Which is better flight plan for ORD-CZM or ORD-CUN?
 

For all you experienced flyers and vacationers I'm not sure which is the better plan for using FF miles to get to Cozumel.

60,000 miles Bus/First are available and I can fly ORD-CUN n/s in Business(8:55 am-12:55 pm) and then take a van/bus for 45 min to Playa del Carmen and then a 45 min ferry to Cozumel.

Or I can fly ORD-MIA (first) and MIA-Cozumel(Economy) -- lv ORD 6:15 am-2:22 pm arrival. The return is via DFW, 2:05-9:40 pm arrival)

Non-stop in Business class seems more comfortable and perhaps less room for flight snafus although clearly, bus/ferry travel from Cancun to Cozumel will eat up time and be a hassle -- but at least we'll be in the right country at that point...

I'm already not thrilled about using 120,000 miles for flights to Mexico so would like to make the better choice if there is one. Any advice from experienced flyers and/or Mexico experts?

If the miles are the same, I'd go for the nonstop. The bus ride is pretty short, and, like you said, at least you're in Mexico.

Personally, I try and avoid the Miami airport.

I fly into both several times a year. Cancun is a much busier airport especially at that time of day. The bus will take you to Playa for $8USD and you arrive just west of the ferry pier. The only stop is in Puerto Morelos right on the highway. The time for travel with construction most likely will run longer than 45 min. The walk to the ferry will take about 5 min and then the ferry ride will take 45 min to Coz. If you take the GrayLine van it will cost $24/person and there may be other stops along the way to let people off as happened to me in March. I use this option when I arrive too early for the bus to be operating. You can also retain a service such as CancunValet to transport you to Playa which might be comparable depending on how many people you have traveling since they charge by the van not person (unless this has changed in the last couple of years; I don't use this option any longer)
Flying into Coz (which I'm doing in June on my miles) is a good option if you are staying on the island itself. The airport is smaller. You can either use the airport vans to transport to your hotel, a taxi at the airport which must be arranged for, or you can walk off the airport property if your luggage isn't too crazy and flag down a taxi out there.
Non-stop is always a nicer way to go as far as the flight but you're arriving at 1p.m. more or less. You will most likely be able to catch the 2:00 bus and if all goes well the 3:00 ferry arriving in Coz around 4. But this is if all goes smoothly. Flying into coz and arriving at 2:22 and then going right to hotel will get you in a bit earlier and with less hassle once in the country. Either way, it's an adventure. I'm flying into Coz and taking the ferry over to Playa then returning through Cun in July. Whichever way you decide - have a great time.

thanks for the replies -- i'm staying on Cozumel for diving certification, it's a short 5 night trip.

Most people I've talked with seem to be recommending flying straight into Cozumel -- they've suggested I try flying through DFW both ways to avoid AE.

any other suggestions, appreciated. thanks so much

I've been through DFW on the way down and the new terminal is quite nice.

If you can go through Dallas instead of Miami, I'd say fly straight to Cozumel.

I'm pretty set on flying into Cozumel after everyone's input -- unfortunately, I can't get the outbound DFW connection which puts us on the AE prop plane for 2 hrs after Miami... kinda sucks after using 120,000 miles, but hey, it's better than not going...

thanks for everyone's help. Maybe I'll look into arriving n/s in Cancun and leaving from Cozumel via DFW -- can you I book multi-city with award tix?

I did with Frontier but only after they changed my dates and I called to say they wouldn't work for me. Flying into Coz in June and out from Cun in July.

Yes, you can book a different airport coming and going using miles, but you can't do it on line, you have to call the airline. We've done it several times with several airlines.

well, talked to my friend who said the mia-czm small AE plane freaks him out a little so looks like we have to take the cancun/bus/ferry option...

We can fly out of Cozumel through DFW although we can't fly first class for one of the segments.
So, now I'm trying to figure if it's worth it to just fly economy CZM-DFW and first class DFW-ORD rather than trek back through the ferry/bus and get the n/s Cancun-ORD in first on our way home. The first experience isn't so great on these routes anyway, so I'm thinking i might take the hit for the convenience on our return...

Personally, I would never spend 120,000 miles for a First Class ticket from Chicago to Cozumel. The flight isn't that long. We fly from Minneapolis and its only 3.5 hours fly time. I save my miles to upgrade on the really long haul flights like 22 hours to Australia or 24 hours to Africa or 23 hours to Thailand. Now THOSE upgrades were worth every mile we spent.

Considering that you'll be dragging along (I assume) dive gear which can be a hassle, I would take the non-stop to CZM. Having said that, the bus/ferry combo isn't difficult if the weather is good.

Can't you use those AA-Advantage miles on Mexicana Airlines? They fly from ORD to CZM and are an AA partner.