VivaAerobus Responds to Customer Complaints

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Representatives of Mexican budget airline VivaAerobus, in Houston on Tuesday to promote new local flights and a fleet upgrade, acknowledged that not all of their customers have been happy, and they pledged to do better.

"We realized that we stick so hard to our low-cost model that we never contemplated some options for passengers," spokeswoman Alejandra Ochoa said. "We made mistakes, and we recognize it. We spent 2014 listening to what passengers had to say. We hope these changes we are implementing really right our wrongs."

The airline guarantees its no-frills model - passengers pay extra fees and they don't get complimentary drinks - allows VivaAerobus to offer the cheapest ticket prices in the market, in some cases 55 percent below other carriers.

But the airline has been criticized for high fees and poor customer service, including inadequate communication.

Houstonian Ren Artemio, who runs the travel deal website Escape Houston, said he booked a Saturday flight with VivaAerobus last year for $172 and promoted the deal on his website. When another flier sent him a note to let him know his Saturday flight had been changed to a Friday without his knowledge, Artemio checked his own itinerary and discovered the same thing had happened to him.

It was difficult to contact customer service, Artemio said, and when he did, he was told he could not get a refund.

Artemio wound up making the flight anyway and said it was a positive experience, with friendly staff and a smooth flight and a free carry-on bag.

The VivaAerobus officials cited several changes, including offering assigned seating and dropping the often steep fee for changing flight dates and other details. The airline also now guarantees its customer services team will respond to a customer within 72 hours; if not, it will give the traveler a voucher worth 400 pesos, or about $25.

VivaAerobus is adding routes in Houston and several other U.S. cities and upgrading its fleet to the Airbus A320, which has wider aisles and more overhead space than current planes.

The carrier began offering service between Houston and Monterrey in 2010. The Houston-Monterrey service flies Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and carries about 3,600 passengers a week. Last December, VivaAerobus added nonstop Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday flights between Houston and Guadalajara. A nonstop between Houston and Cancun will be offered Monday, Friday and Sunday.

The airline is dropping its Saturday flight to Cancun starting in April.

Ticket prices for the Houston nonstop flights to cities in Mexico are lower than its competitors, which fly more frequently. For example, a United Airlines flight between Houston and Guadalajara would cost $404 over the next 90 days, while a VivaAerobus flight would cost $164. A United ticket to Cancun would cost $258, but VivaAerobus would charge $160. To Monterrey, VivaAerobus offers a $130 ticket, while United would charge $240.

"We are not aiming to take other airlines' market share," Ochoa said. "We are for those people who might fly only once a year and now can do it more."

The airline will serve 51 destinations in Mexico and five U.S. cities starting this year.

Houston has seen an influx of nonstop flights to Latin America. Southwest Airlines has applied to fly Cancun, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. It also requested approval for flights to San Jose, Costa Rica, and Belize City, Belize.

Aeromexico, Volaris and Interjet have also added or announced nonstop flights between Houston and destinations in Mexico. Spirit Airlines announced 10 new routes to Latin America.

United Airlines, which already serves 25 cities in Mexico from its Houston hub, added nonstop service last year to Santiago, Chile, and Punta Canta, Dominican Republic.