Airport Hotels Mexico City
Mexico City - Benito Juárez International Airport
Benito Juarez International Airport. Most travelers arrive to Mexico City by
air, to the Benito Juárez International Airport (IATA: MEX, ICAO: MMMX),
located in the eastern part of the city. There are frequent flights to and from
most larger cities in the world, as Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Santiago
de Chile, London, Paris, Madrid, Frankfurt, Chicago, Toronto, and Tokyo. Some
of the international airlines that operate regular flights to Mexico City include:
Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France, Alaska Airlines,
American Airlines, Avianca, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Copa, Cubana
de Aviacion, Delta , Iberia, KLM, LAN, Lufthansa, Mexicana, Northwest, TACA,
United Airlines and US Airways. The airport has a plane spotting area. To reach
it, take the subway and go to the Terminal Aerea station.
On January 16, 2008, a new terminal, Terminal 2, opened at Benito Juarez. This
terminal is used mainly by Aeromexico, LAN and Aeromar. If you are flying in
or out of the city check with your airline as to what terminal you should use
for ticketing and check-in. Give yourself extra time to make your flight to
avoid confusion.
The terminals are connected by a bus line and a light rail system, which is
significantly faster than the bus.
Arrival
If you arrive on an international flight, you will go through Immigration,
luggage retrieval and then Customs. Make sure you fill in all forms prior to
landing to make this an expedite process. Sometimes, the airline will hand them
out on the flight. There is a 300-dollar duty allowance that include new clothing,
tobacco and liquors. The Mexican customs law allows passengers to bring free
of duties a laptop, an MP3 player, a digital camera, a tripod, a video camera,
and used clothing. Be careful with iPads, as they are sometimes considered laptops.
If you have brought a laptop and an iPad, customs may consider this two laptops
and refuse to allow entry with both.
You will also be required to fill out a Migratory Form for Foreign Tourist,
Transmigrant, Business Visitor or Council Visitor which must be stamped by the
customs officer, who will give you an obsolete number of days for your visa
(up to three months). This form has a bar code on it and a blue stripe across
the top saying "Estados Unidos Mexicanos." Be sure not to lose this
form as without it, you might not be able to leave the country. If you lose
or misplace it during the visit, you must visit the immigration office at the
airport to fill out a new one. If you plead ignorance, they may let it go, but
normally, there's a 440-peso fine.
After going through customs you will pick up your luggage, then pass through
screening. You will press a button for a red or green light. The red means they
will search you, the green means you can go. If you are taking a connecting
flight to another location and the bags are already tagged for their final destination,
you will drop them on a belt located to the right of the inspection tables.
If tagged to Mexico City only, you will need to check in again with the airline.
Foreign travellers using connecting flights from Mexico City are sometimes required
to pass through customs again when they reach their final destination.
The entire process, from when the plane arrives to when you are done with customs,
usually takes about an hour. After completing customs, you will go through large
doors to the waiting area for international arrivals. Be prepared to see a lot
of people in this area. It is a custom for families to pick up their loved ones
at the airport and the hall is rather small for a city of its size. There are
carriers who will offer to carry your luggage. This is a service authorized
by the airport and is safe--they will be uniformed with white shirts, navy blue
tie and dark blue pants and will carry a wheelie (or keep it nearby) with the
union logo on it. There is no fixed price for this service, but 15-25 pesos
should be fine, unless you are traveling in a group or have a lot of bags.
Currency conversion
The airport offers the best rates for converting your currency. There are many
currency changers, some offering better rates than others or not charging a
commission. The converter near Gate E1, in the arrival wing, offers the best
rate.
Ground transportation
* Taxi— The airport offers a service of licensed and secure taxis known
as Transportacion Terrestre. These cabs are white and yellow with black airplane
stickers on the doors. You should buy a ticket in the marked counters inside
the airport. You can ask one of the wheelie guys for "Taxi Seguro"
or "Boleto de Taxi", who will take you and your luggage to the Taxi
counter. Be sure to get the detachable piece of the ticket back. Prices range
from 5 to 25 dollars for the taxi service, depending on the size of the car
and the zone of the city you are going to. A drawing of a car on the ticket
will tell you what type of car the ticket is valid for. Some ticket vendors
are known to sell more expensive tickets for huge vans to single persons with
moderate amounts of luggage. Be aware the airport is not located in the best
area of the city, so it is not recommended for tourists to walk outside the
airport terminal in search for cheaper taxi service unless you have pre-arranged
your service. Definitely do not attempt this if you are not comfortable speaking
Spanish. Despite this, an alternative Taxi Sitio (site) can be reached by using
the overpass located outside of Gate D. Taxis here are about half the price
of the official airport taxis and are considered secure--this is the Sitio that
is set up for the airline employees.
* Metro— If you are looking for a more economical means of transportation
and you're not carrying too much luggage, take the Metro (Subway). The Terminal
Aerea station is next to the Domestic flights terminal 1, to the left when coming
out from the international arrivals hall. It is a bit hard to find, so be prepared
to do some detective work, and keep an eye out for the orange 1970s style M
designating the entrance. The tickets cost 3 pesos each. Realize that the Metro
has its own risks--pickpocketing is a moderate danger here so be aware of your
surroundings, and keep an eye on your belongings. Especially, don't take the
Metro during rush hour unless you are especially fond of the sensation a sardine
has in a tin. When you arrive at terminal 2, there is no metro station so you
will have to transfer to terminal 1 first.
During rush hours, the first two cars are reserved for only women and children,
and there is always a policeman checking that no man hops into those wagons.
It is not compulsory for women to travel separately if they are accompanied
by men or if they don't wish to travel in those wagons.
* Bus— If you are going to another city by bus, the bus station in Terminal
2 is located on the far right of the arrivals floor, past the escalators.
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