Airlines scale back flights to Mexico amid fears of violence

PHOTOS: The most dangerous places to travel in Mexico Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico is seen from above. >>The state department reveals the most dangerous places to travel in Mexico. PHOTOS: The most dangerous places to travel in Mexico Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico is seen from above. >>The state department reveals the most dangerous places to travel in Mexico. Photo: DEA / C.SAPPA/De Agostini/Getty Images Photo: DEA / C.SAPPA/De Agostini/Getty Images Image 1 of / 42 Caption Close Airlines scale back flights to Mexico amid fears of violence 1 / 42 Back to Gallery

When the news out of Mexico is bad, it's also bad news for airlines back in the United States.

Several airlines announced during quarterly earnings calls in the past two weeks they are scaling back flights to Mexico based on low customer demand due to reports of violence.

The Associated Press reported in July that Mexico has seen a 16 percent rise in murders for the first half of the year, breaking the country's already high records for homicides. In particular Mexian state of Quintana Roo, which has popular Yucatan Peninsula resort destinations in Cancun, Tulum and Cozumel saw the homicide rate grow by 132 percent.

ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS: The art of the 'do-nothing' vacation

This time last year, the U.S. State Department was forced to warn tourists heading to Mexico to be careful consuming alcohol. The warning came after a report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that alleged tainted alcohol in Cancun and Playa del Carmen may have contributed to one death and many more robberies or assaults.

"There have been allegations that consumption of tainted or substandard alcohol has resulted in illness or blacking out," the warning read in part. They advised drinking in moderation and seeking medical attention if you became ill while traveling.

In a call this week, Spirit Airlines executive Matthew Klein remarked on the violence adding that reduced travel to places like Cancun will be a challenge for the company in the third quarter.

"What we're seeing right now is a different booking curve. We are seeing a different passenger makeup there as well," he said. "And what's happening is demand, at least for us, demand is coming in but it's coming in late and it's basically not willing to pay the prices that it's paid in the past right now."



American Airlines, headquartered in Fort Worth, also mentioned Mexico in their earnings report. While passenger revenue in Latin America was up by more than 4 percent, the one exception was Mexico's pleasure travel locations, Robert Isom reported.

United and Delta also mentioned Mexico as a trouble spot for them financially.

"While the region (Latin America) is more challenged than others, flights to Mexico, these destinations in particular, had pretty severe demand weakness due to increased supply and travel warnings," Andrew Nocella, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at United told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

See what travel to Mexico used to look like. Take a look at vintage tourist photos below.

The 1950's

Photos from 1955 capture a group of U.S. tourists who travelled through Mexico in a trailer caravan. Here they are enjoying themselves during one of their stops. The 1950's

Photos from 1955 capture a group of U.S. tourists who travelled through Mexico in a trailer caravan. Here they are enjoying themselves during one of their stops. Photo: Loomis Dean, The LIFE Picture Collection/Gett Photo: Loomis Dean, The LIFE Picture Collection/Gett Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Vintage: American tourists in Mexico 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

Francisca Ortega covers Texas news, politics and pop culture. Read her on our breaking news site and on our subscriber site. | francisca.ortega@chron.com | @quefrankie