TBA
United
Some last minute schedule changes by United meant that the originally planned EWR-FAO (Faro, Portugal) and NRT-CEB (Cebu, Philippines) inaugural flights were postponed, so after debating between the SFO-BCN (Barcelona, Spain) inaugural and LAX to Tulum inaugural, I decided to do LAX-TQO.
I was prepared to be underwhelmed as the previous inaugural flights out of LAX, to Brisbane (Australia) and Auckland (New Zealand) were modest productions with equally modest passenger loads. I was pleasantly surprised by a horde of passengers, a band, and even a few snacks and desserts at the gate that lead to appropriate levels of excitement for the launch of the last of United's flights to the new Aeropuerto Internacional de Tulum Felipe Carrillo Puerto. While Maggie Ronan, Director of Global Market Strategy for United, is a regular at these events, we don't always get ambassadors-- and today, Ambassador Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, Consul-General to Los Angeles, chose to grace us with his presence. Captain Neal and Captain Brandon were also our two very experienced pilots for United's inaugural flight from Los Angeles to Tulum, and they even invited me to the cockpit before take off for a picture.
The flight itself was packed with vacationers, but flight attendants Dee (purser), Beatriz, Cathy, and their colleagues handled the depletion of the entire stock of tequila on the plane with aplomb, with the only wrinkle on the flight being a downright nasty midships lavatory until Dee cleaned it up. I at least lucked out with an empty seat next to me in the first row of economy (but next to the lavatory... sigh).
Arrival at Aeropuerto Internacional de Tulum Felipe Carrillo Puerto was pure vanilla with a slightly early arrival and some modestly flowery speeches from the crew on touchdown. Nothing special at all at the gate, but the airport still showed off some nice touches with some tall structures of fake plants and rocks to go with a beautifully decorated hallway and some hand-carved signage. As one of the first off the plane, immigration had ample staff but was a bit slow to process individual passengers as they got used to the new systems, and I was glad I didn't waste time at the gate, as I had a tight 66 minute (scheduled time) connection to make the return inaugural.
Fortunately previous reports on the conditions at Tulum International Airport were all pretty much spot-on. I snapped a few pictures downstairs in arrivals, where the only operating eatery, Starbucks, was packed, then ran upstairs. The ticket counters were in a tall, brightly-lit, mostly glass-roofed area, and the security screening area was super quick with no line. Given the TQO-LAX inaugural had less than 25 passengers on it, this was expected, but was still comforting to know I easily made it as opposed to having to sweat things out.
Once airside, I found myself with plenty of time to wander. Saw industrial-sized swamp coolers everywhere, which made me wonder just how finished the airport's HVAC system is. Not much was open upstairs (Carl's Jr. has a prominent under construction sign), even duty-free was closed. At least a little playground was setup, and the gate agents were efficient.
Purser Dee and her cabin crew worked the return as well, and like everyone else on-board, they were very excited by the water cannon salute we got on departure. Captain Corey and First Officer Brian took us back to LAX, with great views of the airport and some massive cenotes in the area as we climbed out. The return was more turbulent than the way in, and United's first class catering remains best described as edible. Still, given United literally had given me 90% of my calories today, it was nice to get some actual chicken breast, broccolini, salad, and mashed potatoes as opposed to the snack bags they serve in economy (or the granola bars I brought).
Arrival to LAX was slightly delayed, with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)'s facility at Terminal 7 closed for the day. Being bused to Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) was absolutely the highlight of the arrival, as airplane views from the tarmac are still infrequent enough to me to be very exciting, and once inside TBIT there was absolutely zero fanfare. While it was a long day, it was definitely a fun one.