Mexico City · Mexico
MEX — Benito Juárez International Airport
Two terminals, one small train between them, and a second city airport that is not this one
Benito Juárez is the busiest airport in Mexico and the main connecting point for the country's domestic network. It sits unusually close to the centre of Mexico City, which is convenient on arrival and the reason the airport has no room to grow.
Two things decide whether a journey through here is easy. The first is which of the two terminals you are in, because they are separate buildings. The second is whether your booking says MEX at all, because Mexico City has a second commercial airport an hour and a half away and the fares often look similar.
Terminals and how they connect
Terminal 1
The older and larger of the two, and the busier. It handles most international carriers along with a large domestic operation, and its corridors are long enough that the walk from check-in to a far gate is a genuine consideration rather than a formality.
Terminal 2
Newer and more compact, built for the flag carrier and its alliance partners. If your itinerary is entirely within Terminal 2, connecting here is straightforward.
Moving between them
The Aerotrén is an automated train linking the two terminals, and it is restricted to passengers holding a boarding pass for a flight that day. Everyone else uses the inter-terminal bus, which runs on public roads and takes considerably longer. A terminal change is not a walk, and it should be budgeted as a separate leg of the journey.
Getting into Mexico City
Times below are realistic ranges rather than best cases. Rail journeys keep to a timetable; road journeys do not, and treating the two the same is how people miss flights.
Metro (Line 5, Terminal Aérea)
40–70 minutes to central districts
The cheapest option by a wide margin, with a station a short walk from Terminal 1. It is not designed for luggage — the turnstiles, stairs and crowding at peak times make it awkward with anything larger than a cabin bag — but for a light traveller heading to a station on the network it is quick and inexpensive.
Metrobús Line 4
45–70 minutes to the historic centre
A dedicated bus service that calls at both terminals and runs to the centre. It accepts luggage more gracefully than the Metro and requires a stored-value card rather than cash, which can be bought at the station.
Authorised airport taxi
30–90 minutes depending entirely on traffic
Buy from a booth inside the terminal rather than accepting an offer in the hall; the fare is fixed by zone and paid in advance, which removes the negotiation. Mexico City traffic is severe and the range here is wide for a reason — the same journey can double at peak times.
Ride-hailing
30–90 minutes
Available, with designated pickup areas that have moved more than once. It is usually cheaper than the fixed-fare taxi outside peak times and subject to the same traffic.
Connecting through MEX
Within a single terminal, an hour is workable on a domestic-to-domestic connection. Between terminals, treat the Aerotrén as adding at least forty-five minutes once you account for finding it, waiting and clearing security again on the far side. An international arrival connecting to a domestic flight involves immigration and customs, and on separate tickets you will also collect and re-check your bags — allow three hours for that combination rather than two.
Worth knowing before you fly
MEX and AIFA are different airports
Felipe Ángeles International, coded NLU, is roughly an hour and a half north of the city in normal traffic and considerably more at peak times. Several airlines use it and fares can look attractive, but arriving there when you expected MEX is an expensive mistake. Check the three-letter code, not the city name.
The altitude is real
Mexico City sits at around 2,240 metres. Most people notice it mildly for the first day as breathlessness on stairs. It is worth taking the first afternoon gently rather than scheduling something strenuous straight off a long flight.
Allow more time than the distance suggests
The airport is close to the centre, which tempts people into leaving late. Traffic in Mexico City does not reward that. Work backwards from the check-in cutoff with a generous allowance, particularly on a weekday afternoon.
Terminal assignments, transit timetables and fares all change. Confirm the details that matter to your trip with the airport or transport operator before you travel.
What the airline owes you on a departure from Mexico City
Art. 47 Bis, section VEvery band below is owed only where the cause is attributable to the airline. Weather and air traffic restrictions fall outside it, which is the single thing most claims turn on.
- Under 1 hour
- The statute obliges nothing yet.
- Over 1 hour, under 2 hours
- The airline's own compensation policy applies, as registered with PROFECO, with no statutory percentage floor.
- Over 2 hours, under 4 hours
- A discount of at least 7.5% of the ticket price, plus food, drink and access to calls or email.
- Over 4 hours, or cancelled
- Your choice: refund, the next available flight, or travel on a later date. Choose the refund or the later date and the airline owes indemnification of at least 25% of the ticket price on top, settled within 10 days.
If your flight through MEX is cancelled or badly delayed
Which rules reach a flight from here
MEX is outside the United States, so the US Department of Transportation rules we publish do not govern a departure from here on their own — they reach your itinerary when it touches the US. That is worth knowing here rather than academic: art. 47 Bis governs the departure itself, as set out above, and on a flight from here to the United States both regimes cover the same ticket at once. The Mexican indemnification and the DOT refund are separate claims, and the second one is the one travellers usually leave on the table.
Stated plainly because the alternative is worse: a page that quoted a § 259.5 commitment at somebody departing Mexico City would be inventing a right they do not have, and they would find that out at the desk.
Airlines based at MEX
Carriers based here, which usually means more non-stops and more daily frequencies to fall back on if something goes wrong.
Routes through MEX
Flying to Mexico City
Stuck on hold?
Talk to an independent agent instead
Airline phone queues and chatbots are where a rebooking stalls. Our agents work these routes daily and will look at what is actually available, walk through the letter you are about to send, and tell you what a desk agent will and will not do. We are not the airline and we do not file claims for you — the templates above are yours to send.
FAQ
MEX — common questions
Terminals, transfers and getting into the city.
How do I get between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at Mexico City airport?
The Aerotrén, an automated train, connects the two terminals and is available to passengers holding a boarding pass for that day. Without one, the inter-terminal bus runs on public roads and takes longer. Either way it is a separate journey rather than a walk, so allow around forty-five minutes for a terminal change.
Is MEX the same as AIFA?
No. MEX is Benito Juárez, close to the city centre. AIFA, coded NLU, is Felipe Ángeles, roughly ninety minutes north in normal traffic. They are separate airports with separate airlines, and a booking into the wrong one is difficult to fix on the day.
What is the cheapest way into Mexico City from the airport?
The Metro, from Terminal Aérea station on Line 5, is by far the cheapest. It is poorly suited to large luggage. Metrobús Line 4 costs a little more, calls at both terminals and copes better with bags. Both are dramatically cheaper than a taxi.
How early should I arrive at Mexico City airport?
Three hours for an international departure and two for a domestic one, and more if you are travelling at peak times or need to change terminals. The airport operates above its comfortable capacity and queues at check-in and security build quickly.
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