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Cancun Airport Arrivals Suffering Large Delays Due To Massive Staff Resignations

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Travelers are reporting large delays at baggage reclaim in Cancun International Airport, with wait times for baggage to reach the carousel system taking over an hour in many cases, although there are also reports of travelers having to wait up to 4 hours just to receive their bags.

This upset with the normally speedy system at the airport is down to an industrial dispute, which has been reported as a mass resignation of employees from the Menzies Aviation S.A. de C.V. firm.

Cancun airport

Normally, upsets in baggage reclaim times wouldn’t make headlines, as these issues are normally resolved in a speedy manner at Cancun International Airport. Unfortunately, this issue has now been ongoing since December 28th 2023, with no concrete timeline of when normal service will be resumed.

Unprecedented Resignations

These kinds of disputes are not new to airports, but this is a strange development for a company as large and well-regarded as Menzies.

While a detailed statement on the reason for these resignations hasn’t been released yet (as of 1/6/2024), through local Spanish-language media outlets in Quintana Roo we know that the main cause of these resignations is claimed to be the working conditions.

Menzies aviation worker at an airport

More specifically, salaries and breaks are being highlighted as unacceptable in relation to working hours, and unfavorable personnel management is also being called out as having had a large impact on the decision by many to resign.

Additionally, there have been claims that 65 employees of the Menzies company at Cancun International Airport have resigned, a figure that doesn’t stand out as a “mass resignation” for a company that claims to have over 700 employees at the airport.  

Delta Plane at Cancun Airport

Statements from management at the company strenuously denied all allegations of this mass resignation, or that any delays are happening due to this reason.

This is in direct contradiction to reports on the ground from current and former employees, as well as from both international and domestic travelers using the airport.

In short, there is a big disconnect between first-hand accounts of travelers, employees, as well as local news sources on what is happening at Cancun International Airport and what the company in question, Menzies Aviation S.A. de C.V, is admitting to in statements.

tourists in airport

Important Information For Travelers

First, it’s important to state that so far, this hasn’t had a direct impact on the flight schedule in Cancun.

Flights are still making their scheduled departure and arrival slots, so travelers should be able to travel to and from Cancun without delay.

Airplane flying over tropical palm trees

The reported issues arise once at the airport. Thankfully, travelers from America enjoy a fast-tracked immigration process, something which in the past could hold American visitors up for hours during peak times.

Unfortunately, the baggage reclaim delays could see travelers waiting for up to 4 hours. For travelers hoping to get to their resort and begin their vacation, this will come as a very unwelcome shock and could take away many hours of hard-earned and already paid-for relaxation time.

Tourists relaxing on a cancun beach

Not All Travelers Affected

It’s important to note that not all arrivals are affected, Menzies Aviation S.A. de C.V is just one of the companies operating baggage services at the airport, and many flights are being serviced as normal.

The information on offer and verifiability is thin, but the consensus is that, from the U.S. and Canada, flights from Frontier, West Jet, and Southwest are affected.

Frontier Airplane in the Air

However, the situation is unlikely to be strung out, and it is likely airlines are already working hard to put alternative services in place to push these delays for travelers down as much as possible.

Furthermore, due to the contradictory reports from multiple sources, travelers’ best course of action to get a concrete idea of whether or not their arrival will be affected is to contact their airline directly.

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AJ Waller

Sunday 14th of January 2024

Arrived at Cancun Airport on Jan 13,2024. Waited half hour on tarmac because the gate was occupied; waited 3 hours to clear customs only 2-4 Agents were on duty to process thousands of travellers and no ground agents to answer questions or direct crowds; waited an hour for bags to be loaded on the carousel despite the plane being on the ground for 4 hours; no communication on carousels to identify where bags were being unloaded from and no ground agents to answer questions;missed ground transportation that had given up. If Cancun wants to remain a desired international destination it has to resolve these issues asap.

Karen

Friday 12th of January 2024

12/28 we landed at 1630. We left the airport at 2030. We arrived at the resort via overpriced airport taxi and we missed our sons pre wedding dinner due to lack of personnel. My 1st and last visit to Cancún.

William windsor King

Friday 12th of January 2024

Ive travelled the world ive also flown from cancun airport many times using different providers from mexico and i have to say cancun has the most rudest staff ive ever come accross , from check in to security they dont like speaking english and they frown upon you if you complain they gang up on you so its no surprise to me that theres a massive resignation , the airport is also a place where taxi drivers are waiting to overcharge you and thats a fact , someone in charge of that airport needs to have a fresh plan and the airlines needto listen to customer feedback because the fact remains that Cancun airport is not a good experience for passengers . #Fact

Disgusted traveller

Thursday 11th of January 2024

We arrived at Cancun Airport on Dec 17 and had a wait of over 3,5 hrs to clear customs alone, . No organized line we were treated like cattle and everyone was trying to squeeze into 2 points of entry to the immigration

NEVER AGAIN WILL WE TRAVEL THROUGH THIS AIRPORT

Wayne

Tuesday 9th of January 2024

With the amount of cash being infused into Cancun and the Riveria Maya these types of issues will stain Cancun as a premier Vacation destination. The bureaucracy and poor oversight of the Airport and Maya Train isn't suprising. Mexico just can't get it figured out.

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