Tulum’s new airport is a recent, intriguing and imperfect possibility for vacationers. Right here’s what it’s like

There is a brand-new airport for vacationers hoping to go to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

A number of U.S. carriers launched service throughout the previous week to Tulum’s vivid and glossy Felipe Carrillo Puerto Worldwide Airport (TQO), and TPG was there to report because the inaugurals started.

About 20 miles from the middle of Tulum, the airport may very well be a extra handy possibility for vacationers visiting the area’s seashores, resorts and historic websites — lots of which sit nearer to Tulum than Cancun.

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Although it opened for home service in December, the airport welcomed its first worldwide flights from past Mexico on Thursday.

As a part of that worldwide “grand opening,” TPG was on board the first-arriving American Airways flight — in addition to the first-departing Delta Air Traces flight. We aimed to get some perception into the brand new airport and the brand new dots and features on these airways’ route maps. This fashion, we will help you determine whether or not that is the fitting airport on your subsequent journey to Mexico.

Preliminary response

From the entry highway into the airport to the constructing to the terminal, taxiways and runways, the whole lot is new. It is clear, recent and fewer overwhelming than the older and better-known Cancun Worldwide Airport (CUN).

Total, it is a beautiful area with excessive ceilings, intelligent inventive touches and loads of nods to the fantastic thing about the encircling Riviera Maya.

Pure gentle floods into the terminal with floor-to-ceiling home windows, illuminating the spacious ticketing space and permitting company loads of views of the ever-increasing variety of plane coming and going.

Nonetheless, readers needs to be conscious it’s missing some facilities proper now: The Wi-Fi and air con have been lackluster on day one in all worldwide flights, and it has little in the best way of concessions in the intervening time.

Total, although, it is a formidable new possibility for vacationers.

This is what we discovered arriving and departing on the primary day of worldwide service at Tulum’s new airport.

What vacationers can count on on a visit to TQO

Tulum, the Riviera Maya, Cancun and all the Yucatan Peninsula are stuffed with beautiful resorts.

Traditionally, although, company hoping to get to Tulum have needed to fly into busy Cancun Airport earlier than getting a taxi or non-public shuttle to their resort; this is usually a multihour trek and value $150 or extra every means. The brand new airport is designed, partly, to unravel that drawback.

Sadly, it is nonetheless not the proper resolution.

Because the airport is definitely south of Tulum correct, the drive might nonetheless doubtlessly take near an hour (or extra) in the event you’re heading to the farther-north resorts of the Riviera Maya.

Nonetheless, there’s hope amongst some locals that splitting passengers throughout two airports might finally assist relieve a few of the site visitors issues the broader Cancun space has seen lately.

The place is the brand new Tulum airport?

Once more, the brand new Tulum airport is not precisely in Tulum.

It is about 20 miles from the middle of city — and it’s kind of farther from most of the in style resorts within the space.

One employee TPG spoke with at Tropical Elite Journey, a neighborhood transportation firm, was fast to notice the airport is greater than a “stone’s throw” from a few of the area’s better-known resorts north of Tulum. That is one thing for vacationers to remember as they plan journeys.

For some extra context, the airport is near 100 miles south of Cancun. Playa del Carmen is true in between these two locations alongside the coast.

Attending to and from the brand new Tulum airport

Following a keep on the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resort, TPG managing editor Clint Henderson — who was on the first-departing Delta Air Traces flight Thursday — spent about an hour driving to the terminal.

On the plus facet, that is loads quicker than the 1 1/2 hours it took to get to the resort after arriving on a flight from Cancun.

Nonetheless, even with that shorter distance, attending to TQO was pricier than you would possibly count on. The shuttle from the beforehand talked about Tropical Elite Journey charged riders the identical $120-plus for a switch to TQO.

Our workforce discovered a taxi journey from the Tulum airport to the middle of city (a couple of 45-minute journey) was about $60. From the Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya, north of city, it was nearer to $100 for a taxi to the brand new airport.

There are additionally some cheaper methods to get to the airport, like taking an ADO bus.

Departing the brand new Tulum airport

Passengers enter the brand-new terminal by any of the 4 ground-level doorways.

Total, it is a a lot quieter really feel as you enter the airport. In the event you can image the honking horns, police sirens and total bustle and chaos frequent at busy airports’ drop-off curbs, that is removed from that.

It is also a far cry from Cancun’s a lot busier airport, which sees tens of millions of passengers yearly (practically 4.8 million from the U.S. alone in 2023) and plane arriving from all around the world.

Apart from the occasional noise of a jet taking off, it sounds (and in a roundabout way feels) extra such as you’re in a public park than outdoors a busy airport.

Floor ground

Inside, on the bottom ground (which is technically the arrivals degree), there are at the moment a number of retailers, rental automobile firm places of work, taxi stands and bus line places of work.

That is the place you will find yourself after baggage declare (extra on that in a bit).

Throughout, you can hear the sounds of building, making clear that components of the airport (most notably the foods and drinks institutions) stay a piece in progress.

Ticketing space

A number of escalators, elevators and stairs take you as much as the ticketing space, which is spacious and ethereal — and simply probably the most spectacular a part of the constructing.

Daylight pours in by a translucent roof. There are two giant islands the place airways have arrange their check-in and bag drop stations.

American, Delta and United every have a row of check-in counters with loads of area. On the opening day of U.S. flights, there have been balloons and treats to honor the inaugural flights.

United added its personal check-in counters with some modest decor when it launched service Sunday.

JetBlue plans to launch service to Tulum within the coming months. So do Air Canada and Panama-based Copa Airways.

Safety

The safety space was effectively staffed and took just some minutes to get by.

Since Tulum is a a lot smaller airport than Cancun, you possibly can possible count on smaller crowds — significantly till airways absolutely scale up their flight schedules out of the airport.

For Clint’s departure on Delta’s inaugural flight, two officers checked his passport and boarding move earlier than he was allowed to scan his ticket at automated gates.

At safety, officers requested passengers to take away belts and watches so that they may very well be put by the X-ray machines. Different objects, like laptops and Kindles, needed to be eliminated and put right into a separate bin for scanning.

Airside

The departures concourse is one straight hallway. In the event you go omitted of safety, you will discover gates for home Mexico flights — at the least proper now.

In the event you go proper, you will discover the gates for flights departing to U.S. locations.

In all, the airport has 13 plane parking positions. There are solely 4 true gates within the concourse itself, however some gates result in a number of jet bridges. So, you can find yourself departing from a “D3A” or a “D3B.”

Aesthetically, the beautiful ceilings had loads of lighting, with Mayan-inspired wooden sculptures making a dramatic impression.

This airport’s floor-to-ceiling home windows will possible encourage AvGeeks with killer views of plane taking off and touchdown.

Departing passengers will discover wide-open areas, loads of seating, and sporadic plugs and shops. Like most airport terminals, when flights begin boarding, passengers congregate within the concourse a bit. Nonetheless, typically talking, it is a pretty spacious concourse. That will probably be much more true as soon as building absolutely wraps up and there are extra locations to eat, drink and sit.

Marble flooring and excessive ceilings give the terminal a high-gloss look.

These gates quantity D1 by D4.

The gates gave the impression to be typically interchangeable, “frequent use” gates. So, you would possibly see a Delta jet depart from a gate at one level within the day after which an American aircraft at that gate later within the day.

On day one in all worldwide flight operations, American Airways embellished its gates with balloons and signage to mark the event.

Tulum makes use of automated gates that allow you to scan your boarding move, however proper now, gate brokers nonetheless appear to be checking passports previous to departure.

Because it was the primary day of worldwide flights to Tulum, the flights have been way more packed arriving than departing, so the concourse was pretty empty. That may possible change within the coming months as U.S. and different worldwide airways add extra service.

On today, nonetheless, Delta’s inaugural outbound flight was calmly booked, with one employee saying there have been 120 empty seats on the Boeing 737-800 — reminiscent of how empty planes have been flying throughout the worst of the pandemic.

Facilities on the new Tulum airport

As talked about, regardless that U.S. airways solely simply launched service to Tulum, the airport has technically been open for about 4 months.

Nonetheless, it is pretty bare-bones in terms of facilities — at the least proper now.

That is very true concerning foods and drinks choices.

Foods and drinks

Laborious-hat areas make it clear that extra retailers and eating places — together with massive chains and native spots — are on the best way.

Finally, extra eating places will probably be obtainable, together with some that will probably be acquainted to People. TPG noticed “proximamente” (“quickly”) indicators for the whole lot from Starbucks to Firehouse Subs to Le Ache Quotidien to Burger King to Applebee’s.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

It is a comparable story landside, the place we noticed indicators for well-known shops like Starbucks and Domino’s, together with some extra domestically impressed foods and drinks institutions.

Proper now, although, be warned: Meals choices are sparse, with just some small concession stands — suppose snack bars, not eating places.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

Till extra locations open, vacationers can count on little greater than bodega-like institutions promoting chilly water, sodas and bagged snacks like potato chips.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

This could get loads higher within the coming months. The truth is, there are already tables in place for what seems to be a budding meals courtroom.

For the time being, a key piece of recommendation in the event you’re headed to the airport: Do not arrive hungry.

Buying

Mockingly, regardless of the concourse being devoid of sustenance, there’s already a duty-free store up and working instantly post-security. Distributors wasted no time promoting merchandise like cologne, make-up and booze to vacationers heading house from trip.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

Is there a lounge on the new Tulum airport?

Among the many “coming quickly” areas is a Sala VIP membership. A employee there stated it will be opening in a number of weeks.

The indicators close to the boarding space the place American Airways had arrange festivities for its first flight out of Tulum recommended the lounge can be referred to as The Grand Lounge Elite Salas Membership; it has a number of shops at Mexico Metropolis Worldwide Airport (MEX) and accepts Precedence Go.

Different facilities

A small nondenominational chapel with an enormous lighted cross on the altar might present a pleasant respite for many who desire a religious second on the airport.

There have been additionally a number of giant restrooms in a number of spots all through the terminal. The loos have been spotless, and the whole lot labored completely, as one would possibly count on at a brand new airport.

Inside was a big restroom as effectively.

Lastly, there have been two kids’s play areas. One was close to the home gates, and there was one other close to the worldwide departure gates (D3 and D4).

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

Arriving on the new Tulum airport

The arrival at Tulum was seamless for TPG aviation reporter Sean Cudahy, who was on the first-ever industrial flight from outdoors Mexico to the touch down on the new airport.

After lovely views of the Mexican shoreline on the ultimate descent, it was a fast taxi to the gate; passengers have been off the plane in minutes.

With a a lot smaller footprint than the Cancun airport, it was a really quick stroll to customs — not more than a minute or two down a ramp.

Getting by customs

Alongside the best way, it turned clear that it is a extra visually interesting airport than the one in Cancun.

There have been loads of nods to the Mayan aesthetic and pure fantastic thing about the Riviera Maya. One instance is that this tunnel main into the customs space.

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SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

Passport management was a breeze. Since we have been the primary worldwide arrival (and a few of the first vacationers off the plane), the customs brokers have been ready for passengers — not the opposite means round.

Nonetheless, with 18 lanes and a comparatively modest variety of worldwide flights deliberate to the brand new airport this yr, it looks as if a facility that needs to be effectively outfitted to deal with the deliberate passenger site visitors whilst issues get busier.

However, as at all times, it is going to be price watching how that unfolds within the coming months.

Baggage declare

Sean waited not more than 5 minutes for his bag at baggage declare, the place there are three carousels for worldwide carriers.

Notably, baggage declare is mere steps from the place floor crew members unload baggage from the plane. This needs to be a serious assist in getting baggage again to passengers expeditiously.

That is an space the place Tulum has the prospect to excel over Cancun. Currently, TPG has heard experiences of multihour waits for baggage on some peak days in Cancun.

After getting your bag in hand, head to 1 final customs station, the place your whole belongings (even carry-on baggage) should undergo one extra scanner. Quite a few vacationers have been stopped randomly by Mexican officers to have their baggage opened and inspected.

TPG workforce members have skilled this in Cancun as effectively, so it is pretty according to the arrival expertise there.

This might flip right into a spot the place bottlenecks may very well be an issue within the coming months, so simply be ready that after you have your bag in hand, your wait is probably not over. As one of many first worldwide passengers to proceed by this checkpoint, although, the wait was virtually nonexistent.

Floor transportation

Vacationers who’ve flown into Cancun know it may be a bit chaotic when you emerge from baggage declare; there are taxi corporations, shuttle companies, timeshares and tour operators all attempting to get your consideration.

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CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY

There have additionally been experiences of scams and unscrupulous pricing from taxi and Uber drivers on the Cancun airport for years, with guests typically caught within the center.

Snap response at Tulum: There may be a few of that, nevertheless it’s on a a lot smaller scale at a smaller airport.

Sean organized on-site for a taxi to his central Tulum lodge for $60, and the driving force was attentive and pleasant.

Total, although, Tulum’s floor transportation nonetheless appears dearer than what you’d count on within the area. You could possibly be taking a look at wherever from $100 to $120 in the event you go to any of the bigger resorts.

In case you are headed to Tulum correct, there are taxis for much less; our journey to get there was “simply” $60. Most guests, nonetheless, will possible be headed farther afield.

The airport additionally affords rental vehicles, nevertheless it’s price checking opening and shutting hours. Rental automobile places of work are already open on the airport, together with Hertz and Europcar, and that may very well be price it in the event you do not thoughts driving. Simply remember most resorts will even cost you for parking.

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SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

You would possibly need to examine a bus service referred to as ADO, which can drop you at spots near main resort areas beginning at $20 one-way. It was already taking bookings on the Tulum airport. You will nonetheless have to take a taxi to your last vacation spot, however this might assist cost-conscious guests.

Transportation on this a part of Mexico just isn’t terribly organized, and the brand new airport will not resolve these points.

Finally, the brand new (and controversial) Tren Maya (Mayan Prepare) will open a station on the Tulum airport. There was signage and building for the prepare on my journey into the airport, nevertheless it does not appear to be it is opening anytime quickly.

The prepare began service in December, however to date, it solely goes between Cancun Worldwide Airport and town of Campeche. Finally, it’s going to come to Tulum and to the airport, however that is a good distance off, judging by the development websites on the airport.

In the event you’re planning a visit to Tulum, we might advise checking upfront together with your lodge to see what kind of transportation you would possibly have the ability to e book upfront.

How costly is it to fly to Tulum?

For the foreseeable future, U.S. airways will function far fewer flights to Tulum than Cancun. That is partly as a result of airways are simply getting operations off the bottom. Additionally, Tulum is, fairly merely, a a lot smaller airport.

Due to the forces of provide and demand, that may make for dearer airfare to the newer Yucatan Peninsula airport.

Between now and the top of September, the typical round-trip airfare to Cancun is round $364 (or $433 if you wish to e book a nonstop flight), in accordance with reserving app Hopper.

For Tulum, round-trip costs sit round $437 — about 20% larger — or $455 for a nonstop flight.

What US airways fly to Tulum?

From the outset, the “Large Three” legacy U.S. airways are providing service to Tulum. A fourth provider is coming quickly.

Airline	Airports
American	Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport (CLT) Dallas Fort Price Worldwide Airport (DFW) Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA)
Delta	Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL)
United	Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) — launches Might 23 Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (IAH)
JetBlue	New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) — launches June 13

Spirit Airways had initially deliberate Tulum service from Orlando and Fort Lauderdale however needed to briefly postpone these flights amid fleet constraints. In February, the airline instructed TPG it hoped to reestablish plans to launch Tulum service sooner or later.

Backside line

The brand-new Felipe Carrillo Puerto Worldwide Airport is a gorgeous airport that’s price contemplating in your subsequent journey to the Yucatan Peninsula.

The airport is not as shut as company visiting Tulum, Riviera Maya and Playa del Carmen resorts would possibly hope.

Nevertheless, it will possibly nonetheless be a extra handy possibility than Cancun Worldwide Airport for guests to some resort cities within the space.

It is also loads much less crowded and chaotic than the Cancun airport and does not have (to date) as most of the aggressive salespeople attempting to get you to lease a automobile, purchase a timeshare or hail a cab.

Except you are touring to a resort in Cancun itself, or in any other case visiting the northern reaches of Mexico’s Caribbean coast, it could be price contemplating TQO over Cancun — even when you need to pay a bit extra to fly out and in of this airport.

That stated, the airport has rising pains. The air con is spotty, the Wi-Fi is not at the moment working, and there are only a few retailers and eating places proper now. Oh, and there’s no lounge as of writing.

Keep tuned as TPG screens how the airport performs as crowds and flight choices develop within the coming months.

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