|
|
|
Mexico City Airport Passenger Reviews and Mexico City Airport Traveller Reports
|
|
|
|
|
|
MEXICO CITY AIRPORT customer review : 5 December 2012 by Alfonso Gumucio (Mexico) |
|
Rating : 2/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities | |
Recommended |  |
|
Terminal 1 of Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) in Mexico City remains among the worst in the Latin
American region. Bureaucracy and bad organisation are the standard. For frequent travelers like me, who uses
the airport between 2 and 4 times every month, arriving is a real nightmare. If you arrive from Europe
(normally in late afternoon or evening) you will always, systematically, spend at least one hour, if not more,
to go through migration, because they only have very few officers at that time of the day - one per flight,
which means you may find yourself among other 500 or 600 people waiting to be taken care of. Even if you
are in international transit, you have to go through migration, pick up your luggage, go through customs, and
then check-in again for your next flight. This makes this airport a real nightmare.
|
|
MEXICO CITY AIRPORT customer review : 6 December 2011 by Alfonso Gumucio (Mexico) |
|
Rating : 2/10 | |
Queuing | |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities | |
Recommended | |
|
Arriving to México is a real nightmare, very long distances walking to get to immigration, and then hundreds
of people waiting because there are only 5 or 6 agents. And you have to go through this even if you are in
transit since they do not have a system by which transit passengers go straight to the international area.
And then, after 40 or 60 mins of immigration procedures, you still have to wait for the luggage and another
long line to get out. A horrible experience that I have to endure two or three times every month.
|
Mexico City Airport customer review : 26 June 2011 by A O'Brien (Ireland)
|
Customer Rating : 4/5 |
 |
 | Queuing |
 | Cleanliness |
| Facilities |
Recently travelled through both terminals on my way from Paris-Puerto Vallarta. Mex is really a
story of two different airports. As others have said T2 is great; ultra modern with plenty of
space, shops, natural light and aircon that's at the right temperature. T1 on the other hand is
dark, showing its age and the air con barely works. It took nearly 40 min to clear
immigration on
arrival, but with the amount of flights arriving from Europe most evenings this is to be expected.
Security at both terminals was very fast. The most frustrating thing is having to clear customs in
Mexico City and then haul my luggage over to T2. Signage for the Sky train is useless in T1,
in fact
signage overall is poor in T1. I kind of knew where I was going but still a few more signs for the sky
train would be helpful. Staff in both terminals are friendly although it helps when you speak some
Spanish.
Mexico City Airport customer review : 24 June 2011 by V Martinez (USA)
|
Customer Rating : 5/5 |
 |
| Queuing |
| Cleanliness |
| Facilities |
Have used both terminal 1 and terminal 2 and both are great with very efficient
operations. Terminal 2 which is the newest terminal is bright, clean, and
ultramodern. The airport manages to operate efficiently despite the very large
number of passengers and operations which seem to have the airport operating at
full capacity. The signage in terminal 2 is very clear however terminal 1 has
some issues with the signage. The selection of eating establishments is great
ranging from traditional Mexican food to Japanese food. Arrived in the morning
at peak hours when the flights from the united states were arriving and moved
through immigration and customs in no more than 10 minutes. Overall a great
airport and perhaps the best in the Americas.
Mexico City Airport customer review : 5 May 2011 by N Taylor (Mexico)
|
Customer Rating : 1/5 |
 |
 | Queuing |
| Cleanliness |
| Facilities |
I wouldn't normally write a review like this but after waiting almost two hours (standing up)
for my in-laws a few days ago, I wanted to share my renewed unhappiness with this airport. We
would have been able to escape to the American Express lounge but unfortunately my hubby had
forgotten his card. I am British but I live in Mexico City thus I have no choice but to grit my
teeth and face this horrendous airport several times per year. I therefore also mainly travel
through Terminal One. Terminal Two is a bit more pleasant in that it is newer, but my review
refers to T1. Departing from Mexico City is much better than arriving, however it still leaves
much to be desired. Taxis are good and inexpensive (make sure you pre-book to get a secure
white/red taxi and never hail the green/white taxis or the red/gold taxis. The special sirport
taxis are white and yellow and are also safe) and the airport is located in fairly close
proximity to the city centre so in theory it should be fairly quck to arrive there. However,
with traffic in Mexico City it can take much, much longer than expected so be aware of this to
avoid missing flights. If you make your own way there by car, strangely for a major airport it
is not signposted until you are practically there so you need to be fairly sure of where you
are going before you attempt this. It is also located in a fairly off putting and run down part
of town so it is not the kind of place you want to get lost in. This also goes for leaving the
airport. Parking can be difficult at peak times. Inside the airport - during the summer months
the heat can be awful, I am not sure if there is air conditioning or if it just doesn't
function when needed. It can be tricky to get to where you want to go as Departures and
Arrivals are very poorly signposted and the lay out is confusing. So far, when I have checked
in here I haven't had to wait too long as I always make a point of checking in online and
getting there early and using the bag drop when I fly British Airways, however we did face a
bit of a queue flying with Iberia. I have not experienced too many going through security
either so they have obviously organised outgoing flights a bit better than the incoming
flights. Passing security, facilities are fairly average. As other reviewers have said, the
terminal is fairly shabby and could do with a renovation, but at the end of the day that would
probably cause utter chaos. Some of the gates have absolutely no seating areas whatsoever so you
basically just have to stand until you are able to board which can take a long time.
Arriving in Mexico City - a completely different story and the main reason for the very low
scores. Do not expect anything to happen quickly as several large European flights all arrive
at almost exactly the same time every day (approx 7pm). Strangely, after disembarking the
plane, arriving passengers are ushered through the arrivals lounge and all is a bit confusing.
The queues at passport control are generally frightful and can take over an hour, both in the
line for nationals and non-nationals (after receiving conflicting information about which I
should use as a holder of a Mexican Resident's Visa I have used both). Baggage claim is equally
horrendous with several flights worth of baggage arriving on one carrousel whilst many others
remain empty. Again, there is limited airconditioning so it can be especially unpleasant in the
warm summer months. After finally picking up your bags you then have to queue again to have all
your luggage scanned (don't expect any help with this - I was travelling alone literally moving
my life from London to Mexico City and had a significant amount of luggage as a result, three
members of staff simply watched while I struggled to load the cases onto the belt - same story
when I took them out and put them back on the trolley) and they never open up all the scanners
so again, this can take a long time. After scanning your bags, you then have to hit a button -
green means go but if it comes up red you have to have your luggage inspected by an officer.
This is also worth remembering when picking someone up, do not rush to get there when the
flight lands as it is a waste of time as they can take another two hours on top of that.
Queues for taxis can be long, especially if you need a larger vehicle, and once in your
car/taxi there is still Mexican rush hour traffic to contend with, through a not-so-nice part
of town.
Mexico City Airport customer review : 19 January 2011 by S DePenning (USA)
|
Customer Rating : 3/5 |
 |
| Queuing |
| Cleanliness |
| Facilities |
I have flown in or out of MEX a few times and would describe the airport as neither being
particularly good nor bad. It is a fairly large facility with a fair number of restaurants and
stores available to its passengers, and the terminal is acceptably clean. One of the best
parts of MEX is the availability at the airport terminal of bus transportation to other
cities. I often took the Pullman de Morelos bus between the Mexico City airport and Cuernavaca
and found the service to be superb.
Mexico City Airport customer review : 27 November 2010 by B Lakin (UK)
|
Customer Rating : 2/5 |
 |
| Queuing |
| Cleanliness |
| Facilities |
Not sure I understand the generally positive reviews - although Terminal 2 is bright, clean
and modern. Terminal 1 on the other hand is old, shabby, dirty; the signage is dreadful; the
restaurants mediocre and queues far from short. When you pass through duty free on the way to
the departure gate expect to be continuously asked by sales assistants to buy items.
Mexico City Airport customer review : 9 April 2010 by Jonathan Kelly (UK)
|
Customer Rating : 4/5 |
|
| Queuing |
| Cleanliness |
| Facilities |
Used Terminal 1 for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international. Both were clean and
efficient. Proximity to city centre is a real bonus and pleasantly surprised by how cheap
airport taxis were. Only slight drawback is the lack of decent catering airside in Terminal 2.
Impressed overall though.
Mexico City Airport customer review : 30 March 2010 by O Alcantara (Mexico)
|
Customer Rating : 4/5 |
|
| Queuing |
| Cleanliness |
| Facilities |
I have used both terminals and the best is the Terminal 2 because of it's new design and that
only 25% of the tourist arriving at this airport are there. Terminal 1 is not bad, just old
and sometimes busy. It really depends in which airline you are flying to see how long it will
take you to do the check in. If you are flying Air France in economy it will take you about an
hour, but in others like in Lufthansa it just take you 20 minutes or less. There are several
restaurants, not very good, the best you can get in Terminal 1 is Casa Avila, in Terminal 2
they are all almost the same. There are also many vip lounges. In terminal 1 you can find
American Airlines and Mexicana lounges for OneWorld passengers Air France and Aeromexico for
Sky team, and United for Star Alliance. Passengers flying with a Star Alliance airline can
also enter the AA and Mexicana lounges.
MEXICO CITY AIRPORT review : 18 March 2010 by Hans Grob (Switzerland)
|
Customer Rating : 5/5 |
|
| Queuing |
| Cleanliness |
| Facilities |
Used both terminals, for international and national flights. This is by far the most
efficient airport I ever passed. Due to the generous infrastructure and relatively small
number of passengers, there was no waiting time wherever (except 5 minutes when checking in
for a Delta flight), and no queues, and that is what passengers want most. In the departure
lounge, the lighting was even such varied that one can find a place for reading or relaxed
waiting. For curiosity, I checked how to get to the entrance to the airtrain, but did not find
it although there are signs indicating where it should be.
MEXICO CITY AIRPORT review : 4 December 2009 by E Mabley (USA)
|
Customer Rating : 4/5 |
|
| Queuing |
| Cleanliness |
| Facilities |
Arrival on Aeromexico from LAX at the new Terminal 2, home to Aeromexico and SkyTeam partners.
T2 is clean, spacious and efficient, with good dining and business facilities and wi-fi
service, but its remoteness makes for an inconvenient transfer to Terminal 1 to catch the
Metro or a quick taxi into town. T2 is underserved by taxicabs and the queue is always long.
It's often quicker to take the Aerotren to T1 and get a cab from there. The
customs/immigration staff are professional, courteous and speak excellent English. In sum, T2
is an improvement over T1 in terms of space and facilities, but connectivity to ground
transport needs to be improved.
MEXICO CITY AIRPORT review : 24 April 2009 : by T Hultsman
|
Customer Rating : 4/5 | |
Mexico City Airport is nice and functional-- not nearly as horrifying as, say, Miami Airport.
The new T2 provides some architectural distinction to the main terminal, including more open
spaces and extensive glass, but the textures and materials used are pretty much the same as
found at T1. I am convinced now having seen the new terminal that the Mexican airport
authority will not be finished until they have enough "salas" or waiting areas to be able to
use every letter A-Z for naming; I only hope that this system of assigning gates at the last
minute provides at least some operational efficiency on the ramp or elsewhere. The entry
roadway into T2 is pretty nice, especially lit up at night, but the large scale/volume of some
of the hallways in the terminal, especially near the exits on the arrival level, give the
terminal an eerie, empty feel. the worst part about T2 is that it appears that the taxi
drivers lobby has exerted some pressure, and it is impossible to get from T2 to T1 or vice-
versa with larger or multiple bags without paying $8-10 for a taxi, one-way. This is
completely unacceptable, this airport needs to complement the airtrain with a full-scale bus
shuttle system to get people where they need to go quickly and safely, even if they have a few
bags.
MEXICO CITY AIRPORT review : 28
February 2009 : by Peter Wells
|
Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
I arrived by metro for a Continental flight to Newark. I walked all the way through the
terminal following the 'International Departures' signs. On arriving at the two check in rooms
I searched for the Continental Check in desks. Not finding them I asked an official in the
current room where the desks were. He said 'the other room'. I rechecked the other room with
no success and asked another official the same question. I got the same response 'the other
room'. I went for a third opinion and the response was 'I don't know'. At this point I
thought an information desk would know but I didn't recall seeing one anywhere. Hence I asked
a fourth official who said it was in the other terminal and I needed to get the skytrain
there. I did not know that there was a second terminal. I remember seeing signs to the
skytrain but no indication as to where it went. It took me over 30 minutes from leaving the
metro to arriving at Continental checkin ! You have been warned.
MEXICO CITY AIRPORT review : 13 January 2009 : by Byron Scott
|
Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
Arrived Terminal 2 from ORD. Passport control and customs was fast in bright airy space,
although people with connecting flights didn't seem to know if they had to pick up their bags
or not. Main arrival terminal spacious, but rather dark and gloomy and already seeming a bit
run down and tatty, although fairly new. Easy to get tourist info and cash and ticket for
taxi. Departure from Terminal 1 on 1/5. Beware - it is a very long walk from the Metro
station to the international check in, and there are no moving sidewalks, signage also poor.
Signs said "International Flights" but did not indicate if that was for check in or arrivals.
Check in is on the upper level. After security, there are only 3 places to sit down and eat.
There is a pharmacy and lots of duty free. Prices in the airport are much higher than in the
city, and the terminal is not well air conditioned.
MEXICO CITY AIRPORT review : 6 November 2008 : by R Bosse
|
Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
If taking a taxi at the airport, take the white not the red; the white will cost about ten dollars;
the red about 20 to Polanco or zona rosa. Both are totally safe - you have to pay for the white, as
soon as you leave customs.
Mexico City Airport review by A Johnson
22 May 2008 Customer Rating : 
Some parts of this airport are bright and modern while other parts are cramped and dingy. Landside
of Terminal 1 is a long, two-story corridor with money exchange desks, car rental agencies, and
shops. Check-in desks for domestic flights are located in small alcoves along the ground floor of
the corridor, which can be hard to find if you don't know what you're looking for. International
check-in is on upper floor. There are some high-end boutiques airside along with the usual duty-free
stores. On departure to USA, there was a manual inspection of hand luggage at the gate to ensure
compliance with liquids rules. On arrival, there was a 15 min wait for passport control at 9PM.
After you claim luggage, you must send it through an x-ray, then press a button which displays
either a red light (manual inspection) or green light (free to leave). Unlike most airports, money
change rates are competitive -- poke around to find the best deals. Airport is served by the metro,
but the entrance is hard to find (walk to south end of terminal, then down sidewalk along access
road.)
Mexico City Airport review by H Dang
10 March 2008 Customer Rating : 
Arrived in the new domestics Terminal used by Skyteam airlines enroute Puerto Vallarta to Leon/BJX.
Modern and clean and security quite efficient. Workers spoke some English which was great for our
very little Spanish. Interesting shops. The downside is that though the terminal is modern and
airy, it almost has a cold feeling to it. I guess this is common at Mexico City Airport, you don't
know the gate until 15 minutes before boarding, we had to keep asking Aeromexico staff where our
gate was. You must watch your bags diligently as when I was occupied with my iPod, a man walked up
to our carry-on and then walked away when I looked up. This happened twice.
Mexico City Airport review by R Yevcak
19 January 2007 Customer Rating : n/a
Unfortunately this airport is always at maximum capacity, and even with the additional terminal for
international flights [only serviced by SkyTeam members, though] it will not be enough. Much
modification has been made, though, and the airport is state-of -the art. Plasma screens await you
at check in, and different halls allow easier check in, and make the process quieter, and faster.
All the new duty free shop's are amazing, along with all of the restaurants. I wish American
airports had those choices. Unfortunately immigration is pretty bad in the evening, and during peak
travel times. Try to avoid 6-8pm, or early morning as this is when flocks of large flights from
Europe, South America, and North America arrive. Even with the 3 different immigration stations,
over 2000 people were in line with me at one time. Surprisingly I only waited an hour.
Mexico City Airport review by Henry Lew
7 November 2006
Two warnings: Your boarding pass may list a gate or puerta, but puerta
may refer to the entry area for security check. The exit doors to the
street also have puerta numbers. Your actual boarding gate must be found
on departure screens which only show the next hour or two. After passing
thru security, travellers have been pickpocketed in the waiting lounges.
Mexico City Airport review by Joel Chusid
12 April 2006
This airport had an amazing array of restaurants, stores, banks, and
other services. Four Starbucks, a Gloria Estefan Cuban restaurant, every
fast food chain you can imagine, and some unique stores like the Museum
of Anthropology and the government map store. The queues were short, and
things were well organized. Even taking a taxi was easy. The major
negative was the elongated design, which resulted in a lot of walking,
but you could chalk that up as a positive if you want to get some
exercise!
Mexico City
Airport by Alexander Williams
29
June 2005
Mexico City's Airport is way better than what I expected, since I had never been there before.
The new migration areas (M2, and M3), are really effective, specially when arriving in a Sky Team
member airline (special area). The airport is clean, but it should have some internal transportation
system, because when arriving at concourse A, to catch an international flight for example, you'll have
to walk miles before getting there. I've seen the "Terminal dos" project and it seems to be really nice,
and hopefully effective, because traffic is increasing day by day. I imagined some airport as Bogota's
or Sao Paulo's, but Mexico City International Airport has a much better infrastructure.
Mexico City
Airport by Jose Baldarra
21
March 2005
Mexico City is a huge massive international airport, and it has been under major construction,
actually, some new areas as the new concourses F1 and F2 have been inagurated, and a new
international baggage claim and migration area is taking place near the concourse G, (gates G29-36).
Even tough, its still not enough, you'll always find looong queues and meanwhile the monorail stars
operations, you'll have to keep walking hours and hours to find your boarding gate, or the baggage
claim areas. MEX's terminal 2 is quite nice, very clean, and small, its a shame that its only used
by Aeromar. By late 2005, MEX will almost cover the demand it generates, terminal 1 will be totally
expanded, terminal 2 will be demolished, and a new one will be built instead, and terminal 3 will be
a small (10 gate) terminal, with service of Aeromar, AeroLitoral (AeroMexico Express), the new
Mexicana Click, and some others.
|
|
|
If you experience any problems submitting comments on the above link, please use our general
Feedback Page |
|
|
|
