We came across a reasonable AeroMexico mileage run from Chicago O’Hare to Quito, Ecuador. It can earn you almost $3,000 MQD — and costs under $1,200 (cheaper if you are willing to take longer layovers in Mexico City).
As you can see there are a number of dates you can explore in end of December to get you to your medallion goal to end the year.
The run travels ORD-MEX-UIO-MEX-ORD. It’s a turn, so no overnight in Quito is required.
The Unofficial SkyMiles Calculator estimates the trip will travel 7,262 miles. Because of how Delta awards MQD on partner airlines (40% of distance flown, in this case), you can expect about $2905 MQD for the “I” fare ticket.
The trip is also projected to earn 10,893 MQM and 14,525 redeemable SkyMiles before any applicable Medallion bonuses.
Here’s the itinerary:
Where to Book
This one is bookable directly on AreoMexico’s website. Before we have questions, the time in UIO is more than plenty to clear immigration and get back to the gate for the flight home (I have done this run in the past fyi). It is a true “I” fare (as you can see from ITA Matrix fare rules) so there should be no issues on “Y-Up or UP Fares” messing things up.
Yes these fares are MUCH higher than they have been in the past and Chris and I will be looking for more runs to end the year but this is a simple one at an OK price for what it yields in MQDs, MQMs and Skymiles. Also a #PROTIP: You must make sure, when you check-in in Chicago, that your boarding pass has your DLxxx Skymiles number on it and if an elite says Skyteam elite. If NOT, have the rep take out your Delta frequent flyer number and put it back in.
You will have rather long layovers in MEX airport but you will have lounge access due to this being a business class fare and if you have a non-Delta Amex Platinum card you can also visit the AMEX Centurion lounge as well.
Too Complicated?
Nervous about booking the right itinerary and making sure you get the correct credit? Don’t stress! You’re not the only one.
Our friends at point.me are mileage run masters and can do all that work for you. Plus, they’ll monitor your itinerary for any flight changes, help arrange your hotels, and assist with COVID-19 testing if needed. I’ve known one of their expert travel agents for several years. I trust him and everyone at point.me to take care of our readers.
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Hi! Thanks for the info. How can you know that Delta gives 40% of the distance flown in MQDs? Their site does not publish a specific percentage. https://www.delta.com/us/en/skymiles/how-to-earn-miles/airline-partners
@Judd – Yes it does. If you expand AeroMexico and click on the box for earnings you will see that C,D,I fare class earns 40% of distance in MQDs. https://eyeoftheflyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/delta-points-earned-by-fare-class.jpg
Thank you for finding and posting this mileage run. Are the days completely past when it was possible to do a run on Aeromexico to Madrid or another European city (via Mexico city)? Have they completely eliminated that possibility since the bankruptcy restructuring last spring?
It’s much harder now, to be honest. I’m looping in point.me to see if they have any ideas.
At Point.Me we can get a little creative, however, we would need to see the specifics of your situation to craft a specific Mileage Run solution.