Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCEL/SCL)
Santiago, Chile
Santiago Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The SCL crew card
| Fastest into town | Red bus 555 covers the Intermodal Aeropuerto stop to Metro Pajaritos in about 30 min, 6 buses per hour, on the normal Red system fare paid with a bip! card |
|---|---|
| First / last run | Red bus 555 runs Monday to Friday 06:00 to 22:30, Saturday 06:30 to 22:30, Sunday and holidays 08:00 to 22:30. After that there is no Red bus to Metro Pajaritos at all |
| Payments | The bip! card pays on the buses, on the Metro, and on MetroTren Nos; buy and top up at Metro ticket offices, bip! Centers, and bip! Points, from CLP 1,000 up to a ceiling of CLP 25,500 |
| Emergency | 133 (Chile has no single all-services emergency number, so pick the number by service: 133 police, 131 ambulance, 132 fire) |
| Solo & at night | UK government travel advice for Chile: book and pay for an official taxi inside the airport before you exit the building, book ahead instead of hailing one off the street late at night, and stay in groups rather than walking alone late at night |
| Crew knows | Sort the way back before you leave the terminal. Centropuerto sells the round trip only at its airport counters: CLP 4,100 for the pair against CLP 2,400 each way bought separately, and the return half keeps working for 90 days from purchase, not just that evening |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · SCL crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Nov 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Getting from Santiago Airport into the City on Red bus 555, the Centropuerto coach, or an official taxi
No Metro line reaches the airport. Two Red Movilidad bus routes hand you off to the Metro network, a private operator runs its own coach straight into the city, and the official transfer and taxi desks sit inside the terminals.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red bus 555 to Metro Pajaritos | about 30 min | normal Red system fare, paid with a bip! card | Monday to Friday 06:00 to 22:30, Saturday 06:30 to 22:30, Sunday and holidays 08:00 to 22:30, with 8 stops per direction including ENEA and Metro Barrancas. You board at the Intermodal Aeropuerto Red Movilidad, and the free approach buses run by the concessionaire Nuevo Pudahuel cover the last stretch to the doors of the national and international terminals. |
| Red bus 444 to Intermodal La Cisterna | 6 buses per hour at peak, 5 at the evening peak | The far end of this one is the Estacion Intermodal La Cisterna, which connects directly with Metro lines 2 and 4A. Monday to Friday 05:30 to 22:30, Saturday from 06:00, Sunday from 06:30. The route measures 25.6 km outbound and 24.05 km on the way back. A free Nuevo Pudahuel approach bus drops you at the national and international terminals. | |
| Centropuerto airport bus | about 40 min in each direction | CLP 2,400 one way, CLP 4,100 round trip | City stops are Republica, Pajaritos, Terminal Sur, and Maipu. The airport platform sits at the bus station, the Centro de Transportes (CTR) between terminals 1 and 2. Buy online, or pay at the airport counters in cash or by bank card. Round trip tickets are sold only at those counters, and the return ticket stays valid 90 days from purchase. Luggage runs to 2 pieces per passenger. |
| Transvip transfer (shared, van, or private car) | fares are set by comuna and vary with the distance to the airport and the vehicle type | In the national terminal the counters sit at the exit of the arrivals hall before the screen barrier, and on the first floor near door 3. In the international terminal they sit at the customs exit on the left before the barrier, and near door 3 on the first floor. Three service types: shared transfer, exclusive van, and individual car. Book the shared service toward the airport at least 4 hours ahead. | |
| Official taxi from the airport desks | UK government travel advice for Chile is blunt here: only book and pay for official taxis from inside the airport before exiting the building, and book in advance rather than hail one from the street, especially late at night. No official fare table could be opened this session, so no price is stated here. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Santiago, from Providencia and Lastarria out to Barrio Italia
Providencia: Leafy and walkable, straight down Metro Line 1 from Pajaritos. The default first stop when the clock is tight.
Lastarria and Bellas Artes: Museum and cafe quarter beside Parque Forestal, small enough to cover entirely on foot.
Bellavista: Street art and terraces at the foot of Cerro San Cristobal. Busiest after dark.
Barrio Italia: Workshops, design shops, and patio restaurants, spread across a slower residential grid.
Las Condes and El Golf: Glass towers and business hotels, the quiet end of the Line 1 corridor.
What to Do on a Layover in Santiago, and whether five hours is enough to leave Arturo Merino Benitez
Under 5 hours: Stay at the airport. Town costs you a free approach bus, then a Red bus, then a Metro leg, and that stack eats a short window before you have seen anything of Santiago.
5 to 9 hours: One neighborhood, not three. Take bus 555 to Metro Pajaritos, ride Line 1 east, and Providencia or Lastarria is yours with the return buffer still intact.
9 hours plus: Now a real Santiago day works. The center on foot, Bellavista or Barrio Italia when the light goes, and the Andes sitting on the skyline whenever the air is clear. One thing shapes the evening: Red bus 555 finishes at 22:30.
Crew Tips for Santiago and Arturo Merino Benitez Airport: the bip! card, the fare bands, and the 22:30 finish
Public transport payments: One card covers the lot. The bip! card is the payment method on the buses, on the Metro, and on MetroTren Nos, and you buy it and top it up at Metro and MetroTren Nos ticket offices, at bip! Centers, and at bip! Points, all marked with the card logo. Top-ups run from CLP 1,000 to a maximum of CLP 25,500. One trap: a top-up bought through red.cl, tarjetabip.cl, metro.cl, or the Red app does nothing until you validate it at a totem.
Buying a bip! card at the airport: You can buy the card before you leave the airport. Red put vending machines on the airport side: 2 at the Intermodal station, 1 in the national terminal, and 2 in the international terminal. That matters, because the Red airport buses are paid with the bip! card, the official payment method of the Red system.
Fare bands and the 2 hour transfer window: Metro and MetroTren Nos fares move with the clock. CLP 735 in the low band (06:00 to 06:59 and 20:45 to 23:00), CLP 815 off-peak (weekdays 09:00 to 17:59 and 20:00 to 20:44, and on Saturday, on Sunday, and on holidays), CLP 895 at peak (07:00 to 08:59 and 18:00 to 19:59). Buses ignore the clock and charge CLP 795 at all hours. Fares are integrated as well, so one payment carries you through up to two transfers within a 2 hour window, whether the leg is a bus, the Metro, or MetroTren Nos.
Last trains and last airport buses: Metro runs 06:00 to 23:00 Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 23:00 on Saturday, and 07:30 to 23:00 on Sunday and holidays, and walking into a station at 23:00 still gets you the last train out of it. The earlier number is the one that bites. Red bus 555 finishes at 22:30, so plan the run back around the bus, not around the Metro.
Safety: UK government travel advice for Chile does not soften this one. Pickpocketing and mugging are very common throughout the country, thefts from vehicles as well, and that includes inside the airports, the hotels, and the bus stations. Muggings happen frequently in Santiago. The trick the advice describes is old and it still works: one person distracts the victim while a second takes a bag from a chair or from under the table. The same page says to only book and pay for official taxis from inside the airport before exiting the building, to book rather than hail late at night, and to keep in groups instead of walking alone late at night.
Connectivity and handsets bought abroad: Chile registers the handset, not only the SIM. Subtel states that devices bought abroad by individuals have to be registered through a certifying company authorized by Subtel, via multibanda.cl, and that an unregistered device is blocked from the mobile networks after 30 days. A layover sits well inside that window. A phone you keep on a Chilean SIM through a longer stay does not.
Emergency Numbers for Santiago and Chile, because no single number covers everything
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| Carabineros de Chile, police emergency | 133 |
| Ambulance and urgent medical care (SAMU) | 131 |
| Fire brigade, accidents or fires (Bomberos) | 132 |
| Policia de Investigaciones de Chile (PDI) | 134 |
| Mountain rescue (Cuerpo de Socorro Andino) | 136 |
| Maritime search and rescue | 137 |
| Air search and rescue | 138 |
| Police information line | 139 |
| Chile country code (calling from abroad) | +56 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Santiago airport to the city center?
Three practical ways. Red bus 555 reaches Metro Pajaritos in about 30 minutes, 6 buses per hour, at the normal Red system fare paid with a bip! card. Red bus 444 ends at the Estacion Intermodal La Cisterna instead, with a direct connection to Metro lines 2 and 4A. Or skip the transfer entirely: the Centropuerto airport bus goes straight to Republica, Pajaritos, Terminal Sur, and Maipu in about 40 minutes for CLP 2,400 one way.
How much is the bus from Santiago airport into the city?
Red bus 555 charges the normal Red system fare, which the Red fare table puts at CLP 795 for buses at all hours, paid with a bip! card. Centropuerto costs more and saves you the transfer: CLP 2,400 one way, CLP 4,100 round trip, sold in that round trip form only at the airport counters, with the return leg valid 90 days.
Does the Metro go to Santiago airport?
No. The Metro network stops short of the airport. Red bus 555 bridges the gap to Metro Pajaritos on Line 1 in about 30 minutes, and Red bus 444 does the same job toward the Estacion Intermodal La Cisterna, which connects directly with Metro lines 2 and 4A.
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