You’re ready to get out of town, and your destination is the breathtaking city of San Miguel de Allende. However, when you go to book your flight, you suddenly realize that SMA has no airport. How will you fly there? Fortunately, there are at least four good options nearby. If you choose a less-trafficked airport, there’s a shorter ride to town. Alternatively, you can opt for the international airport in Mexico City to get a better fare and a direct flight. Either way, you won’t be too far away when you land. I’ll walk you through all the nearby airport options and let you in on a little known secret about flying in the SMA area.
What is the airport for San Miguel de Allende? The Del Bajio Airport (BJX) in Leon, Guanajuato, is the nearest airport to San Miguel de Allende. Just an hour and fifteen minutes away, it is an easy trip and the most used by travelers heading to SMA. However, many Americans fly into Mexico City instead because they are often more economical when coming from the states.
The Nearest Airports
If you want to fly directly to San Miguel de Allende, you are looking for planes that touch down in Del Bajío International Airport in Guanajuato (BJX) and Querétaro Intercontinental Airport in Querétaro (QRO). Both of these are larger airports that are within about ninety minutes of SMA. You can find taxis, Ubers, and busses easily there.
Sometimes there are even shuttles
. However, you need to search for these in advance and expect to find them more around special events and the middle of the busy season. Typically you share the shuttle with a small handful of other travelers, and it runs about twenty-nine dollars (US) per person.
If you plan to rent a car while you’re in town, then it’s important to note that there are no car rental agencies within San Miguel de Allende. You will need to drop your car off where you picked it up. There is a Hertz in BJX airport and a National Car Rental agency in Leon, among others.
Make sure you account for the extra time when you plan to drop off a car before taking an outbound flight. Additionally, it pays to make sure you double-check your flight times and communicate with the car rental agency if your flight is delayed. No one likes to lose their deposit or pay for a cancellation.
What Airlines Fly to BJX
Since Del Bajío International Airport in Guanajuato (BJX) is the closest to San Miguel de Allende, it’s also the most ideal for a direct flight. Luckily, several major airlines fly to BJX, which makes it a lot simpler to book. You can fly from within Mexico or direct from the USA.
Although flights are subject to change, and not every airline flies to BJX from every city, the following list is some of the large airlines that make that stop.
- Southwest
- American Airlines
- Aeromexico
- Volaris
- United
- Interjet
I strongly recommend checking with any or all of these companies before booking your flight. Additionally, when you plan a trip from the US to Mexico, you can often find better fares if you travel to a city with a direct flight.
How to Get the Best Ticket Price
Getting a reasonable ticket price can be a lot like rolling the dice if you don’t know when to book. Naturally, for an emergency or short-notice trip, you’re going to have to pay full price. For everyone else, there are a handful of simple secrets to getting the absolute minimum price for your flight, and it has nothing to do with those online price comparison sites.
Instead of the so-called lowest price comparing websites, go to each website individually to get the best prices. Avoid traveling on or near holidays, and make sure you check to see if any Mexican holidays are coming up as well.
First, you need to book your flight for seven weeks in advance. Additionally, when you book, do so on a Tuesday. If possible, plan to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, since this is when the flights are the least expensive, and when booking round trip try to get both flights on one of those three days.
Lastly, there is another way to find fares for lower prices. If you have an out of country VPN for a second or third world country, you’ll find that it’s often cheaper to book through that device. Because people in some places make less money, it’s sometimes possible to secure more affordable flights if you happen to have equipment that reads as that country code.
Similarly, if you visit a lower-income country, you can book a flight for the future from there to get a reasonable price. This trick doesn’t always work, and it’s not for everyone. Still, if you do enough traveling, it might be worth checking out the local rate to purchase the tickets you want later.
Other Airport Options for SMA
Sometimes getting a flight into the nearest airport isn’t the way to go. Flying from the USA means the most cost-effective flights will often be those for Mexico City or Guadalajara. Naturally, these much larger airports do more international traffic. Roughly ninety percent of US flights go to Mexico City. Whether you have other stops to make, or you want that ninety-nine dollar ticket from LA during the offseason, Mexico City isn’t too far from San Miguel de Allende.
It takes roughly four and a half to five hours to drive or take a bus from MEX to SMA. Similarly, it will take five to seven hours, depending on the route to reach San Miguel de Allende from Guadalajara. Although Guadalajara is a bit closer as the crow flies, the roads aren’t straight lines from one place to the next. Thus it takes a little longer.
For butterfly lovers who want to see the southern end of the Monarch migration, Morelia may be a better choice of airport. MLM, the airport in Morelia, is about the same distance from San Miguel de Allende and Mexico City. In good traffic, you can make it in four hours and fifty minutes.
Are Mexican Airports Safe Right Now
The short and simple answer to this question is yes. Like any airport, you need to watch your bags and your wallet. However, there are no unique dangers at Mexico’s airports.
You may encounter more delays than usual due to the COVID virus. Like most sensible places, Mexican airports are taking extra steps to ensure the safety of their passengers and employees during this unprecedented time. If you’re concerned, give yourself a little more leeway and plan to arrive earlier than usual.
Airport Secrets of San Miguel de Allende
You know there are no direct flights to San Miguel de Allende because it doesn’t have an airport. However, there is an airstrip there. The Aerodomo San Miguel is a small private airstrip.
With an impressive three thousand two hundred and nine-foot runway, most types of aircraft can land and take off safely, if not commercial airlines. You can book private flights to and from the city if you prefer to travel in style. Moreover, it’s a great way to take a side-trip while you spend most of your time in SMA.
In 2017 there was a plan in place to expand the Aerodomo for commercial flights. The local government planned to allot millions toward creating another building and adding on to the runway. However, that idea appears to be tabled for the time being.
Nevertheless, it seems likely that San Miguel de Allende will have a small public airport in the near future. Given the popularity of the destination, it only makes sense. Plus, there is a large and growing local population that would support the enterprise.
If you are among the many US residents who dream of vacationing or even living in San Miguel de Allende, then it may soon be much faster to get to and from the city. If any place in Mexico is ready for the sort of expansion an airport brings to town, then SMA is undoubtedly on that list.
Final Thoughts
Flying into BJX airport is by far the fastest flight you can get if you’re heading into San Miguel de Allende. Although there has bee some discussion of adding a small airport in SMA, it hasn’t happened yet. However, with both the permanent residents and the tourism on the rise in this picturesque city, it probably won’t be long before you can catch a direct flight.
Travel to San Miguel de Allende is still made by land vehicle. You can catch a bus or even a taxi to SMA easily from either BJX or other nearby airports. Even with traffic, the trip by land doesn’t take very long, but it is scenic and relaxing.
When flying into San Miguel de Allende, make sure to plan ahead. You can rent a car or take a taxi within a few moments. However, if you prefer to ride one of the excellent busses, check your flight times and ticket policy carefully so you can be sure to make the connection in time.