NoVaDamer

Some of you may be familiar with the controversy with respect to Volaris airlines, which recently started charging everyone who doesn't have a Mexican passport the DNR (so-called tourist tax) when flying into Mexico. Expats with permanent or temporal status are exempt from the tax, but Volaris' website indicates "there was a change to Mexican law" and now the tax will be collected. No other airlines is doing so, and the Mexican government claims there was no change. Yet Volaris keeps charging. Some travelers (with permanent/temporal status) reported choosing the option on the website to indicate they had a Mexican passport, but then being declined boarding in the US when they arrived at the gate and could not present such a passport, only their residente Permanente/temporal. Others said they were allowed to board. I submitted a complaint to the US Department of Transportation for two upcoming flights, using their automated form on this website (https://airconsumer.dot.gov/consumer/s/oacp-form). Why the US DOT? If Volaris is taking the tax and keeping it, complaining to them is a waste of time. Likewise, if they are taking the tax and sending it on to the Mexican government, responding to that complaint by PROFECO may not be a high priority. The US DOT is already upset with Mexico over some changes Presidente AMLO made unilaterally to flight routes and landing rights when he opened the new Mexico City airport, and Volaris can't afford to have the US DOT responding to complaints by taking away their American landing rights. So there is leverage there. I filed my complaint on February 17th, and received an automated response with a case number three days later, indicating I should await a response from the airline within 30-60 days. Eleven days later, I received an email from a Volaris customer service rep, indicating why they continue to charge the fee ("change in the law"), but asking me to submit the details of my booking and a copy of my Permanente (front and back) for them to consider. I sent it that same day, and received a refund on my credit card the next business day. I checked today and the Volaris website still has the same options/language, but this US DOT system works to get your money back. Once the number of complaints reaches a sufficient level, I believe Volaris will change their website. This option will work for any nationality as long as the flight originates in the US.

Carretera to the airport closed BEFORE (south of) the macrolibrmiento. Bomberos turned everyone around. Smoke rising in distance, but the bombero would not confirm who/what had the road closed. Simply told us to go back!

thanks, all: great feedback!

Thanks, I hadn't heard of trip.com, so that's a great tip. FlightAware only has limited historical data unless you're willing to pay for a membership.

I know there are a lot of cruise-lovers around here, so I imagine some of you have taken the Volaris nonstop from GDL to MIA. We're looking at taking it next March for a cruise, but having second thoughts (just about the flight). We've had horrible experiences with Volaris before; they stranded US for days at Tijuana a few years back, and their rebate policy is atrocious. So I'm loathe to trust them with a flight before a cruise, even if we fly out a day early. The plus side is the price is half what a connection through DFW, IAH, or ATL would be, and it's nonstop so it's faster and there's less chance of a bag lost in transit. Of course all that only matters if they actually fly you there! I've checked FlightAware and the route seems pretty consistent (we don't care about delays, just cancellations). Anybody fly this route and care to comment?

52 33 1464 2324

We used him about a month ago. He came from Ixtlahuacan, picked up our car (left his), drove it back to his shop, did the repairs, and returned our car the same day. Nice service!

We drive this route weekly. The construction is north of the airport (primarily) so it would take a big back up to affect your trip to the airport. Many of the new lanes are now complete (as of this past Sunday) so traffic is getting better, not worse. All that said, download the Waze app to your phone or go online to Waze.com and it gives you live traffic based on real drivers/conditions. Put in your start and end locations of your trip and it will give you an accurate time duration of trip. You can also ask it to tell you when to leave. Do this the morning you leave and you'll know precisely when to go and what traffic will be like,

Had to pick up friends from the airport this morning. The taxi stand would not sell rides to Ajijic. Said something about campesinos. A taxi driver from Ajijic said the same thing, they were worried the roads would be closed. BTW, the road to/from the airport is clear.

I guess his card omits the "33" prefix for Guadalajara. I checked my WhatsApp and we contact him there at 33-31475602.

We have a commercial grade elevator in our house (came that way). We just had it repaired, and I asked the engineer if he did installations and he confirmed he did, too. He's in Guadalajara but will come to lakeside; only speaks Spanish. Here's his data: Ing. Fernando Berlanga #31353949 fernando@paralift.com.mx He's done a ton of work on our elevator (it's over 20 years old) and it's all excellent work, so we highly recommend him.

CFE finally identified the problem and fixed it around 1:00 pm on Wednesday

Power out mountainside in Ajijic (North from Min Wah) since about 1:oo Am. Reported, no progress yet.

We drive up to Tlaquepaque at least once a week. The construction work is proceeding furiously, and things change almost every day. As far as the airport, little has changed so far. But they plan to create some kind of new "tunnel" exchange at the airport, and when they start on that, it could make a big mess. North of the airport is where the major construction is. Lanes come and go, there are construction vehicles crossing the road, some lanes are a meter or two above/below the lane adjacent (!) as they physically "move" the highway, and nothing is marked, adding to the confusion. All it takes is a small mistake, a fender-bender, and traffic stops. There is no way to predict this. My advice driving this route is to go slow and stay all the way to the right. The newest lanes (with the high-stress concrete) are where the lateral lanes used to be, and they are the most consistent, two lane sections of the highway (right now). At times, those lanes will take you around to the right of the pedestrian overpasses, which are still standing and must be removed. They also go around to the right of the returnos, so don't freak out and think if you're in the right lane you'll be forced off a returno. What the planners will eventually do with the returnos is known but to God. My advice is to download the Waze app on your phone, which gives real-time traffic conditions and directions. Check it out at the time of day/day you are going to go to the airport/Tlaquepaque for a few weeks before your trip, to get an idea of how long it will take. The day of your trip, check Waze out early and follow its instructions. We do this every week, and haven't missed an appointment in Guad yet (gracias a Dios)

So I visited with my doctora, and she said the MRI images and the report of results were or excellent quality. I mention this because I have heard others say that some local clinics offer to do MRIs but provide substandard results.