If you read in 2025 that Delta and Aeromexico were being forced apart, you may have expected your Mexico connections to change in 2026. They did not. A US appeals court overturned the government's order, and the joint venture between the two airlines carries on. Here is what happened and what it means when you book.
What a joint venture is
Delta and Aeromexico are both SkyTeam members, but their joint venture goes further than an alliance. Under antitrust immunity granted by the US Department of Transportation (DOT), the two airlines plan their US–Mexico schedules together, sell each other's flights and share the revenue. For travelers, that means more one-ticket connections between US cities and Mexico, and status benefits that work across both airlines. When the DOT approved the venture in 2016, it required the airlines to give up 24 pairs of take-off and landing slots at Mexico City and 4 at New York JFK.
The order to end it, and why it did not take effect
- 15 September 2025: the DOT issued an order to end the joint venture's antitrust immunity, effective 1 January 2026. Under that order, the airlines could still codeshare and cooperate on loyalty programmes.
- October 2025: Delta and Aeromexico asked the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to review the order.
- 12 November 2025: the court put the order on hold, so it never came into force.
- 20 August 2026: the court vacated the order, finding it arbitrary and capricious.
After the ruling the DOT said it would evaluate its options. As of November 2026, the joint venture and its immunity continue, and no schedule changes have been announced because of the case. A new attempt by the DOT is possible, so it is worth checking the news before a trip booked far ahead.
What it means when you book
- One ticket still works. A Delta flight to a hub such as Atlanta, Los Angeles or Detroit followed by an Aeromexico flight can be sold as one booking, which protects the connection if the first flight is late.
- Status and miles carry across. SkyTeam and joint-venture benefits continue to apply on both airlines.
- Check who operates each flight. A codeshare flight may carry a Delta number but be flown by Aeromexico, or the reverse. The operating airline decides the terminal, the check-in desk and the baggage rules.
- Check your terminal at Mexico City. Aeromexico uses Terminal 2 at Benito Juárez International, and airlines do not all use the same terminal, so read the arrival and departure terminal on your booking.
Route guides for Mexico
Our guides compare the nonstop and one-stop options from each US city. Austin to Mexico City covers Aeromexico's nonstop, Kansas City to Mexico City and Honolulu to Mexico City explain the best connections, and for the beach, Chicago to Cancún and Houston to Cancún show the routes there. Every guide into each city is on one page: flights to Mexico City and flights to Cancún.
