Air Travel

You can now fly nonstop to Los Cabos from Southern California, Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. From most other destinations, you will have to make a connecting flight, either in the United States or in Mexico City. Via nonstop service, Los Cabos is about 2 hours from San Diego, about 2¼ hours from Houston, 3 hours from Dallas/Fort Worth, 2½ hours from Los Angeles, and 2½ hours from Phoenix. Flying time from New York to Mexico City, where you must switch planes to continue to Los Cabos, is 5 hours. Los Cabos is about a 2½-hour flight from Mexico City.

Airlines and Airports

Airline and Airport Links.com (www.airlineandairportlinks.com.)

Airline Security Issues

Transportation Security Administration (www.tsa.gov.)

Airports

Aeropuerto Internacional de San José del Cabo (SJD) is 1 km (½ mile) west of the Transpeninsular Highway (Highway 1), 13 km (8 miles) north of San José del Cabo, and 48 km (30 miles) northeast of Cabo San Lucas. The airport has restaurants, duty-free shops, and car-rental agencies. Los Cabos flights increase in winter with seasonal flights from U.S. airlines, and, despite growing numbers of visitors to the area, the airport manages to keep up nicely with the crowds.

Aeropuerto General Manuel Márquez de León serves La Paz. It's 11 km (7 miles) northwest of the Baja California Sur capital, which itself is 188 km (117 miles) northwest of Los Cabos.

Airport Information

Aeropuerto Internacional Los Cabos (Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 43.5, San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur. 624/146–5111. www.aeropuertosgap.com.mx.)

Aeropuerto General Manuel Márquez de León (Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 13, La Paz, Baja California Sur. 612/124–6307.)

Flights

AeroCalafia flies charter flights from Los Cabos for whale-watching. Aeroméxico has service to Los Cabos from San Diego; and to La Paz from Los Angeles, Tucson, Tijuana, and Mexico City.

Alaska Airlines flies nonstop to Los Cabos from Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco; and three times a week to La Paz from Los Angeles. Frontier flies nonstop from Denver. US Airways has nonstop service from Phoenix, San Diego, and Las Vegas. American flies nonstop from Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York JFK. British Airways and other European airlines fly to Mexico City, where connections are made for the 2½-hour flight to Los Cabos.

United has nonstop service from Houston. Delta flies to Los Cabos from Atlanta and Ontario, California, and has daily flights from Los Angeles to La Paz.

Airline Contacts

AeroCalafia (624/143–4302 in Los Cabos. www.aereocalafia.com.mx.)

Aeroméxico (800/237–6639 in U.S.; 624/146–5097 in Los Cabos; 612/124–6366 in La Paz. www.aeromexico.com.)

Alaska Airlines (800/252–7522; 624/146–5103 in Los Cabos. www.alaskaair.com.)

American Airlines (800/433–7300; 624/146–5302 in Los Cabos. www.aa.com.)

British Airways (800/AIRWAYS in U.S. www.britishairways.com.)

Delta Airlines (800/221–1212; 624/146–5005 in Los Cabos. www.delta.com.)

Frontier Airlines (800/432–1359. www.flyfrontier.com.)

USAirways (800/428–4322; 624/146–5380 in Los Cabos. www.usairways.com.)

United Airlines (800/241–6522; 800/900–5000 in Mexico. www.united.com.)

Ground Transportation

If you have purchased a vacation package from an airline or travel agency, transfers are usually included. Otherwise, only the most exclusive hotels in Los Cabos offer transfers. Fares from the airport to hotels in Los Cabos are expensive. The least expensive transport is by shuttle buses that stop at various hotels along the route; fares run $16 to $25 per person. Private taxi fares run from $80 to $100. Some hotels can arrange a pickup, which is much faster and might cost about the same as a shuttle. Ask about hotel transfers, especially if you're staying in the East Cape, La Paz, or Todos Santos and not renting a car—cab fares to these areas are astronomical.

If you're renting a car and driving say, to the East Cape, make sure you get detailed directions on how to locate where you'll be staying.

Unless you want to tour a time-share or real estate property, ignore the offers for free transfers when you first come out of customs. The scene can be bewildering for first timers. Sales representatives from various time-share properties compete vociferously for clients; often you won't realize you've been suckered into a time-share presentation until you get in the van. To avoid this situation, go to the official taxi booths inside the baggage claim or just outside the final customs clearance area and pay for a ticket for a regular shuttle bus. Private taxis, often U.S. vans, are expensive and not metered, so always ask the fare before getting in. Rates change frequently, but it costs about $55 to get to San José del Cabo, $70 to a hotel along the Corridor, and $80 to Cabo San Lucas. After the fourth passenger, it's about an additional $3 per person. Usually only vans accept more than four passengers. At the end of your trip, don't wait until the last minute to book return transport. Make arrangements a few days in advance for shuttle service, and then reconfirm the morning of your departure. Or, again, at least a day in advance, sign up at your hotel's front desk to share a cab with other travelers, reconfirming the morning of your departure.