexico are quite comfortable. Even Viva Aerobus, which is considered the cheapest airline in Mexico, has all its planes new and clean, 3 years old, with plenty of space between seats. She is often criticized for the fact that you have to pay for any additional service. But experience shows that it is quite possible to refuse most or all additional services without compromising the purpose of the trip. The flight from Cancun to Mexico City is 2 hours, and you can buy water at the terminal after going through aviation security, and take sandwiches from home.