Benito Juárez International Airport

Your airline might only let you board your flight to Mexico if you have a valid return ticket. Many airlines don’t care. Your carrier might not tell you this until you're just about to board. If you plan on, say, driving out of Mexico, or leaving on a cruise ship, make sure you check this out well in advance. One way around the problem is to buy a second full price refundable ticket that you don't intend to use and then get a refund as soon as you arrive (or before you leave, as long as you have the original paperwork to show at the jetway). In most major US airports, they'll sell you this 'token' ticket at the jetway. Airline staff in the boarding area help travellers with this problem every day. There are few ticket sales offices at Benito Juárez, so you might have to arrange your refund by phone. Make sure you'll have access to a phone that allows international calls. Get a refund number from the phone agent.

Benito Juárez International Airport has plenty of congestion problems, so the government implemented a regional transportation plan that calls for expanding service at the new mixed-use Santa Lucia (NLU) airport northeast of the city, and expanding access to the under-utilized Toluca airport (TLC) to the west of the city. Landing delays, long immigration lines, and long taxi times are quite common. Don't schedule very tight connections at the airport.

If you arrive on an international flight, you will go through immigration, luggage retrieval and then customs. If the immigration officer gives you an immigration form, keep it until you 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 and pay a possible (but rarely enforced) fine of M$440 (Mexican pesos).

There is a US$300 duty allowance that includes new clothing, tobacco and liquor. Mexican customs allow passengers to bring, duty free: 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.

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.

Uber, Cabify and Didi are available from the airport. Uber Shuttle is available from the airport to downtown locations, fares depend on demand (time of day) but tend to be about M200 per person.

The airport has five companies providing licensed and secure taxis, including Porto Taxi, Sitio 300 and Taxis Nueva Imagen. You should buy a ticket in the marked counters inside the airport. You can compare prices to your destination at each but they are quite similar. You can ask one of the wheelie guys who will take you and your luggage to the taxi counter for Taxi Seguro or Boleto de Taxi. Be sure to get the detachable piece of the ticket back. Prices range from M$100-300 for the taxi service, depending on the size of the car and the zone of the city you are going to. For example, a sedan to the Centro Historico costs M$225 (Jan 2018). 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, so specify which type of car you want, otherwise you are likely to be ripped off.

Once you've picked up your taxi ticket, join the melee (especially outside Terminal 2) in the taxi staging area. Join the queue of people carrying the same color card as yourself, or ask the taxi marshals which line to join. You might notice people moving past you. They're family groups boarding vans. If you're waiting a long time because your chosen taxi company is short on cars, go back and ask for a refund. You can then buy a new ticket with a different company.

The Terminal 1 taxi boarding area is outside Gate 10, to the right of all the arrivals halls. The different taxi company ranks are at different distances from the terminal but are all within a few meters of each other.

Metrobus #4 is a Bus Rapid Transit Line to the TAPO bus station/San Lázaro Metro, Centro Histórico, Revolution Monument and Buenavista Station in the central part of Mexico City. They stop at Puerta (Gate) 7 in Terminal 1 and Puerta 2 (lower level) in Terminal 2. Fares to/from the airport cost M$30 (Nov 2021). You need a smart card to ride the system, which can be bought at the 7-Eleven inside the terminals or one of the orange coloured machines near the exit.

If you are looking for the most economical means of transportation and you're not carrying too much luggage, take the Metro (subway). Do not try boarding the Metro with luggage larger than a briefcase. Metro rules prohibit carrying large items and passengers can be fined. The 1 Terminal Aerea station is next to the Domestic Flight Arrivals hall in Terminal 1. Go to the left when coming out from Terminal 1 International Arrivals. Terminal 2 is 15 minutes walk from Pantitlán station, but the walk involves passing through a relatively run-down area.

Inside Terminal 1, there are signs pointing to the Metro station, which is a long way towards the left if you exit from any door. Keep an eye out for the orange 1970s style M designating the entrance. Large bags are officially prohibited, but a large-ish backpack should be fine as long as you're not travelling in rush hour. Throughout the Metro system there are plenty of stairs. Not all stations have escalators and none have wide gates for luggage.

Metro tickets cost M$5 each. Don't try paying with the M$500 note you've just received at the exchange bureau. However, buying a public transport smart card and putting up to M$200 is fine. The Metro has its own risks. Violent crime is very rare but pick-pocketing 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.

There are system maps in every station near the ticket booths and on the platforms, as well as neighborhood maps close to the ticket booths. Try to avoid peak hours: approximately 4 million people use this service every day. Line 5 (which is the one that passes by the airport) is relatively empty, but Lines 1, 2 and 3 can be crowded at any time of the day.

Local buses do not enter the airport, but if it's not rush hour and you're not carrying too much luggage, it's possible to walk to the Circuito Interior ring road from Terminal 1 (follow the signs towards the Metro). Regular (M$2) and express (M$4) RTP buses pass frequently and have routes around the ring road. You need to pay with exact change (or pay extra) in the coin boxes. From Terminal 2 you could walk to the Pantitlán Metro Station (which is the terminus of dozens of bus lines), but it involves passing through a relatively run-down area.

If you are going to another city by bus, the 2 bus station in Terminal 2 is located on the far right of the arrivals floor, after coming out of customs, past the escalators, by domestic arrivals. The 3 bus station in Terminal 1 is located by the auto ramp by the international arrivals area, between Puertas 7 & 8. To get there go up the escalators to Sala 'G' by the food court (opposite side of the food court from international departures & international airline check in). Go across the bridge next to the food court (between 7-Eleven and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts) to the bus companies' check-in desks at the opposite side to buy the tickets. Follow sign to the right and down the escalators to the bus loading area. In both terminals follow the Autobuses Foraneos signs. The following bus companies serve the airport:

ADO (Autobuses Del Oriente), Aeorpuerto, TAPO, Central Norte, Taxqueña, Col. Santa Martha, Del. Iztapalapa, ☏ +52 55 5133-5133, toll-free: 01800-009-9090. They only go to Cordoba and Orizaba from the airport. Passengers can transfer buses in Cordoba to get to Veracruz city.

Caminante, Aeoropuertos (Toluca & Mexico City), Mexico Poniente. Travels mainly between Mexico City and Toluca.

Grupo Estrella Blanca (White Star), Aeoropuerto, Central del Norte, Taxquena, ☏ +52 55 5729-0807, toll-free: 01800-507-5500. From the airport they only go up to Pachuca.

Estrella Roja (Red Star), Aeorpuerto, TAPO, Carcel de Mujeres (Women's prison), ☏ +52 222 273-8300, toll-free: 01800-712-2284. From the airport they go to Paseo Destino, CAPU (Central bus station in Puebla) and their own terminal on 4a Poniente closer in to downtown Puebla on alternating schedules. Passengers continuing to Oaxaca can catch this bus to Puebla CAPU and transfer there or they can take local transport to the nearby TAPO in Mexico City and take a direct bus to Oaxaca with ADO. There are also flights from Mexico City to Oaxaca with multiple airlines too. 485MXN (to CAPU). (updated Aug 2025)

If your arriving flight is in Terminal 2 you will need to take the light rail Aerotrén or the airport shuttle to Terminal 1. The Aerotrén is only available to airport and airline employees and people holding airline tickets or boarding passes. Credentials will be checked. Otherwise the white shuttles with a white and red checkered design on the back provide free inter-terminal transport (you can find them at Puerta 6 in T1 and Puerta 4 in T2). There are also red buses that travel between the terminals, but charge a fee. These buses make a stop at the 4 Hangares metro station when going from T2 to T1 (but not on the way back).

It is also possible to reach the 5 Pantitlán metro stop from T2 by walking east on Eje 1 Norte. The Pantitlan Station is also a major bus station with various buses, peseros and taxis serving the delegaciones (boroughs) in the southeastern part of Mexico City as well as the terminus for several metro lines. Be careful as this walk can be potentially dangerous, especially at night and especially for the obvious tourist.

In addition to the airline club lounges, there are commercial lounges and lounges run by banks or credit card companies (American Express, Citibank, HSBC). The airline lounges are:

Aeromexico Salon Premier (Terminal 2). (updated Sep 2022)

American Airlines Admirals Club (Terminal 1, Hall H). (updated Sep 2022)

United Airlines United Club (Terminal 1, Hall H). (updated Sep 2022)

Lufthansa (Terminal 1, upper level). (updated Sep 2022)

Tasca Don Quino (Sala B) - a little taste of Spain in the heart of Mexico's busiest airport, the restaurant is known for its cakes, its tortillas (Spanish-style tortillas, which are more like a cross between an omelette and a quiche), and its thin-sliced dry Spanish ham (similar to serrano).

Maison Kayser (Gate 6) - French bakery serving croissants and desserts with artisanal cheeses and French roast coffee.

Vuela Carmen (Sala B) - interesting deviations from standard Mexican dishes, some using artesanal cheeses or less common chiles. The octopus sopes are highly recommended as are the tostadas mentiras. The restaurant is open 24 hours, so even if you have a late flight or end up spending the night in the airport, there's no reason to settle for bad food.

Iwashi (outside security) - fresh sushi served with sake or Japanese beers. Try the squid nigiri.

La Mansión (Gate 4) - the place to go for carnivores and those with hearty appetites, the restaurant serves grilled steaks, barbecue ribs, and arracherra with all the accompaniments of a good carne asada.

The airport rarely offers the best rates for converting your currency. However 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, usually offers the best rate. There are also numerous ATM/Cashpoint (cajero electronico) machines located throughout both terminals, operated by various banks, which take foreign Visa, MasterCard or debit cards to draw money in pesos.