The Mazatlan airport is located 20km south of Mazatlan on Highway 15. If you don't have a car, the only way to get to the airport is by taxi. The average price is around $150 pesos, but some drivers may go as low as $100. The trip will take around 30 minutes.

     To get from the airport to Mazatlan, you have a few more options. Airport buses leave for $38 pesos a person, but only after a flight has come in or if there are at least 5 people. The bus will drop you off wherever you are staying. Tickets for the bus can be purchased inside the airport near the baggage claim area. Tickets for the taxis should also be purchased here to avoid paying more than you should. The 'official' taxi rate can be anywhere from $160 to $180 pesos, but is a set $160 if you purchase your ticket inside. Only yellow airport taxis are allowed to carry passengers from the airport; only the local green and red taxis may carry passengers to the airport. However, if you can convince a pulmonia driver to take you, it's possible to get a cheaper rate than the eco-taxis.

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     Due to the relative unpopularity of Mazatlan, unless you are travelling with a package tour, flights to can be expensive. Consider buying separate tickets from your city of origin to Los Angeles or Phoenix, then continue on a separate fare to Mazatlan. For travel to these cities, fares from cities served by Southwest and other discount airlines are usually much lower than other fares into Mazatlan. Additionally, travelers coming from cities outside the US can often find lower airfares into Los Angeles than into Mexico City or any other Mexican city. See below for information on airlines with direct flights and then followed by separate fare airlines.

     Another option is to fly to San Diego CA, Phoenix AZ or Tucson AZ, then continue to Mazatlan by bus. Greyhound has service from the central San Diego station to the Tijuana bus station, where you can continue to Mazatlan on hourly departures for about $40US one way. Unfortunately, this trip will take about 24 hours. Passengers flying to Phoenix or Tucson can travel by Greyhound from the central bus stations to Nogales AZ, walk across the international border into Mexico, and go by taxi to the nearby Nogales bus station. Frequent departures from Nogales to Mazatlan are available and fares are about $70US one way.  For information, call Grey Line in Arizona at (520) 287-5628 or check Greyhound.

      Another option for inexpensive airfare is to purchase your ticket online.  Most major search engines have a travel section which can help you plan your vacation and make purchases online. In most cases, you will have to open a free account before using these services.  Take a second to do so because it can be worthwhile. You can also use these services to find good deals on vacation packages, hotels, rental cars, and more. The only setback to this option is that is can be very time consuming.

AIRLINES WITH DIRECT FLIGHTS TO MAZATLAN


ADDITIONAL SERVICES WITHIN MEXICO

Aerolineas Internacionales - Phone: 91-800-36-546

Aviacsa- Aeroexo - Phone: 616-97-06 or FAX 91-800-91-800 in Guadalajara.

     Mexico domestic airfares are often quite higher than fares within the US, but one way fares are often half of round trip fares. Discounted advance purchase fares are very rarely found for trips within Mexico; thus, most domestic airfares are changeable and have few restrictions. Availability of service is also limited for travel within Mexico: many domestic routes may only have one daily departure, and some domestic connections require an overnight stay between flights. Fares for domestic travel originating in Guadalajara are usually lower than fares from Mazatlan.

     Regularly scheduled domestic charter flights are available from Mazatlan to Monterrey through the charter operator Magnitour. From Guadalajara, charter flights are available to Cancun and Ixtapa. Mazatlan travel agents can access information and sell tickets for these flights as well. Limited student discounts are available on domestic flights on Aerolitoral, the Aeromexico commuter airline. Nonstop from Mazatlan, Aerolitoral serves Monterrey, Torreon, La Paz, and Guadalajara, with continuing and connecting domestic service to Ciudad Juarez, Hermosillo, and Chihuahua.

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