US: Airlines add flights to Cancun, betting violence won’t keep people away

US airlines are wagering that American tourists will keep flocking to Cancun despite rising violence in Mexico and a warning from the State Department. Southwest, Spirit Airlines and Delta are adding flights to the resort. United is using one of its biggest jets once a week to ply the Chicago-Cancun route. The extra flights suggest stable growth in US tourism even after the State Department said turf wars between crime gangs were fueling a surge in violence in two Mexican states, including the one where Cancun is located. Mexico’s top beach destination potentially could also pick up visitors from other Caribbean destinations that suffered severe hurricane damage. “It’s quickly become our largest international market,” Steven Swan, Southwest’s director of international planning, said of Cancun. It’s common for traffic to rebound after briefly dipping on travel warnings, he said. “People tend to have a relatively short-term memory.” From the airlines’ perspective, Cancun flights are good business because of their lower costs, high passenger counts and heavy sales of booze, said Mark Drusch, a consultant and former airline executive. American Airlines has more flights into Cancun than any other international destinationd. International passenger traffic to Mexico’s largest resort has climbed since the State Department’s Aug. 22 travel warning. It rose 6.3% in November from a year earlier and has increased more than 8% this year, according to the regional airport’s operator.<br/>