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Terminal 1 is the main terminal where customs and immigration  are. The international area is on the right handside as you look at the terminal

Terminal 2 is where vivaaerobus and some other flights are leaving from or arriving.? Where are you flying to in Europe? Are you connecting in Mexico or do you have a direct flight from Guadalajara? Which airline are you flying? I am asking this question because when I fly to Paris or Amsterdam I have to connect through the US or Mexico...

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In Guadalajara there is only one terminal. Terminal 2 is closed. You will go to the hall of domestic flights at Guadalajara if you fly by Mexico city.

In Mexico city Aeroméxico is in terminal 2 and air France in terminal 1. Immigration is at both terminals but if you leave and arrive with air France your will pass immigration at terminal 1.

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OK, here is the scoop from a weary traveler.

1. Always go through immigration at the airport where you leave the country (port of exit), NOT where your trip begins. In this case if you to fly from Guadalajara ("GDL") then Mexico City ("DF") then Paris, you will go through immigration in DF. If you leave the country from here, then you go through immigration in GDL.

2. If you are asking about T1 or T2 you need to specify which airports. Both GDL and DF have a T1 and a T2. GDL T1 is where all but Viva Aerobus leave from as a previous poster correctly explained. So even if you are flying Aeromexico you will leave GDL from Terminal 1 (that's the bigger one on the left past the first covered parking lot).

3. You will arrive in Mexico city (DF) at Terminal 2 if you fly Aeromexico. Rarely, Areomexico likes to bugger this rule up by arbitrarily landing at T1 so make sure you check with them before you go. Also be prepared for yet another security check on disembarking at T2 in DF. This is irritating but considering the rampant luggage theft and smuggling that went on there not so long ago, it is a necessary step. DO NOT pack anything you would hate to lose in bags you intend to check if they are to go through T2 in DF. I lost a bottle of water there today and had a VERY thorough body check by the lady in charge.\, as did most passengers. It slowed down the process a lot, so opt for extra connection time.

4. Some more friendly advice. Try to bring light carry on if you land at T2 in DF, of the type you can actually carry, If you have the misfortune of landing at any of the gates in the mid-70's (if you get on a bus on landing, chances are you are headed here), you will need to carry your "carry on" up as many as 3 steep flights of stairs. An elevator is available but for some reason known only to them, the security is very choosy who may or may not use it. I was denied it today with a wagging finger as I attempted to board an empty and unused elevator (I have only just arrived so this last DF T2 experience is very fresh), despite being + middle aged woman with real back issues that was explained to the guard. So judge for yourself and get ready to beg for the elevator if you really need it. Consider bringing a doctors certificate if you have non-obvious issues, or just book wheelchair service whether or not you need it. Otherwise, prepare to hike up those 3 flights of stairs with belongings in tow.

5. Once you have arrived at T2 in Mexico City you will need to transfer to T1 for your Air France connection. Again, verify this with your airlines as Aeromexico is capricious about this too. Most times Air France leaves from T1, sometimes T2. If you leave from T2, you lucked out and just head to your gate. If you must change to T1, and you are lucky again, the shuttle train will be working. In this case you will need your Air France boarding pass or itinerary handy, along with your passport as proof to get on it. You will go through another security check to get on the train. Signs to the train are well marked graphically, follow the picture of the train.

6. If the shuttle train is not working, you will need to either pay for a taxi or pay for a bus. Asking directions to each. The taxi is more money but still peanuts considering the aggravation of the bus with carry on in tow and standing room only.

Post Script: If you travel that way again in future, since all flights to Europe tend to leave in the evenings, it really does work out well to book your flight to DF on Volaris or Interjet, both which land at T1 in Df, avoiding ALL the hassles described above. Just give yourself lots of time between connections for a stress free experience in collecting and re-checking your bags and going to get your immigration visa stamped (located in terminal 1 hang a left past gate 25, the rather small immigration kiosk is in front of the Starbucks and Hermes stores). From past experiences I can say this a much less stressful experience overall when compared to the seemingly arbitrary caprices of Aeromexicos T2 protocols. Bear in mind, if you are lucky enough to avoid the gate 75 experience, you will be able to avoid most of the hassles described above.

I had a laugh today going through Gate 75B  at T2 in DF just a few hours ago (gate 75 if actually 6 gates, A though F). Profeco (consumer protection)  has set up a booth going to that dreaded section of the terminal. I jokingly asked the girl sitting there if this meant Profeco was there because of all the complaints about Aeromexico. It was a little sad when she quite seriously replied..yes, that was why they were there. So I guess Aeromexico's T2 reputation is known....that and all the flight staffing issues they had recently that resulted in many cancelled flights from DF (don't ask me to describe what has been in the news, Google it).

Well that was a mouthful. I hope you can glean some useful info from it that will relate to your needs. Best insurance is to ask your airline where they plan to arrive and depart, then hope they actually do what they say.

Good luck

 

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16 minutes ago, Semalu said:

OK, here is the scoop from a weary traveler.

 

2. If you are asking about T1 or T2 you need to specify which airports. Both GDL and DF have a T1 and a T2. GDL T1 is where all but Viva Aerobus leave from as a previous poster correctly explained. So even if you are flying Aeromexico you will leave GDL from Terminal 1 (that's the bigger one on the left past the first covered parking lot).

All flights including vivaaerobus leave from terminal 1. Terminal 2 is closed and won't reopen anymore as it will be part of terminal 1.

16 minutes ago, Semalu said:

6. If the shuttle train is not working, you will need to either pay for a taxi or pay for a bus. Asking directions to each. The taxi is more money but still peanuts considering the aggravation of the bus with carry on in tow and standing room only.

This is new to me. The few times the train didn't work they sent me to an almost empty bus at no cost. Did they change this?

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Thanks Ednet94. I do not fly viva aerobus so did not know the latest scoop on GDL T2. BTW, in case anyone worries why not, I do not fly them because they do not go to where I go, no other reason. For those interested, it is owned by a consortium including Europe's Ryan air and some of Mexico's largest bus companies. I have been told by a user that they are pretty good as far as discount airlines go.

I am not surprised to hear about T2 given the colorful history of that terminal. I suppose it was inevitable. I am hoping DF's T2, also owned by Aeromexico, goes the same way once the new airport is completed in DF.

Funny, the missing story here is in your statement "the few times the trains have not worked". I too was told by airport authorities that there was not supposed to be a charge for the bus when the shuttle train was not operating. Nevertheless sometimes they do sometimes they don't. Its a crap shoot that depends on who the driver is, or rather - what he is. When faced with a limited connection time, are you going to seek out an airport authority and engage the driver in a discussion about it? You do seem to have been luckier than I. I have always had standing room only and heavy traffic between terminals. Maybe we just fly at different times of day. Regardless, now if the shuttle is down and I have carry on, I prefer to take a taxi. Its a personal choice.

Mind you, I should also qualify all my statements by saying that as a matter of personal policy, I do everything I can to avoid terminal 2 in DF and any flights by Aeromexico; Only using them when there are no other flight options available. Aeromexico has effectively become my airline of last resort, The caprices of T2 combined with AM's arbitrary flight cancellation policy simply makes them too unreliable for me when I travel on business, so I suppose anyone reading this should qualify that and make up their own minds. Google "Profeco and aeromexico" if you want to read more on the topic.

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Could be good luck then with me, I always just entered the bus without asking. The times I fly by Mexico city it is almost always to Amsterdam so in the late afternoon/ evening with Aeroméxico and KLM and night on the way back to Mexico. However in the future this will become Aeroméxico only since they started to fly to Amsterdam too. The main reason for me is to dont need to change anymore of terminal. T2 I never had problems with. I just don't like the hassle of changing of terminal. I already hate to change of plane.

But what i really try to avoid are evening domestic flights of Aeroméxico as those almost always are delayed. With the new Aeroméxico flight from Amsterdam in the morning I will avoid more of those delays.

To the US I'm happy Volaris and interjet both starting to get more and more direct destinations from gdl. Those are my preferred airlines to destinations in the US and Mexico nowadays. 

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