Travel: Flights to Mexico City

Benito Juarez International Airport (IATA: MEX) (ICAO: MMMX)

Most travelers arrive to Mexico City by air, to the Benito Juárez International Airport, located in the eastern part of the city. There are frequent flights to and from most larger cities in the Americas, as well as Amsterdam, London, Paris, Madrid, Frankfurt and Tokyo. Some of the international airlines that operate regular flights to Mexico City include (as of April 2007): Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Avianca, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Copa, Cubana de Aviacion, Delta, Iberia, Japan Airlines, KLM, LAN, Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (recently grounded), 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 Hangares station.

Arrival

Prior to picking your luggage, you will go through Immigration, and then Customs. Make sure you fill in all forms prior to landing to make this an expedite process. There is a $300 Dollars 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. At the arrival hall, be prepared to see a lot of people. It is a custom for families to pick up their beloved 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.

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" and he'll 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 US 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. 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, is to take the Metro. The Terminal Aerea station is next to the Domestic flights terminal, to the left when coming out from the international arrivals hall. Realize that the Metro has its own risks - pickpocketing is a moderate danger so be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on your belongings.

Licenciado Adolfo López Mateos International Airport (IATA: TLC) (ICAO: MMTO)

Located in the City of Toluca 50 kilometers northwest of Mexico City. This airport recently transformed itself from a general aviation airport into the hub of several domestic low-cost carriers such as Interjet and Volaris which serve destinations as Monterrey, Cancún, Guadalajara, Tijuana and many other Mexican cities. As of April 2007, Toluca is served internationally by Continental Airlines from Houston. Reaching the Toluca airport is not easy since you will need to drive your own car or hire a Taxi that could result expensive. Volaris offers free airport shuttle from its Santa Fe office in Vasco de Quiroga Avenue, while Interjet offers shuttle from several hotels around the city, including the Santa Fe Sheraton hotel.

Depending on your overall trip, it might also be worth considering flying to nearby cities as Cuernavaca (CVJ) and Puebla (PBC), however reaching Mexico City from these places could result troublesome or expensive.