The cheapest airports to fly to and from are those located in the southern and western parts of the US, and then take a connective flight to Britain. Flights from Houston, Dallas and Miami generally cost the least, and in some cases flights can be booked for as little as $300. Mexico City is the cheapest destination to fly to, while tickets to popular coastal resorts such as Cancun and Acapulco tend to cost slightly more.

If you are staying close to the Mexican border it is more economical to cross into Mexico by bus or train and then catch an internal flight to your final destination with Aeromexico and Mexicana. If you are staying too far away from the border to do this you might want to consider taking an indirect flight to your destination within Mexico. Flights that require a change of planes are often considerably cheaper than direct route flights.

Cheap flights to Mexico from the UK are easy to find if you know where to search from the start. Major carriers such as British Airways, Air France, KLM, American Airlines, Delta and Iberia fly to Mexico City from the UK. Smaller airlines such as Mexicana and Aeromexico fly to destinations all over Mexico including less well known towns and cities. As a general rule, the best deals are usually offered by the smaller carriers rather than the larger ones.

The best place to start looking for discount tickets is undoubtedly online. Booking online is quick and easy and reduces overall costs by cutting out commission fees. You can also compare several airline offers and special fares in one go, thereby locating the best deal within a couple of minutes. Mexican discount agent Despegar (page translator required) offer some of the best deals online. If you don't mind waiting until the eleventh hour and are certain that you won't need to make any changes to your booking, last minute sites such as last minute and hotwire offer fantastic price reductions of up to 50%.

On the other hand you can also save yourself significant amounts of money by booking your flight well in advance. If you are planning to travel to more than one destination in Mexico, booking an airpass such as MexiPass or MexiPass Inter can save you hundreds of dollars. Similarly, advance tickets such as Apex tickets usually cost significantly less than standard tickets. The downside to these tickets is that they need to be booked at least two weeks to a month in advance and there are strict charges to pay if you deviate from your planned schedule in any way.

It is also often possible to book cheap flights to Mexico through consolidators and discount travel agencies. Check the travel section of your local paper for the best deals of the moment. If you are a pensioner, student or under 25, make sure that you enquire about special discounts that apply to you. Many discount agents also specialize in booking charter planes. Charter flights are often a cheaper option than scheduled flights, but carry the disadvantage of not allowing you to choose your own departure dates and times.