Road Work Delays: How Early to Get to the Cancun Airport in 2024?

Post by Kelly McLaughlin Jan 03, 2024.

Anyone planning a Mexican Caribbean vacation in 2024 is probably aware of the construction impacting traffic around the Cancun Airport. Several large projects are underway in the destination including rebuilding the airport access roads, the Maya Train and the Nichupte Bridge.

How early do you need to get to the Cancun Airport?

For departures from the Cancun Airport most airlines request that you check-in 2 hours prior to a domestic flight within Mexico and 3 hours for international flights.

How long will it take to get to the Cancun Airport from my resort?

Travel time to the Cancun Airport depends of course on the location of your resort or accommodations. Your travel day and flight time will also impact the amount of time you need to set aside for your Cancun Airport transportation.

Travelers staying in the hotel zone of Cancun may look on a map and see that the airport is really not that far away and with no traffic, trips might appear to be as quick as 20 minutes. Construction delays on top of the usual traffic mean getting to the Cancun airport may take up to an hour or more from the hotel zone. It is essential to leave early to save yourself the stress of a missed flight.

Don’t wait to the last minute to reserve your Cancun Airport transportation departures

This is really the number one rule. Waiting until the last minute is the best way to ensure you will miss your flight at the Cancun Airport or pay massively inflated rates for a taxi. Remember that Uber and other digital platforms are NOT recommended for travel in Cancun because of ongoing disputes with the taxi union.

A bus to the Cancun Airport is a complicated, confusing and inefficient means of transportation, including taking city buses to Cancun Centro followed by the ADO bus to the airport. It is almost impossible to estimate the amount of time this will take without an expert, a calculator, a compass and a lot of luck.

The best way to ensure you don’t miss your flight is to count on the services of a reliable private transportation company in Cancun. They do this every day, all day and they know the ins and outs of the construction projects in the destination. They will give you the most accurate estimate for travel time to the Cancun Airport and let you know what’s the best time to schedule a pick-up.

“Normal” travel times to the Cancun Airport with zero traffic:

Hotel Zone in Cancun 30 minutes.
Downtown Cancun/Playa Mujeres/Puerto Juarez – 45 minutes.
Puerto Morelos– 30 to 45 minutes
Playa Del Carmen – 45 to 60 minutes
Puerto Aventuras– 1 hour and a half
Akumal/Tulum/Tulum Hotel Zone (Boca Paila) – 1.5 to 2 hours
Times are just estimates, it all depends on your destination and traffic. Trust your transfer company and don’t leave it up to guessing!

Happy travels! – January 2024 Cancun, Mexico