The free inter-terminal shuttle
The terminals here are separate buildings, not wings of one. Getting from one to another is a shuttle ride, and the shuttle is free.
- It runs between the operating terminals — 2, 3 and 4 — around the clock.
- Air-conditioned, with a wheelchair ramp.
- You can take luggage on it, hold bags included.
- Pick-up is on the ground floor of each terminal, at a signed stop outside the arrivals doors.
Budget 45 minutes, not 20. Twenty minutes is the ride. On top of it you have the walk to the stop, the wait for the next shuttle, and the walk in at the other end. If you are connecting between terminals with a boarding pass in your hand, allow 20 minutes for the shuttle itself and about the same again for everything around it.
If you are connecting between terminals
This is the situation that catches people out, because a connection here is often not a connection in the airline's sense.
- Check whether your bags are through-checked On a single ticket they usually are. On two separate tickets they are not: you collect them, clear customs, and check in again at the other terminal.
- You will pass through immigration and customs first Arriving internationally, that happens before you can go anywhere — including to another terminal.
- Then the shuttle Signed from the arrivals exit. It is outside the secure area, so you re-enter security at the other terminal.
- Allow for security again The shuttle is landside. Whatever you cleared on the way in, you clear again on the way out.
A realistic minimum for a terminal change with hold luggage on separate tickets is around three hours. On a single ticket with bags checked through, ninety minutes is tight but workable.
Finding out which terminal you need
- Your boarding pass is the authority on the day.
- The live board shows the terminal actually assigned to each flight — arrivals and departures.
- A ticket bought months ago is the least reliable source: assignments move between seasons.
- By airline, as a planning answer: the four terminals and who uses each.
Common questions
Is the shuttle between Cancun airport terminals free?
Yes. The inter-terminal shuttle is free, needs no ticket, runs around the clock between the operating terminals, and you can take luggage on it. Vehicles are air-conditioned and have a wheelchair ramp.
How often does the Cancun airport terminal shuttle run?
Roughly every 10 to 15 minutes. Published figures range from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the source; 10 to 15 is the figure we can stand behind. The ride itself takes no more than 20 minutes between any two terminals.
How long should I allow to change terminals at Cancun airport?
Budget about 45 minutes in total: 20 for the ride, plus the walk to the stop, the wait and the walk in at the other end. For a connection with hold luggage on separate tickets, allow around three hours.
Can I walk between terminals at Cancun airport?
No. The terminals are separate buildings along an access road with traffic, not a footpath. The free shuttle is the only practical way between them.