Written by the Mexico City Airport Transfers operations team — we drive these routes every day.
Mexico City International Airport (AICM/MEX) has two terminals — Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 — and they are several kilometers apart, connected by an inter-terminal train and road. Check your boarding pass for your terminal before you land; your private transfer host meets you at the arrivals exit of the correct one.
Two terminals, not next door
AICM/MEX is split into Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Unlike many airports, the two are not within walking distance — they sit several kilometers apart and are linked by an inter-terminal train (Aerotrén) and by road. Arriving at the wrong terminal to meet a driver can cost you a long, stressful detour.
Which airlines use which terminal?
Terminal assignments depend on your airline and can change, so your boarding pass is always the source of truth. As a rule, the two terminals serve different sets of carriers, and a few airlines operate from both — another reason to confirm rather than assume based on a past trip.
Where your transfer meets you
When you book, we match your pickup to the terminal on your flight. Your host waits just outside the arrivals exit of that terminal with your name on a sign. If your terminal changes, let us know and we adjust — the goal is that your driver is exactly where you walk out.
Authorized Taxi Pickup: Terminal 1 vs Terminal 2
Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 each have their own official taxi module — the counter where AICM's authorized taxi (taxi de sitio) is hired. Unlike the ride-hailing pickup point, which is a separate physical location tied to each terminal, the authorized taxi module sits inside the arrivals hall you land in, so a Terminal 1 arrival never has to cross over to Terminal 2 to reach it, and the reverse is true for a Terminal 2 arrival. The process is identical in either terminal: walk to the module counter, pay the fixed zone rate in cash or by card, and you are assigned a sedan-class vehicle seating up to 4 passengers on the spot.
This is what "terminal 1 vs terminal 2 taxi pickup" usually comes down to for travelers researching it: not a different taxi service at each terminal, but the same authorized module operating independently inside both, alongside a ride-hailing pickup point and a private-transfer meeting point that do change location by terminal. The table below breaks down where each option meets you.
This T1-vs-T2 split is specific to AICM. If your flight instead lands at AIFA (Felipe Ángeles International Airport) — Mexico City's other airport, a separate facility about 50 kilometers north of AICM — there is only one terminal, so none of the terminal-matching above applies there: the authorized taxi module and the private-transfer meeting point both sit at that single arrivals exit.
| Pickup option | Terminal 1 | Terminal 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Authorized taxi module | Official counter inside the T1 arrivals hall | Official counter inside the T2 arrivals hall |
| Ride-hailing app (Uber) | Designated pickup point tied to T1 | Separate designated pickup point tied to T2 |
| Private transfer | Host waits at the T1 arrivals exit with your name | Host waits at the T2 arrivals exit with your name |
How to Recognize the Authorized Taxi (and What to Skip in Either Terminal)
The authorized taxi at AICM is only ever hired at that official module counter, in either terminal — you walk up, pay the posted zone rate, and are assigned a vehicle right there. Anyone who approaches you before you reach the counter, in the arrivals hall of Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 alike, offering a "taxi" or "transportation" is not airport staff and does not represent the authorized service; a legitimate site taxi does not solicit passengers inside the terminal, no matter which terminal you land in.
Which Pickup Applies to You?
Once you know your terminal from your boarding pass, matching it to the right pickup is a short checklist rather than a guess.
- Prearranged private transfer: skip both modules — your host is already waiting at the arrivals exit of your terminal, holding a sign with your name.
- Authorized taxi: go to the official module counter inside your terminal (same setup at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2) and pay the posted zone rate at the counter.
- Ride-hailing app: walk to the designated pickup point assigned to your terminal and request the ride only once you are standing at that point.