Viva Aerobus Mexico City after two years: the ultra low cost model from the inside, sector counts, pay in pesos and what it is preparing me for

Two years at Viva Aerobus, Mexico City, and I want to write about the ultra low cost model in Latin America because this forum treats Ryanair as the extreme case and Viva makes Ryanair look relaxed.

The model

Viva Aerobus and Volaris are the two big ultra low cost carriers in Mexico. A320 and A321 family, high density, very short turnarounds, a lot of domestic and a growing US network. The whole business runs on aircraft utilisation, which means the crew fly a lot of sectors and the ground time is minimal.

The sector counts

Six sectors is a normal day. Mexico City to Monterrey to Mexico City to Cancún to Mexico City to Guadalajara, or some version of it. Sign on at 4:30, sign off at 17:00 or later. Twenty five minute turnarounds where you clean the cabin yourselves, do the security check, board, and go. In a summer month I fly 110 to 130 sectors. The cabin is full every time. The service is a sales trolley and a lot of announcements.

Pay in pesos

Basic is low, as with every low cost model. Sector pay and sales commission make it up. A good month nets me around 22,000 to 26,000 pesos, a bad month closer to 15,000. Mexico City rent for a shared place near the airport is 6,000 to 9,000. It is a livable job for a young person, and it is not a career income. The crew who stay past four years are mostly supervisors.

The passengers

The whole country. Families, workers going to the north for jobs, students, tourists to the beaches. Mostly cheerful, sometimes chaotic. Very little of the entitlement you get on a full service carrier. The problems are practical: bags, seats, the occasional passenger who has never flown and is frightened. You become good at calm explanations in a hurry.

What it is preparing me for

This is why I am posting. I have applied to Emirates and I have the Mexico City open day next month. Two years of six sector days on full cabins with 25 minute turns has made me faster, calmer and more efficient than I would have been from a hotel job. I can secure a cabin in three minutes. I can handle a boarding with 230 people and a broken overhead bin without breaking a sweat. That is a story for a Gulf interview. The service standard I will have to learn from zero, and I know it.

For Mexicans considering it

If you want to fly and you are 20 to 25 and you have no aviation experience, Viva or Volaris will hire you, train you, and work you very hard for a livable wage. Do it for two years, save what you can, learn the operation, and then decide whether you want the Gulf, Aeroméxico, or a US carrier if you have the papers. It is the hardest and best training ground I know.

For the forum

The next time someone says Ryanair is the extreme low cost experience, send them here. We do Ryanair's day plus two sectors at 2,200 metres altitude in Mexico City heat.