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Well, hello there! It’s been a while since we posted mileage runs. Delta’s SkyMiles 2025 program is making things rather difficult. (No more MQM, reduced MQD earnings.) Plus, airfares and MQD returns have been fairly meh.
But we found something that might help a few folks. The MQD return isn’t quite as lucrative as we once found but it’s certainly better than nothing. And it gives you an excuse to take yourself (and anyone else you want) on vacation.
This Aeromexico business class trip mileage run departs from “San Diego-adjacent” — Tijuana, Mexico (TIJ). Then it travels to Mexico City (MEX, then Los Angeles (LAX), and finally to to Honolulu (HNL). It’s scheduled for July 25-31. ITA Matrix estimates the trip will travel 11,064 miles.
The trip costs $1352 USD. ITA Matrix estimates the trip will travel 11,064 miles. Because of how Delta credits MQDs when it comes to trips on its partner airlines WHEN YOU CREDIT THEM TO YOUR DELTA SKYMILES NUMBER (that’s literally the point! 🙂 ), you should earn about $3,319 MQD. (That’s an MQD return of 2.45X your investment)
Tijuana?! you may say. How do I get there?! And no way am I going into that city!
First, it’s about 23 miles from San Diego International Airport to the Cross Border Express pedestrian bridge that takes you into the Tijuana airport. (You don’t have to actually enter the streets of Tijuana. Just the airport.) The Lyft prices from SAN to CBX ranged from $50 to $60 when I checked while writing this post. You clear USA to Mexico immigration at CBX — and don’t need to deal with it in Mexico City. (But you do go back through on the USA side when you arrive in Los Angeles from MEX before heading to HNL).
Marilee Blair put together this great video about how to use CBX.
You have an overnight in MEX on the outbound. Keep in mind the The Platinum Card® from American Express‘s 40th anniversary celebration includes a 40% Membership Rewards® points transfer bonus to Hilton Honors. That could come in handy if you want to stay at the airport’s Hilton.
The flights between LAX and HNL are operated by Delta Air Lines — but you’re on the flights as an Aeromexico-ticketed passenger. Delta is simply flying the hops. In fact, the HNL to LAX leg is currently scheduled on a 767, which means you’ll be in Delta One. You should have Sky Club access in Los Angeles (we like the T3 lounge) and at the Honolulu club, given you’re traveling on a confirmed, international, business class itinerary.
On the way there, you have plenty of time in Los Angeles to walk to the In-N-Out Burger for a good but overrated hamburger. (Yep. I said it.)
You get back to TIJ around lunch on Tuesday. That should be enough time to get back to San Diego and fly home if you’re positioning to/from the trip.
Book Soon
Deals tend to disappear soon after we blog mileage runs. Why?
- The airline hikes the price ASAP, or
- Lots of people book the trip, or
- Both of the above
Nervous About Booking a Partner Trip? Need Some Help?
Worried about making sure your trip credits correctly to your Delta SkyMiles account? Need help finding good deals on positioning flights and/or hotels? Want to make sure you’re booking the right itinerary and using the correct credit card?
You are not the only one. Don’t worry!
My friends in the mileage run department at point.me (formerly Juicy Miles) take care of all those concerns. Plus, they monitor your reservations for flight changes, etc.
We trust point.me to take care of our readers.
Want a different trip? Get in touch now with point.me and ask them to tailor a mileage run based on your criteria.
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Eye of the Flyer and its parent company, Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., are not affiliated with Delta Air Lines or any other airline. All information has been conducted independently by the blog post’s author. Eye of the Flyer is not responsible for any errors, mistakes, or failures committed by airlines, vendors, travelers, or the blog itself. This post is for entertainment and informational purposes only.
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Red eye without lie flats…ouch!
No pain, no gain?
“In-N-Out Burger for a good but overrated hamburger.”
Sacrilege! Blasphemy!
It’s a good burger! Probably the best for fast food. But it’s not the greatest in the world. 😉
And, exactly what is the gain that tier status provides that a premium cabin ticket does not?
Some people and/or their employers only purchase Main Cabin. Higher tier status = better chances of upgrades and other benefits.
Or, in this particular run’s instance, perhaps someone just wants a decent business class rate to Hawaii for vacation.
Thanks for continuing to posting these great MQD deals. It sure beats the two trips to UIO I did pre pandemic for MQDs
I’m sorry if i’m slow. But all I have to do is book this with Aero and make sure my Delta# is in my Aero profile? Do you have a article on the step by on how to do this?
When you book the ticket put your SkyMiles number in as your frequent flyer account to which you want everything credited. (This post explains it more.)
(If you’re concerned about making sure everything is correct, you might want to have point.me book the trip for you.)
Good to see these runs back at least in some form, @Chris.
Also, if you want to spend a day in Tijuana, you can live to tell about it. I have done so and would have no problem in going back again. All you need is some respect, a little more street sense than you might apply in places like Memphis or Detroit, and that you leave the stupid at home. There are a good number of reputable guides who have great one-day tours of the city, if you don’t want to go it alone.
Chris!
The In and Out Burger is NOT overated! I would agree that there are plenty of better burgers, in the range of anywhere from $15.00 to $50.00, but for a true fast food burger, it’s a tremendous value. All the others in its price range are really just “also rans”!
Mike
It is good for a fast food burger. But I’ve heard people say it’s the best burger in the world, that they need In-N-Out burger, etc. It’s very good but not lose-your-mind-over-it good.
But then you have to fly Delta. No thanks. Not into Cults
@Matthew – I would not go as far as calling Delta Medallion folks as part of cult. A bit crazy yes but in a good way if you fly Delta all the time and like the perks of status.
Chris, what do you estimate the value of holding Diamond tier status is? If you added up all of the benefits that you would receive, what would that be? Thanks in advance.
Hmmmm. It depends on a lot of factors, Lee. Which Choice Benefits the Diamond selects, how much they travel, etc. If you’re someone who regularly purchases First Class and Delta One, the upgrade certificates alone could be worth thousands of dollars if they save you money on a few trips. If you value First Class and Delta One seats because of their comfort, that’s worth something, too — assuming you actually get upgraded on the regular. There’s also the benefit of getting better customer service simply because you’re Diamond. Technically, that’s priceless (because you can’t put a fixed value on it) but worth something — especially when you really need it. Greg at Frequent Miler wrote an interesting post about this very topic today.
What’s it worth to you personally?