This week brings another round of international flight schedule changes at Guadalajara International Airport. Also in this week’s update, the government clarifies who is eligible for 80% discounts from SIAPA due to poor-quality tap water, plus an update on Jalisco’s tequila economy.

Aeroméxico suspends flights from Guadalajara to Northern California, Chicago

Last week, Aeroméxico suspended several important routes between Guadalajara and the U.S., including nonstop flights to San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and Chicago, according to schedule filings tracked by AeroRoutes.

The route suspensions are in effect from now until mid-December, with no clarity on whether they might resume after that.

Aeroméxico’s suspended routes and dates in effect

Under Aeroméxico’s disruption rules, ticketed customers on canceled routes are entitled to a route and schedule change or a refund. Before calling the airline to request rebooking, it is a good idea to confirm that your itinerary is no longer available on its website.

It is also wise to keep any receipts for hotels, ground transport and nonrefundable side bookings tied to your original Aeroméxico itinerary. Those costs can influence whether the airline grants a reissue, refund or full cancellation of the original ticket.

Competing carriers such as United Airlines and the ultra-low-cost carriers Volaris and Viva Aerobus still service these cities to and from Guadalajara, so travelers have a few alternatives left that eliminate the need to connect in Mexico City.

Who is eligible for 80% discounts from SIAPA due to poor water quality?

A hot topic in Guadalajara lately has been the question of who is — and is not — eligible for a discount on their water bill from SIAPA (the Intermunicipal Water and Sewerage Services System in Jalisco) stemming from chronic water quality issues in the Guadalajara metropolitan area.

After weeks of speculation, we finally have some answers.

As of Aug. 17, an 80% discount will be applied to water bills in 203 neighborhoods in Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlaquepaque and Tonalá affected by serious water quality problems. The initiative aims to compensate users who have reported various problems with water coming from their taps, including foul-smelling, dirty or discolored water.

The Jalisco Congress formalized the benefit, and the SIAPA Governing Board approved the first list of beneficiary neighborhoods, with details published on Aug. 14 in the Official Gazette of Jalisco.

Popular expatriate neighborhoods such as Ladrón de Guevara, Santa Teresita and Providencia in Guadalajara, as well as Chapalita and Seattle in Zapopan, are all eligible for the discount. To see the full list of neighborhoods, check Annex A of this document.

How to claim the SIAPA discount

Economic relief is aimed at residential users and small businesses in the designated neighborhoods who consume up to 25 cubic meters of water per month. Those who consume more than this amount are ineligible.

To qualify, households and businesses must also demonstrate that they are up to date on all of their payments to SIAPA to receive the discount. In other words, those who stopped paying for contaminated water out of frustration and are still in arrears cannot obtain a discount.

There are also 32 neighborhoods still under review for eligibility, so if your neighborhood is not on the current list, it may still be added later as SIAPA makes adjustments.

Residents can access the discount until Dec. 15, 2026.

Tequila exports showed signs of recovery in the first half of 2026

Despite the trade uncertainty surrounding negotiations of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the tequila business appears to be resurgent in 2026, following sluggish results in 2025.

According to figures from the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT), total tequila exports during the first half of this year reached 215 million liters, up 3.4% from the 208 million liters exported abroad in the same period of 2025. The U.S. remains the largest export market for Mexican tequila by far (taking roughly 81% of the total).

Following a period of explosive growth in demand from 2020 to 2024 where growth averaged 8.5% per year, demand for Jalisco’s most famous beverage has leveled off. The slowdown stems mainly from reduced demand for super-premium tequila in the U.S., as consumers traded down or explored sobriety following the coronavirus pandemic’s well-documented drinking binge.

In response, Jalisco’s producers have been working to correct an agave oversupply problem (too many fields were planted during boom times) and develop new business in Europe, Latin America and Asia to reduce their dependence on the U.S. consumer.

Based on the trend year to date, the Tequila Regulatory Council is cautiously optimistic for better times ahead for the state’s 229 authorized producers and more than 3,400 registered brands.

MND Writer Dawn Stoner is reporting from Guadalajara.