Flying Home
We’ve talked about what to do if you’re arriving in Puerto Vallarta through the airport. But what’s it like leaving? Besides planning your next visit, so you aren’t so sad going home. Getting a taxi to the airport is much cheaper than flagging one down when you arrive. This is a zoning issue and port taxes collected from taxis driving out of the airport are much higher.
Arrival at the airport by taxi will drop you at the terminal and you’re on your own to find your airline. Once upon a time, droves of porters rushed out to greet us and we handed over our bags and followed them to the ticketing counter. Porters are no longer in abundance though a few remain. If you consider this option, tip them well. They are not paid a wage or salary and depend solely on tips. Ticket counters change from time to time. Where Alaska Air was at the south end of the west terminal, it’s now opposite from where it was. The most consistent expectation at the airport in Puerto Vallarta is the lack of consistency; what you observed in early 2017 might not be the same by December.
There are kiosks upon entry to print your boarding pass. If you’re lucky, it will also print your baggage tags but this isn’t always the case. Following this, if you have only carry-on bags, go directly to the gate. Otherwise commence to the ticketing counter to turn over your bags.
Security is a walk-in-the-park compared to TSA in the USA. You can leave your shoes on, laptop closed and in your bag, and the lines are never long. Baby strollers and wheelchairs are walked through a side door and quickly scanned. Have your passport ready, along with your boarding pass. We always remove any heavy jewelry, belts with large buckles, coins from pockets and cell phones; there are bowls provided to slip these things through the scanner.
On the other side of security, you are still in Mexico so you can spend your remaining pesos at several cafés and bars or at the duty free shops that line the corridor (they take dollars and plastic, too.) Food can be purchased and brought on board most flights and there’s a good selection of Mexican and International food in the departure terminal. If you decide to purchase tequila or anything else in a bottle, it’s important to know that when transferring flights upon arrival in the US, any liquid over three ounces must be in your checked luggage or it will be confiscated. You will be claiming your luggage for customs/immigration and re-checking it before flying to your destination.
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Thanks to our guest blogger Adam Garcia for this article! (opionons expressed are his own)
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