Mexico City Airport - Information for Travelers
The basic information you need to know, and a few secrets

By Richard Ferguson © Richard Ferguson 2002, 2007

The Mexico City airport is the gateway to Mexico City and central Mexico.  The Mexico City airport is also the airline hub for the entire country.  If you are flying to a destination in Mexico not served by direct flights from the USA, you will probably change planes in Mexico City.  More than 20 million passengers per year pass through this major airport, making it the busiest in Latin America.

The airport is 13 km (8 miles) east of the center of Mexico City.  The airport abbreviation is MEX, and the official name is the Benito Juarez International Airport.  The airport is served by dozens of international airlines.  Mexicana and Aeromexico are the major Mexican airlines.

The airport is basically long and narrow, as you can see in the map.  The public terminal is open to all.  The hall with the gates is reached by taking escalators up to the security X-ray machines, and is also long and narrow.   The international end of the airport is relatively new, while the national end of the airport dates back many years.  However, the airport is generally in very good condition, and in much better shape than it was ten or fifteen years ago.

Arriving from outside Mexico

For many years, Mexico used a "red light, green light" random customs inspection system.  You pushed the button, and the machine gave you a green light, which means you could keep walking, or a red light, which meant that your bags would be searched.  Now, they put your customs form into a computerized card reader, and then the computer screen says if you can pass or need to be searched.  The goal is to take the human element out of determining who is searched.

After you get through customs, you walk out into the main terminal.  Frequently, there is a big crowd waiting for people outside the customs area.  It is a good practice to stow your passport and other papers before leaving the customs area.  You will have to leave your luggage cart in customs, but there are uniformed skycaps with two wheel dollies if you need help.  When you go out into the terminal, turn left.

Shops, Money, Information, and Hotels

Like most large airports, almost anything that you might need can be found in the terminal.  Snacks, souvenirs, and magazines can be found all over.   There are also several sit-down restaurants, both in the public terminal and the secure gate area.  The Conaculta bookstore, a good source of books about Mexico, is found near Door 7, between area C and D.  This is a very good bookstore, but most of the books are in Spanish.  The INEGI government map store is found near door 4, area C.  The international departures hall has an amazing group of duty free shops, but you should carefully compare prices to those at home.

The airport has dozens of money exchange booths (Casa de Cambio), in the public terminal and the secure gate area.  The exchange rates at Mexico City airport are usually very competitive, much better than at US airports, and seem to be always open.  There are also several ATMs in the airport.  However, one time a few years ago I had to try several ATMs, and more than one card, before I got any cash.  I suggest carrying both some cash and an ATM card.

The Mexico City tourist office is found in area B.  This is a good place to go if you need a hotel room.  There are also information booths in the airport, but the attendants may not speak much English.

The Hilton hotel is located above the International section of the airport.  The Marriott is reached by an overhead walkway from a kind of storefront office near area C.  However, both of these hotels usually charge around $200 US per night.  Less expensive hotels can be reached by taxi or shuttle.  The cheapest nearby hotel is the Hotel Aeropuerto, around $25 per night, which can be reached by walking past the metro station and taking the overhead walkway to the other side of the road.  I have not stayed there, but I have heard reports that it is OK. The JR Plaza and the Aeropuerto Plaza are located near the Hotel Aeropuerto, on the Boulevard Aeropuerto. The JR Plaza and the Holiday Inn have free airport shuttles, and charge around $100 US per night.  The Wings restaurant, between the JR Plaza and the Aeropuerto Plaza, is less expensive than the hotel restaurants.  I can report on the Marriott and the JR Plaza, both good hotels.  I prefer the JR Plaza, but the Marriott is newer and fancier.  The airport hotels are more expensive than hotels in town, and far from the tourist attractions, so it only make sense to stay there if you are in transit and have an early or late flight.

Buses

From the small bus station at the airport, buses leave for Cuernavaca, Pachuca, Puebla, Queretero, and Toluca.  Each destination is served by a different bus line. The bus station is outside door 8, in area D.  These buses leave the airport about every hour, with the first bus around 7 AM and the last bus around 10 PM.  There are somewhat fewer buses to Pachuca.  There is a booth that sells bus tickets, with reserved seats. This is great if your final destination is one of these cities.

 

If you are not going to one of these cities, I suggest you take a taxi to the appropriate major bus station in Mexico City.  The airport buses are more expensive than most buses in Mexico, and you can probably go directly to your final destination from one of the major bus stations.  Mexico City has four major bus stations, for the four cardinal directions.

Rental Cars

There are more than ten auto rental agencies located at the Mexico City airport, generally the major brands from the USA such as Hertz, Avis, etc.  There are booths in the airport, with shuttle buses to take you to your car.

As in most big cities, a car is more of a liability than an asset.  Rental cars in Mexico are always expensive.  If you do rent a car, be sure to buy the Mexican insurance.  I do not recommend driving in Mexico City for the faint of heart. I only drive in Mexico City every ten years or so, because it takes me that long to forget how hard it was last time.  If you do decide to pick up a rental car in Mexico City, you will need to buy a good map of the city, probably the Guia Roja, and you will need an excellent navigator.  Alternately, you could hire a taxi to guide you to the edge of the city, or to your destination.

Taxis

Taxis are an important and complicated subject.  Because of the problems of taxi robberies, you should never take random passing taxis anywhere in Mexico City.  Official taxi stands, with a person with a clipboard logging each departure, are regarded as safe by most experts.  If it is just a line of taxis, there is no control, and someone with a stolen or bootleg taxi could rob you, usually with the help of his confederates. A hotel can call you a radio taxi, and get the description of the taxi and its number.  However, the radio taxis are the most expensive.  Some people hire a radio or hotel taxi for a day of tourism; this is probably the safest and most convenient option, but a bit pricy.  I understand that tipping taxi drivers is not required.  I suggest that you agree on a price before getting into the taxi, unless the driver is going to use a taxi meter, or you have bought a prepaid ticket.

The Secret Taxi Stand with the Cheap Taxis: 

The least expensive taxis at the Mexico city airport are more or less hidden, with no signs in the airport telling you where they are.  I found the taxi stand by accident when I was walking around.  This is the taxi stand used by the flight attendants and other employees, so you can ask them where the cheap taxis are.  The flight attendant that I spoke to assured me that these taxis were safe, and the stand is an official one, complete with an attendant with a clipboard. This taxi stand can be reached by taking the overhead walkway over door 7, in area D.  You will need to haul your luggage up and down the stairs.  The taxis are the old green Volkswagen beetle sedans with the right front seat removed.  They are adequate for two people if you do not have too much luggage.

The tourist taxis are found at the taxi stand outside of area A.  You go to the taxi ticket window and tell the ticket agent where you are going.  He will sell you a ticket, which you take to the tourist taxi stand outside.  These taxis are typically small sedans, adequate for three people with moderate luggage.  These tourist taxis cost half again as much as the VW beetle taxis cost.  A typical fare, depending on the distance, is probably $10 to $15 US, or 100 to 150 pesos.

If you have more than three people, there is another option.  The same taxi ticket office and taxi stand offer Suburbans, as a kind of executive transportation.  Suburbans cost almost double what a tourist taxi costs, but are good for a group of four to eight people, or if you have an unusually large amount of luggage.

Miscellaneous

There is a locker service at the end of area A.

Mexico City has serious crime issues, and the airport is not exempt.  Corruption among employees and officials is not unknown.  Be security conscious while you are at the airport, or anywhere in Mexico City.  For more information on security issues in Mexico City, review the US State Department travel warnings, travel.state.gov.

There is a Metro stop two minutes' walk from area A in the airport.  However, crime is a problem, and I do not recommend traveling on the Metro with luggage or valuables.  The subway costs less than $0.20 US.

Unlike many cities, the airport does not have an airport limousine or bus service.  Take a taxi instead.

The public phones at the airport, as in most of Mexico, require a prepaid phone card, available in shops for 30 or 50 pesos.

The airport has a web site with more information, www.aeropuertosmexico.com.

There are plans to build a new airport in Texcoco, but it will not be finished until 2006 or later.

Departure

When you arrive at the curbside of the airport, you will find many uniformed skycaps with two wheel carts or dollies wanting to take your bags.  A polite "No Gracias" will generally suffice to have them leave you alone.

You should check in at the ticket windows on the main (lower) level, and then take the escalators upstairs to security.  The departure gates (Salas) are clearly marked, and there are the usual airport flight status monitors.

In recent years, the departure tax has been included in your airline ticket, so this is no longer a concern.

Enjoy your trip to Mexico City, or wherever your final destination is in Mexico.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In November 2007, a second terminal opened at the Mexico City airport. The new terminal, Terminal 2, is connected to the old terminal by a monorail system for passengers. The article as written describes Terminal 1 as it was in early 2002. Continental, Delta, and Aeromexico will be using Terminal 2. Terminal 2 is a completely separate structure, behind Terminal 1. Terminal 2 is accessible by highway, but from a different road than is used to access Terminal 1.

Richard Ferguson
February 8, 2002, November 2007

The information in this article was based on many trips through the Mexico City airport.  The exchange rate used in this article is 9 pesos to a US dollar.

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