Mexico City Airport

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.