Los Cabos International Airport (SJD Airport): Everything you should know if you are coming to Cabo
Last Updated on June 16, 2023
In the world, there are countless places where you can go to have a dream vacation. Places that take your breath away and fill you with positive energy to return home with the best memories of an amazing adventure.
And… there is something about traveling, don’t you think?
When you know you are going to go somewhere on vacation it is impossible not to feel curious and excited to discover new places, or simply to return to beautiful places where you were in the past.
If what you have in mind for the vacations that you are planning is to feel alive and happy, recharge batteries, and forget your daily life with a bit of sun, sand, and fun, Los Cabos is the ideal place for you.
Beautiful beaches, deserts, parties, luxury, nature. It sounds good, right?
If you have made your decision and you have chosen Los Cabos as your destination (By the way, what a great choice!), it is important that you prepare all the trip details in advance, in this way your stay and experience will be completely pleasant and unforgettable.
And when we talk about details, it doesn’t mean that every second of the trip should be planned, you just need to be clear that improvisation is sometimes one of the ingredients that give a good taste to the fun.
Therefore, you should only take into account the most important details such as: Where will I arrive? Do I need to show a negative Covid test? What do I need to know about the airport? Where will I stay? How can I go from the airport to the hotel?
Let’s focus on the first question.
Where will I arrive?
Sure, by asking yourself this question you might think that the direct answer is obvious and that it is “Los Cabos”.
It’s true, you’ll arrive in Los Cabos. But that is not what this question refers to.
The real answer is to Los Cabos International Airport.
And before the typical question passes through your head, YES, if it is important to know about the airport.
But why?
It is not a whim, it is a necessity.
Suppose you really want your vacation to flow perfectly. In that case, it is absolutely necessary that you have at least a brief idea of the airport you are going to arrive at, whether you are going to China, to the US, or in our case to Los Cabos, Mexico.
And it’s simply because if you know what you should and shouldn’t do at the airport, or you took the time to investigate where you should go when you get off the plane, having this information to hand will give you a couple of advantages:
- Your time at the airport will be shorter (which means that your adventure in Los Cabos will start so much earlier than expected).
- Your first experience in Los Cabos will be stress-free.
So, if you are interested in getting the most relevant information about Los Cabos International Airport, I have to tell you that you are in the right place and that in a few minutes you will be an expert on the subject.
Los Cabos International Airport:
Before getting to the heart of the matter (that is knowing how to make quickly your time at the airport completely to your liking), it is good to have a little extra information about where you are going to arrive.
Do I Need Proof of a Negative Covid Test to Enter Los Cabos International Airport?
The answer is no! From June 12, 2022, it is no longer necessary to show a negative COVID-19 test upon entrance.
Now that we’ve cleared that out of the way, the next step is getting familiar with SJD airport and its terminals.
Did You Know You Can Enjoy a Quiet Time at the VIP Lounges & Get a VIP Assistant?
Both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 have VIP lounges for you to relax with drinks and food while you wait for boarding. These are the perfect spots to avoid crowds of people, and to keep your kids at ease if you are traveling with them.
The VIP Lounge (T1) is open daily from 9:00 am to 21:00 pm. And the VIP Lounge (T2) is open daily from 9:00 am to 17:00 pm. You can enjoy all of these facilities at the VIP lounges:
- Air Conditioning
- Unlimited Internet Access
- Open Bar (coffee, juices, and alcoholic beverages)
- Conference Facilities Available
- Flight information screens
- Local Telephone Calls
- Kids Club area (second floor)
- TV lounge
- Disabled Access
- Massage Chairs
- Magazines and Newspapers
- Private Bathrooms
- Food
- WiFi Available
- Electrical connections
Besides relaxing at the VIP lounge, you can have a personal assistant
You might wonder: why would I want a personal assistant at the airport? The answer is to have a hassle-free and simple arrival at SJD.
An airport assistant will assist you with your luggage and guide you through the airport. With an assistant by your side, you can skip long lines at customs and get through airport security quickly so that you can start your vacation as soon as possible.
If you decide that you want to hire these VIP services you must do the arrangements prior to your trip.
Also, remember that you can have a VIP Transportation Los Cabos vehicle waiting for you right outside the airport.
Wondering which airlines serve San Jose del Cabo Airport?
Here’s the list of the most important national and international airlines operating at Los Cabos airport:
Apple Vacations, Aero Calafia, AeroMexico, AeroMexico Connect, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Interjet Airlines, Jazz Airlines, Magni Charters, Miami Air International, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Sunwing Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Virgin Airlines, Viva Aerobus Airlines, Volaris Airlines, and Westjet Airlines.
On your next trip to Cabo, make sure to check this list when you are ready to buy your ticket!
Now let’s start with the information that is ESSENTIAL for the trip.
Los Cabos International Airport is located 11 km from San José del Cabo, and serves San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas areas.
And I know you’re probably thinking… why do I need to know the location of the airport?
Actually, it is very important and necessary, because by taking into account this information you will be able to know how far the airport is from the place where you are going to stay.
In addition, this data will help you plan in advance details such as the transportation service you will use when leaving the airport, the stops you want to make on the way from the airport to the hotel, and it will even help you calculate the distance and the fair price that any service should charge you from the airport to the hotel.
All of this information will help you be one step ahead and planning your trip will become more and more simple.
What do you REALLY need to know about the airport?
Everything can be summarized in 3 simple sections.
1. Terminal 2: What to do when arriving?
We all know that the checks and steps that should be followed at an airport are often annoying and can sometimes put you in a bad mood.
And well, that’s exactly what we want to avoid since a vacation in Los Cabos should never start in a bad mood.
Therefore, if you are prepared for what you should do, it is impossible that your vacation in Los Cabos starts on the wrong foot.
With this in mind, there are three more things you should do when arriving at the airport:
- Pass through the immigration office,
- Search for your luggage, and
- Go through the customs agents.
Then, as soon as you get off the plane and enter Terminal 2 (which you will do through one of its 10 doors), you will pass through an immigration line in which you will show your documents (Passport), you will then submit the form that you filled in the plane (they will return you a part that you will need at the moment of leaving the country, so save it well!) and, finally, you will answer some questions (reasons for your trip, time of stay in the country, among others).
Then is when you go and collect your luggage, nothing great. Just go to the carousel and look for your bags.
And with your luggage in hand, you must wait for the customs agents. It is here when you have to be prepared for any inconvenience caused because there are two circumstances that can happen:
You may be able to leave the airport quickly or maybe should stay for a little longer.
This is a random event because after the agents ask you a series of questions, they tell you to press a button that will give red or green light (Green, you are free to leave without problems and Red, you must wait for a physical inspection of your luggage.)
If you were not aware of the fact that this situation can happen, it is very likely that if fate throws you into the red color you end up in a bad mood because you did not expect to take longer than necessary at the airport, and in this way, your first moments in Los Cabos would be ruined.
Therefore, by having this information you must be aware that, as it is a random choice, it is a circumstance that escapes from your hands, and therefore regardless of the option that corresponds to you, you must remember that these are necessary protocol steps. You must also face them with a positive attitude and in this way, your good mood will continue after leaving the airport. This will make you have a great start in the beautiful destination of Los Cabos.
2. Leaving Los Cabos?
You already saw that the steps you must take when arriving at the airport are extremely simple, right?
But what happens if what you want is to know what to do when you are leaving?
First of all, if your flight is a national one, remember that you must be 2 hours ahead, and in the case of international flights, you must be 3 hours ahead at the airport.
Now, apart from this, there are five things that you should keep in mind.
The first is to know where you are going to go.
The arrival area is at the lower level of the airport, but in this case, you must go to the middle level, better known as the ground level, where the departure area is located.
In this area, you will clearly go through the usual check-up, baggage weight, and all the necessary pre-flight requirements that are usually implemented at any airport.
One of the things you should do is to know that you will have to go almost naked through the metal detector! … Well, it is not so serious, but it is true that you should remove clothes like your shoes, coat, and belt, among others.
Take this with a sense of humor and you will see that you will be finishing these vacations with the best attitude, so this trip will have happy memories even in the tedious moments of the airport.
On the other hand, the second thing you should keep in mind is the following.
At Los Cabos International Airport you’ll find different food establishments to choose from In the food area distributed among both terminal 1 and terminal 2, you’ll find Subway, Domino´s Pizza, Starbucks, Boston Hot Dogs, Sbarro, Medas, Burger King, and Yogurlisios Frozen Yogurt. In addition to these fast food places, there is the Corner bar, and a Corona bar on each side of the terminal.
If you’re not a fan of such establishments it is good to have this information because this way you may go prepared (which means bring your food or eat before leaving for the airport).
The third thing to keep in mind is that if you are a person who needs to keep their technological gadgets constantly on, it is recommended that you charge all your devices very well before leaving the hotel because the charging stations at the airport are probably going to be crowded.
On the other hand, the fourth thing you should know is that during peak hours Los Cabos International Airport is usually a bit more jammed, so it can be difficult to find a place to stay to wait for your departure. Here is when VIP lounges come in handy.
In this way, your vacations will be completely perfect until the last second!
Now, the fifth and last thing you should know if you are leaving Los Cabos International Airport is that the exit door to which you must go for your flight is constantly changing.
This means that it is very important that you are always attentive so that you know exactly to which door you should go.
And well… you must be probably thinking that it is not big deal and there will be no problem, but it is not recommended that you take it lightly, because the sound and the acoustics of the airport are not the best, actually it is not so easy to hear what they are constantly saying.
If you don’t feel safe just trusting in the little whispers you hear through the speakers you can simply check every so often with the airline staff with which you are traveling.
With this data, you already have everything you need to leave Los Cabos with a smile on your face.
3. Ignore the Airport Sharks
With the two previous sections, you are practically an expert when it comes to everything you need to know when you arrive at or leave Los Cabos International Airport.
But, there is one thing of utmost importance that you must take fully into account in any of the two circumstances in which you find yourself (Arriving or leaving Los Cabos).
And with this, we refer to the “Airport Sharks” also known as timeshare vendors.
What are airport sharks?
Well, clearly they are not a shark as such, “shark” is just a name with which they are known because they are like predators in search of their prey (visitors, tourists, among others).
These so-called sharks are characterized by waiting in the area next to where the customs agents are located, and they attempt to persuade anyone passing by to hire them.
If you are visiting for the first time it is very likely that you don’t recognize one when you see him or her and you end up using a service for a higher price or end up on an uncomfortable trip listening to varied offers so that you can buy infinite packages that simply don’t interest you.
Therefore, although you may not believe it, they are really hard to recognize because some may even have a completely professional look.
But it is highly recommended that you ignore them for your safety and your wallet’s safety.
Sure you must be wondering what should I do after going through the customs agents and entering the shark area.
It is very simple.
After passing through customs, you should go directly to the exit door of the airport ignoring any offer made (Obviously without leaving the courtesy aside, saying “No, thanks” and then keeping on walking is more than enough).
When leaving the airport you will find the parking lot where you can observe the area where private transport services await, where taxis wait and private cars are parked.
And continuing with the tips so that your trip is perfect, I inform you that it is highly recommended that you learn to use a private transport service, and that is for several reasons:
It is very easy to avoid sharks if you have hired in advance the transport that will take you to the hotel.
They will be waiting for you right in front of the airport exit, therefore you will not lose any time.
The private transport service is the safest way for you and your companions to travel.
If you choose the indicated service, you can have an incredible experience on this first trip through Los Cabos, thus ensuring an amazing start to your dream vacation.
Then do not hesitate, a private service may be the simplest solution to this problem (sharks) and you will definitely not regret having contracted.
But of course, not any service in Los Cabos can give you a completely incredible experience and besides have a high-quality service at an affordable price.
Maybe by simply being a private service, you might think that it will be up to the task and you hire anyone who is available without having to look for the best service.
If you do this you are likely to end up receiving bad service for a high price, and that doesn’t sound like the best way to start the trip, don’t you think?
So what private transportation service is the best to use in Los Cabos?
There are several services in Los Cabos that you can use, but only one is the right one for that first trip to be completely perfect.
VIP Transportation Los Cabos is a private transportation service that is characterized by being reliable, safe, and always on time. You can bet that they will be waiting for you in the parking area assigned to this type of service even if you arrive early or if your flight is delayed.
It also has a value like no other, giving you the best VIP experience for a totally acceptable price.
Also, VIP gives you the best welcome to Los Cabos (with cold drinks) and makes you feel special from the moment you step outside the airport (with a giant sign so that you can easily identify them).
VIP Transportation Los Cabos is the best option for both you and your travel companions for the transfer from the airport to the hotel. If you’re still not totally convinced, you can check the reviews of TripAdvisor, in this way you will notice how everyone who uses this service feels grateful to start their trip with the best VIP Transportation experience.
Now, to finish, here is the most crucial question:
… Do you already feel like an expert on Los Cabos International Airport?
It is very likely that the answer is yes!
Note that, with these few minutes invested in this quick reading, you already have all the necessary knowledge to feel confident enough when you get to Los Cabos, and if you are traveling to this beautiful paradise for the first time, you will feel as if you had already been here several times before.
Remember to follow each of the tips mentioned above, and keep in mind all the information that was given in this reading and you will see that you are going to have a good experience at the airport, and on your first trip from the airport to the hotel. Also, your vacation will surely start in a completely incredible way, which will give you the energy you need to continue enjoying your journey.
What are you waiting for?
Los Cabos is waiting for you!
