Salt Lake City Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The SLC crew card
| Fastest into town | TRAX Green Line from the station on the ground level outside the terminal, east side: 18 minutes to Temple Square and 20 minutes to City Center on the published timetable, for a one way fare of USD 2.50 |
|---|---|
| First and last train | Leaving the airport, the first train is 5:24 am and the last is 11:24 pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and 6:07 am and 11:07 pm on Sundays. Coming back, the last train from City Center toward the airport leaves at 10:57 pm on weekdays and Saturdays and at 10:30 pm on Sundays |
| Payments | One way local fare is USD 2.50 and a day pass is USD 5.00. UTA lists four ways to pay: cash, a ticket vending machine on the station platform, a FAREPAY card, and the Transit app. Buy or tap before you board |
| Tap water | Safe to drink |
| Emergency | 911 (Salt Lake City and State of Utah numbers) · non-emergency 801-799-3000 |
| Solo & at night | Yellow Cab is the airport’s only on demand taxi provider and serves airport customers 24/7. Rideshare pickup is curbside on the ground level, in the B-Lane areas marked by signs |
| Crew knows | One USD 2.50 fare covers travel in any direction for 2 hours, the return trip included, so the USD 5.00 day pass only pays from a third ride. Sunday runs its own railway: trains every 30 minutes instead of every 15, and the last one from City Center toward the airport goes at 10:30 pm, not 10:57 pm. |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · SLC crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Nov 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
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Getting from SLC Airport into downtown Salt Lake City: the Green Line, a taxi, or a rental car?
One rail line does the work. The TRAX Green Line starts at the terminal and runs straight through downtown, and the airport publishes the fare on its own page. Everything else is road: taxi on a meter, rideshare at the curb, or a rental car out of the Gateway Center.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train (TRAX Green Line, Route 704) | 18 minutes to Temple Square and 20 minutes to City Center; 21 to 22 minutes on the way back to the airport every 15 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays, every 30 minutes on Sundays |
USD 2.50 one way, USD 5.00 for a day pass | The station is on the ground level outside the terminal on the east side: exit door 1A and go east. The airport operator prints the USD 2.50 fare on its own public transportation page. Times are read off the operator’s timetable printed Effective April 2026; the same trip takes the same 18 and 20 minutes on Sunday runs, only the headway doubles. |
| Taxi | 24/7 | metered: USD 5.00 flag drop plus USD 2.70 per mile, plus airport gate fees, with a USD 25.00 minimum inside the zone drawn around the airport. Downtown Salt Lake City sits outside that zone and the airport publishes no flat fare to it | Yellow Cab of Utah is the airport’s only on demand taxi provider, reachable on 801.521.2100. The rate sheet states 1 to 5 passengers pay the same price and that drivers are required to let you use the credit card processing provided in the vehicles. The airport says its GPS dispatch gives passengers the exact fare to their destination, so ask for it before you load the bags. An older rate sheet still hosted on the same domain shows a USD 27.00 downtown flat rate; it is not published here. |
| Rideshare (Uber, Lyft) | app priced; the airport publishes no fare | Pickup areas are marked by curbside signs on the ground level, in the B-Lane. Park City Rides is licensed alongside Uber and Lyft. The airport states that its ground transportation contact address is not for price quotes or for booking transportation, so there is no official fare to quote. | |
| Rental car | Counters are in the Gateway Center, which is next to the parking garage and reached from the terminal by the two bridges in the baggage claim area. Off site rental shuttles pick up and drop off to the west of the parking garage. Counter hours differ by company, so check yours if you land late or leave before dawn. | ||
| Hotel and long distance shuttles | Hotel shuttles pick up from the ground level of the terminal between columns 1B and 5B. The airport also lists licensed shuttle and limousine operators with airport counter service, including Alta Shuttle/Canyon Express on (801) 274-0225 and Canyon Transportation on (801) 255-1841. The airport does not print their destinations and does not publish fares. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Salt Lake City, from downtown on the rail line out to the hotel belt by the terminal
Downtown and Temple Square: The grid heart of the city, with the temple grounds, the main shopping block, and three Green Line stations within a few minutes of each other.
Main Street and the Gallivan district: The eating and drinking spine of downtown, a short walk south of the City Center stop and on the same rail line as the airport.
The Granary District and Central Ninth: Old warehouse blocks turned into small kitchens, roasters, and taprooms, near the 900 South stop.
Sugar House: A low rise neighborhood southeast of downtown around a park, reached by changing off the Green Line rather than staying on it.
The International Center and the west side: The hotel belt closest to the terminal, built around early report times rather than sightseeing.
What to Do on a Layover in Salt Lake City, from a short sit airside to a run up the canyons
Under 5 hours: Stay airside. The Wi-Fi is free, there are no left luggage lockers to park a bag in, and a downtown round trip plus screening on the way back eats the window.
5 to 9 hours: One clean move works: the Green Line to a single downtown station, Temple Square and Main Street on foot, and back on the same line. On a Sunday, fix your return train before you leave the platform, because the headway doubles.
9 hours plus: This is the window where the canyons come into range. UTA’s seasonal ski bus reaches the resorts for USD 5.00 but does not start at the terminal, and a car carries winter rules of its own. Read the canyon tip below for what the state actually publishes before you plan around it.
Crew Tips for Salt Lake City and SLC Airport: the fare, the Sunday timetable, and the winter rules up the canyons
Paying for transit: The one way local fare on TRAX is USD 2.50 and a day pass is USD 5.00. One USD 2.50 fare covers travel in any direction, including the return trip, for 2 hours. The USD 5.00 day pass is worth it only beyond that window or from a third paid ride. UTA lists four ways to pay: cash, a ticket vending machine on the station platform, a FAREPAY card, and the Transit app. If you pay cash on a bus, bring exact change, because drivers cannot make change. If you use an electronic card on TRAX, tap it on the platform reader before you board. Downtown Salt Lake City has a Free Fare Zone where you ride free if you enter and exit inside it, but UTA states plainly that if you board outside the zone and travel into it you still need proof of payment, which is exactly what an airport trip is.
Sunday is a different railway: The Green Line thins out on Sundays and it catches people. Trains run every 15 minutes on weekdays and Saturdays but every 30 minutes on Sundays. Going out of the airport, the first train is 5:24 am on weekdays and Saturdays and 6:07 am on Sundays. Coming the other way, which is what a report time needs, the first Sunday train reaching the airport arrives 5:51 am, leaving City Center at 5:30 am. The last train from City Center toward the airport leaves at 10:57 pm on weekdays and Saturdays but at 10:30 pm on Sundays, arriving at the airport at 10:51 pm. Miss it and you are paying a metered taxi. One more thing about reading the platform: UTA prints on the Green Line page that the electronic signs on TRAX platforms are under construction and may display inaccurate arrival times, and tells riders to use the schedule or the Transit app instead. That is the sign you will be standing under at the airport.
There is nowhere to leave a bag: The airport states flatly that luggage storage lockers are not available. The only storage it documents is Bringit Travel, an on demand service that collects or delivers bags rather than holding them at a counter, and the airport publishes neither its prices nor its hours. Plan a layover trip into town around carrying what you take, or leave it with your crew hotel.
Connectivity: Free wireless internet is available throughout the airport. The network is SLCAirport.wifi: select it, click CONNECT, open a browser, accept the terms, and connect again. The airport publishes no time limit on it. If you need a human, the information desk on the second level of the terminal, across from baggage claim, is reachable 24 hours a day on 801-575-2400.
The taxi runs on a meter, not a flat fare: The rate sheet the airport currently links shows a meter of USD 5.00 flag drop plus USD 2.70 per mile, plus airport gate fees, and a USD 25.00 minimum inside a zone drawn around the airport itself. Downtown lies outside that zone, and no flat downtown fare appears on the current sheet, so do not expect one. Two things are in your favour: 1 to 5 passengers pay the same price, which makes it worth splitting across a crew, and drivers are required to let you use the credit card processing provided in the vehicle. Ask for the GPS quoted fare to your destination before the bags go in.
Up the canyons, by bus or by car: UTA runs a seasonal ski bus to Solitude and Brighton, Snowbird and Alta, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain and Sundance for USD 5.00 (USD 2.50 reduced), typically from late November or early December through late March or April; the 2025-26 season ran from Winter Change Day on Sunday December 6 to Spring Change Day on Sunday April 12. It does not start at the terminal, so it is TRAX first, then the bus. UDOT names transit as a way up the Cottonwood canyons for exactly this reason. If you drive instead, winter adds rules a rental car does not warn you about. UDOT’s Traction Law (administrative rule R920-6) requires traction devices in severe winter conditions, including Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons: when the beacons outside the canyons are flashing, vehicles need at least 5/32 inch tread depth on M+S or 3PMSF snow tyres, which a standard rental will not have. UDOT also published roadside parking reservations in Big Cottonwood Canyon on SR-190, from a quarter mile above Willow Heights Trailhead to the Guardsman Road intersection, from December 5, 2025, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holiday periods, and a permit to park anywhere on the north side in the Town of Alta from December 12, 2025 through April 5, 2026. Those are the 2025-26 season notices and UDOT had not replaced them as at 2026-08-31, so read the page again before you travel.
Emergency Numbers for Salt Lake City, Utah, and the United States
👉 Swipe sideways if the numbers do not fit
| Emergency (police, fire, medical) | 911 |
| Salt Lake City Police non-emergency (officer needed, no emergency) | 801-799-3000 |
| Airport police, to make an airport report (not an emergency) | 801-575-2401 |
| Salt Lake City Police at the airport, emergencies | 801-575-2911 |
| Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7, free and confidential (press 2 for Spanish) | 988 |
| Utah Poison Control Center, 24 hours, free and private | 1-800-222-1222 |
| United States country code (calling from abroad) | +1 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Salt Lake City airport to downtown?
Take the TRAX Green Line. The station is on the ground level outside the terminal on the east side: exit door 1A and go east. On the operator’s own timetable the ride is 18 minutes to Temple Square and 20 minutes to City Center, and the airport publishes the one way fare as USD 2.50. Coming back takes 21 to 22 minutes.
How much is TRAX from Salt Lake City airport to the city?
USD 2.50 one way. A day pass covering local bus and TRAX is USD 5.00, but one fare already carries you in any direction, including the return trip, for 2 hours, so the pass only pays from a third ride or beyond that window. You can pay with cash, a ticket vending machine on the station platform, a FAREPAY card, or the Transit app. Downtown has a Free Fare Zone, but UTA states that if you board outside the zone and travel into it you still need proof of payment, and an airport trip does exactly that.
What time does the last train leave Salt Lake City airport?
The last train out of the airport is 11:24 pm on weekdays and Saturdays and 11:07 pm on Sundays. The first is 5:24 am on weekdays and Saturdays and 6:07 am on Sundays. Going back the other way, the last train from City Center toward the airport leaves at 10:57 pm on weekdays and Saturdays and at 10:30 pm on Sundays, reaching the airport at 10:51 pm.
Is tap water safe to drink in Salt Lake City?
Yes. Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities states in its 2026 Consumer Confidence Report that the water it supplies meets or exceeds federal and state standards and that no drinking water violations were issued to the utility in 2025. It comes from protected Wasatch watersheds including City Creek, Parleys Creek, Big Cottonwood Creek, and Little Cottonwood Creek, and it is filtered and chlorinated to ensure it is safe to drink.
Is there luggage storage at Salt Lake City airport?
No lockers. The airport states that luggage storage lockers are not available. The only storage it documents is Bringit Travel, an on demand collection and delivery service rather than a counter you can walk up to, and the airport publishes neither its prices nor its hours.
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Crew Discounts in Salt Lake City: verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff sit right below this guide. Bookmark this page before you head out to the Green Line platform. Next Salt Lake City rotation you start on the rates instead of from scratch.
