Thomson launches the first non-stop flight from the UK to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Thomson Airways, an airline that belongs to Thomson and First Choice, part of the Tui travel group, has become the first and only airline to offer direct and non-stop flights from the UK to Mexico’s Pacific Coast, with the departure of its revolutionary Boeing 787 Dreamliner from UK’s Manchester airport on May 1.

The flight, which departed at 09:37 (GMT), touched down in Mexico just over 11 hours later. Thomson will operate the direct and non-stop weekly flights to Mexico’s Pacific Coast from London Gatwick and Manchester airports, making the destination realistic for a far-flung holiday. The Thomson 787 Dreamliner carries 291 passengers, with Premium Club and Economy Club options.

Milko Rivera Hope, UK director of Mexico Tourism, said: ’2014 is a year of opportunity for Mexico Tourism, not only do the growth rates of tourism flows to and from the UK keep growing, the new direct flights from Gatwick and Manchester with Thomson to Puerto Vallarta open up the Mexican Pacific Coast and its myriad of offerings to the British holidaymaker.

Mexico is a sun and beach destination, but it’s so much more than only sun and beach, Thomson’s new 787 Dreamliner opens up a whole new and exciting gamut of rich experiences for British tourist in one of Mexico’s Pacific Ocean paradises.’

Chris Browne, managing director of Thomson Airways commented: ‘We are thrilled to offer exclusive, direct flight to Mexico’s Pacific Coast on the Thomson 787 Dreamliner and we are confident that our customers will love the destination as much as they do the aircraft.

‘The Dreamliner makes it possible to reach the region without having to refuel or connect along the way, making it faster and more convenient than ever to get to this incredible destination.’

Besides being more comfortable, so that holidaymakers should be more relaxed and refreshed after a long flight, the 787 Dreamliner is also more environmentally friendly than similar-sized aircraft, using approximately 20 percent less fuel.

Customer Satisfaction Questionnaires (CSQ) have revealed that 97 percent of the respondents rated their experience on board the Thomson 787 Dreamliner last summer as good or excellent, while 99 percent said that they would recommend the airline after travelling on the new plane.

Thomson Airways was the first UK airline to take delivery of, and is the first to fly, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The airline currently has four Boeing 787 Dreamliners in its fleet and will take delivery of another four by May 2015.