Mexico City Benito Juárez International Airport (MMMX/MEX)
Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico City Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
Crew car rental deal ↓Hotel deals ↓
The MEX crew card
| Fastest into town | Metrobus, straight toward the city centre from Terminal 1 door 7 or Terminal 2 door 2. Monday to Saturday 04:30 to 24:00, Sundays and holidays from 05:00 |
|---|---|
| First / last run | The Metrobus stops for the night. Last service at midnight, first one back at 04:30 Monday to Saturday and 05:00 Sundays and holidays. In between, book one of the airport’s authorized taxi companies instead |
| Payments | Cash gets you nowhere at the airport Metrobus stops. Buy or top up the Metrobus smart card at the vending and recharge machines in the boarding areas |
| Tap water | Boiled or bottled only, and skip the ice in drinks |
| Emergency | 911 (911 is Mexico’s single emergency number for medical, security, and civil protection emergencies, including fire and police, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at federal, state, and municipal level.) · non-emergency 5658 1111 |
| Solo & at night | Officially marked taxis only, and never one hailed on the street. Government-authorized Mexico City taxi plates start with ‘A’ or ‘B’. With rideshare, confirm the driver’s identity and licence plate before you get in |
| Crew knows | The Aerotren between terminals is free, and the airport’s own eligibility list names technical and cabin crew. So the MXN 16.00 interterminal bus is a public fare, not a crew fare. One catch: the Aerotren runs 05:00 to 01:00 only |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · MEX crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Nov 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Getting from Mexico City Airport to the City: Metrobus, Metro, or taxi?
Metrobus and the Metro both touch the Terminal 1 side of the airport. Authorized taxis serve both terminals, and long-distance coaches leave the airport around the clock. The gap is price: city transit fares could not be verified from an official source this session, so keep small pesos or a topped-up card handy.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metrobus (airport service) | Stops at Terminal 1 door 7 and Terminal 2 door 2, and connects the airport with the city centre 365 days a year. Hours are Monday to Saturday 04:30 to 24:00 and Sundays and holidays 05:00 to 24:00. The stops are cashless, so the Metrobus smart card comes first: the vending and recharge machines sit in the boarding areas. | ||
| Metro | Terminal Aerea station sits at Terminal 1, on Boulevard Puerto Aereo at the corner of Av. Capitan Carlos Leon Gonzalez, with service toward downtown, tourist areas, and the wider metropolitan area. What the airport does not name: the line number, the fare, or the operating hours. The Metro operator’s site was unreachable this session too, so confirm the fare and the closing time locally before you rely on it for the return run. | ||
| Authorized taxi | Book from the airport’s own roster of authorized taxi companies: Sitio 300, Nueva Imagen, Confort Unlimited, Casadey, Porto Taxi, Prho Taxi, T&M, PSTA, Aerotaxi, Yellow Cab, and TaxiRide. Nobody else. Irish government advice comes at it from the same side: at airports use only authorised prepaid airport taxi services, and the official taxi company booths sit in the arrivals hall. Book at a booth, never with a driver who approaches you. The airport publishes no fare table, so the price cannot be verified here. | ||
| Long-distance coaches | Direct coaches leave for Puebla, Cuernavaca, Toluca, Queretaro, Pachuca, Cordoba, San Juan del Rio, and Orizaba, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In Terminal 1 the departure point is the international area between doors 7 and 8, first level, hall F. In Terminal 2 it sits beside the terminal building, reached from hall D door 4 or next to domestic arrivals. Ticket windows and waiting areas at both. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Mexico City
Centro Historico: The Zocalo, the cathedral, and colonial facades street after street. Densest sightseeing per hour in the city.
Roma and Condesa: Leafy twin neighborhoods, wall to wall with cafes and taquerias and proper restaurants. The default food-and-stroll choice on a first visit.
Polanco: Upscale hotel and shopping district beside Chapultepec Park. Calm and walkable, and it holds a lot of the crew layover hotels.
Reforma and Zona Rosa: The hotel corridor along Paseo de la Reforma. Look for the Angel of Independence; that is the landmark.
Coyoacan: Cobbled plazas and markets in the city’s colonial south. It is farther out, so save it for the longer layovers.
What to Do on a Layover in Mexico City, by the hours you have
Under 5 hours: Stay airside. The traffic here does what it wants and security lines vary through the day, so protect the buffer rather than gamble on a quick run downtown.
5 to 9 hours: One loop, no more. Ride in, then either walk the Centro Historico around the Zocalo or settle into Roma-Condesa for a long meal. Start the return earlier than feels necessary.
9 hours plus: Now a real visit fits: Chapultepec Park and Polanco, or the Centro Historico with dinner in Roma-Condesa. The altitude still takes its cut, so pace the day and leave time to sleep before report.
Crew Tips for Mexico City
Taxis, airport and city: At the airport, use only the authorised pre-paid airport taxi services. In town it is the better regulated ‘sitio’ taxis from authorised ranks, or let the hotel order one for you. Never hail on the street. Government-authorized Mexico City taxi plates start with ‘A’ or ‘B’.
Metrobus card: The airport Metrobus stops take no cash. The smart card is sold and recharged at machines in the boarding areas, so pick one up before you need it. UK government advice adds that theft on buses is common, so keep your belongings close on the ride in.
Luggage storage: Terminal 2 has luggage storage open 24 hours, Monday to Sunday: locals ALL45 and ALL46 on the ground floor, run by Viajes Kokai. Terminal 1 is murkier. Mexicana de Lockers sits at local E-41, also on the ground floor, but the airport lists its hours only as ’24:00 HRS’, which is not the same as saying round the clock. No locker prices are published either, so ask for the hours and the rate at the counter.
Altitude: Mexico City sits 2,240 m above sea level, and high-altitude illness can be life-threatening. On a short layover that mostly means pacing yourself. Walk slower than you do at home, keep drinking water, and expect stairs and any run for a gate to cost more than they should.
Earthquakes: The city sits in an active seismic zone. UK government advice notes that the 911 CDMX app for iOS and Android can warn you 60 seconds before earthquake movement starts. Two catches: the app is accessible only by local phone numbers, so a roaming crew phone may not be able to use it, and it cannot warn about all types of earthquake.
Between terminals: The Aerotren interterminal train is free, and the airport’s eligibility list names technical crew (pilots) and cabin crew (flight attendants) right alongside connecting passengers holding a reservation code, ticket, or boarding pass. Terminal 1 door 6, Terminal 2 door 4, 05:00 to 01:00, 365 days a year. The general public gets the paid interterminal bus between the terminals instead, MXN 16.00 per person one way, handed to the driver. The airport publishes no operating hours for that bus.
Emergency Numbers for Mexico City and Mexico
👉 Swipe sideways if the numbers do not fit
| Emergency (medical, security, fire, civil protection) | 911 |
| Mexico City Tourist Police, tourist assistance and not the emergency line | +52 55 5207 4155 |
| Locatel, Mexico City public telephone service, information and non-emergency, English-speaking staff available (local dialing as published) | 5658 1111 |
| Mexico country code (calling from abroad) | +52 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do you get from Mexico City airport to the city center?
Three ways. The Metrobus goes from Terminal 1 door 7 or Terminal 2 door 2, Monday to Saturday 04:30 to 24:00 and Sundays and holidays from 05:00, cashless with the Metrobus smart card. The Metro goes from Terminal Aerea station on the Terminal 1 side. Or take an authorized taxi, booked with one of the companies on the airport’s own roster.
Is there a Metro station at Mexico City airport?
Yes, at Terminal 1. Terminal Aerea station sits on Boulevard Puerto Aereo at the corner of Av. Capitan Carlos Leon Gonzalez, with service toward downtown and the metropolitan area. It serves the Terminal 1 side only. From Terminal 2, the closer public transport is the Metrobus stop at door 2.
What time does the Metrobus run at Mexico City airport?
Monday to Saturday 04:30 to 24:00, Sundays and holidays 05:00 to 24:00, every day of the year. The airport stops are cashless, so buy or top up the Metrobus smart card at the machines in the boarding areas first.
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Crew Discounts in Mexico City: the verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff sit just below this guide.
