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Papirex

Apr 9, 2010, 8:28 PM

Post #1 of 11 (5835 views)

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Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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This is a link to an article in the online version of one our local newspapers in Cuernavaca, La Union. I had used an automated translation service to read it in English. I don't know if it will open for you in English or Spanish. If it is still in English, it will be strange English, but understandable. If it is in Spanish, you may use a translator like Google to understand it better if needed.
http://launion.com.mx/web/morelos/secciones/politica/3749.html

The airport here was designated as a national airport only, the largest airplane it could handle was a Boeing 737 - 300. The airport here was nice and fairly new, but small. It only had three gates so it could only handle three airplanes at once. We have had no air service here for the past year or two. Lately, there have been 3 incoming flights per day from Guadalajara, but no outgoing flights. They project that our new International airport will probably be in service in the last half of this year. That probably means next year. We used to be able to fly from Cuernavaca to Tijuana, right next to the state of California, that was great for us.

On most Mexican airlines, I get a substantial discount because I have an INAPAM card, it is a card that senior people may get here that entitles us to many discounts. The discounts are substantial on buses and airlines, much smaller at pharmacies, etc; only about 5 or 10%. Every little bit helps though. I save enough in some restaurants to pay most of the tip. Not all businesses are obligated to give a discount to INAPAM card holders, but many do. I always ask if they do when I am in a business that I haven't used before.

It will be great to have international air service here, the airport is only about 15 miles south of town. Three years ago, it only cost about $180 Pesos (that was about $18 US Dollars then) to take a taxi out there or back home. The taxi companies have been requesting raises for the different zones they serve lately, but the fare out there will probably remain reasonable for us rich Americans. There was no long term parking out there. There were only 70 parking spaces, but I don't know if they are going to expand the parking lot with all the rebuilding that is taking place now.

It will depend on the price of the airfares with the different airlines of course, but it will sure be nice to be able to pick up visitors at our local airport instead of needing to go into México City to get them.

Rex

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

skier14

Apr 10, 2010, 9:29 AM

Post #2 of 11 (5810 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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I would like to know more about the NAPAM card. I have never heard about this discount card.

Rolly

Apr 10, 2010, 10:10 AM

Post #3 of 11 (5800 views)

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Re: [skier14] Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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The INPAM is a discount card for seniors. It has been discussed at length on MexConnect. Use the Search function.

You can also learn more here. http://www.inapam.gob.mx/index/index.php?sec=89

Rolly Pirate

Papirex

Apr 10, 2010, 10:44 AM

Post #4 of 11 (5790 views)

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Re: [skier14] Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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INAPAM is an acronym for the Instituto Nacional de las Personas Adultas Mayores (antes INSEN) that means the national institute of old guys, it is the successor to the INSEN cards, which are still valid.

You will need to find your nearest INAPAM office to inquire about the local requirements, they vary from office to office. Here in Cuernavaca I had to bring my US passport, my FM 3, two infantile size full face color photographs, Copies of the face pages of each of them, and a copy of the page showing that my prorroga was paid for the current year. Some people in different areas have said that they needed to provide much more useless paperwork.

When I went to apply for my card, I was given a simple one page form in Spanish to fill out. I know enough Spanish that I think I could have done it alone, but my bi-lingual Mexican wife was with me, so it only took a couple of minutes to finish it. There was no fee to pay to get the card here. If you have trouble understanding Spanish, take a bi-lingual person with you, no one in that office spoke English.

They prepared a laminated temporary card with one of the photos I had provided for me, and told me that my permanent card would be ready in about one month. The whole process only took about 15 or 20 minutes. After going back to that office for several months, and always being told that my card will be ready next month, I gave up. The card I have is laminated, it is marked provisional on the side of the card in small letters, and it has no expiration date on it. It does have my INAPAM number on it, it has been working fine for several years.

My suegra went to that office a couple of weeks after I did to exchange her INSEN card for a INAPAM card. She was told that they couldn't do that, but her INSEN card was still valid, and the equal of the new INAPAM card.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

La Isla

Apr 10, 2010, 11:26 AM

Post #5 of 11 (5773 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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I got my INAPAM card last year in Mexico City. There were chairs lined up on the sidewalk outside the INAPAM office and in the waiting room for those waiting to be taken care of; I guess they worry that some of the older applicants [that means anyone older than me ( :] might faint if they had to stand in line too long! Anyway, the INAPAM website tells you to bring your birth certificate (original and copy), your CURP, if you have one (I didn't at that time, but it didn't matter), official ID (I brought my FM3 and my passport, por si acaso), 2 recent photographs, tamaño infantil, and name and contact information of a friend in the city to notify in case of an emergency. They had no interest in my birth certificate (maybe because it was in English?) and asked for no other documentación. I was out of there in about an hour and a half, freshly-minted INAPAM card in hand. I use it a lot, especially for reduced-price tickets at movie theaters and free or reduced-price admission to many museums. I also get a 5% discount at Superama when I buy medicine at the pharmacy. Best of all was getting 50% off the bus tickets to Morelia when I visited there last fall! It's really a great perk of living in Mexico!

Papirex

Apr 10, 2010, 12:12 PM

Post #6 of 11 (5761 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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Yes, the discounts are very small in some places, but as I tell my wife, “Every little bit helps”, the discounts on transportation are significant though. I first decided to get an INSEN card in 2006, my wife and I were flying from Cuernavaca to Tijuana on our way to California and then Washington on Volaris airlines.

We bought our tickets at the airport here, I didn't have an INSEN or a INAPAM card at that time. When the young man we were dealing with was almost finished with our ticket purchase, he excused himself and went into another office. When he returned, he told us that since I looked old enough to have an INSEN card, he had called his superiors in México City and told them how old I was and that I had an FM3 and I was a local resident. They authorized him to give me the discount the same as an INSEN card holder would get.

I don't remember the exact amount of the discount, but it was around $110 or $120 US Dollars. That was significant. Every little bit helps.

If my wife and I eat at a restaurant that gives the INAPAM discounts, the amount saved is tiny. If my suegra is with us, using her card and mine when paying the tab, the two discounts are usually enough to almost cover the cost of the tip. My wife is too young to qualify for a INAPAM card.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

La Isla

Apr 10, 2010, 12:22 PM

Post #7 of 11 (5756 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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Which airline were you flying on when you got that discount?

Papirex

Apr 10, 2010, 12:59 PM

Post #8 of 11 (5752 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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I got the discount from Volaris airlines. They stopped service to Cuernavaca a couple of years ago, and I believe, but I don't know for sure, that they have gone out of business now.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

La Isla

Apr 10, 2010, 1:01 PM

Post #9 of 11 (5749 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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I was wondering because whenever I look for cheap air fares online, the highest fares are usually for Mexican airlines, like Mexicana and Aeromexico. Never heard of Volaris, though....

Papirex

Apr 10, 2010, 1:51 PM

Post #10 of 11 (5746 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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Click on this link for a list of all Mexican airlines. http://www.aeropuertosmexico.com/.../blogcategory/0/456/
This is a pretty good site for the air traveler in México. You can also find info about the various airports in México here, but the information about the Cuernavaca airport is hopelessly out of date.

Here is a link to the home page: http://www.aeropuertosmexico.com/.../content/view/55/71/

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

esperanza

Apr 10, 2010, 3:27 PM

Post #11 of 11 (5733 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Improvements to the Cuernavaca airport

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In Reply To

I got the discount from Volaris airlines. They stopped service to Cuernavaca a couple of years ago, and I believe, but I don't know for sure, that they have gone out of business now.

Rex

Volaris is alive and well and doing more business than ever.
http://www.volaris.com.mx

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com