Transiting Mexico City International Airport

For many, having positioning flights can be scary enough. Add in international repositioning, and that could add to your nerves. However, repositioning is completely normal and should be a tool you always have in your traveler's toolbelt. Mexico city can be a popular location to reposition to for multiple locations including Central and South America, other Mexico locations, and even Europe. Many might know that transiting through Mexico City International Airport has brought me previous adventures. I thought I would share my recent positioning trip which included two different airlines, in two different terminals, on the same day.

What is a Positioning Flight

We've covered it here extensively with tips. The short version is that a positioning flight is when you book two separate flights to get to a destination. This is usually done if you can't find availability from your home airport or booking one itinerary creates issues for you with timing or price. Finally, I almost always travel exclusively with a carry-on, which avoids any waits for bags and having to recheck bags. Also, at some airports you can transit without exiting. Your experience there will depend on the airport's set up though.

What I Booked

I was returning from Guatemala recently and needed to get to Cabo San Lucas. As you probably know by now, one of my favorite resorts is there. My procrastination on booking this trip led to this unique itinerary and combinations of airlines. When I travel to this region, I often take advantage of the American Express Business Platinum 35% rebate. While portals can be risky, I do use Amex Travel once or twice a year. I can often find $500 Aeromexico business class seats. This means I usually get business class all the way through for around 32,000 Membership Rewards points after the rebate, which is an amazing deal. However, I was stuck with what I could get since both flights were booked just days out.

Flight 1

First off, I stuck with AeroMexico for the first leg since prices through to Cabo San Lucas (SJD) had jumped. I booked it with my Capital One Venture X Business, which allows me to erase the purchase at 1 cent per point if i desired. This isn't a great use redemption wise, but if you have a large stash of Capital One points, like I do, it can help budget wise. My flight left Guatemala (GUA) and arrived in Mexico City (MEX) at 10:00 AM.

Flight 2

Next I looked at low cost carriers. I have used these now multiple times, especially for inter-Mexico travel. I have transited here as well as other Mexico airports like Puerto Vallarta before in this manner. It feels a little bit different here though, since Mexico City airport is much larger. Furthermore, my research showed that this would also require switching terminals. In order to give myself time, I went with Viva Aerobus which departed at 2:10PM. This gave me well over a three hour leeway.

Due to cost, and the fact that I had some yearly travel credit left to burn, I again went with my Capital One Venture X Business card. Because I was booking through a travel portal I added some protection for myself with the booking. First, with low-cost carriers, I always book the option with the bags included for carry on and usually priority boarding. Secondly, for this one I added the ability to cancel and change at any time or get a refund. This allowed me to have a back up in case something went wrong with flight one. As a final option, I made sure I had other flights ready on a list to look up and book quickly. While low cost flights may not be the most glamorous, and this one left me a bit grumpy after a packed, hot flight (as pictured above), I made it and it was “free”!

Transiting Mexico City International Airport: The Transit

After clearing the immigration booth in terminal two, you have two options at Mexico City International Airport. To either go through the transit section for terminal two, or to exit the area. To get to terminal one you will be directed to exit into the main terminal.

A quick trip upstairs and then look for the signs directing you to the Air Train (Aerotren). It is what feels like a never ending walk at first but before you know it you will make a turn and be at the train waiting area.

The trains are nice and will whisk you along the exterior of the airport and over to Terminal one.

After a walk into the terminal you will find where you need to go through security again. I found all of this to be easy to navigate and the entire process took about 20 minutes.

Transiting Mexico City International Airport: ToP Thoughts

Transiting airports can add stress, especially with repositioning. However, with some quick research and my history here, I felt I could accomplish this easily. Hopefully this helps you not only feel comfortable transiting Mexico City International Airport, but also at other airports during your travels.

Have you transited through Mexico City International airport before? Come over to our Facebook group and share your experience,