Little travel problems.

When I go on vacation I usually take a cab to and from the airport.

This year, though, my flight leaves from Toluca. While the distance from my house to both airports is roughly equal, cab prices are very dissimilar. I'd need to check since I last took a cab to Toluca airport many years ago, but back then it was about 450 pesos vs 150 to Mex City's airport.

There's a shuttle operated by the airline, Interjet, which costs only 90 pesos each way, though I need a cab from my palce to a pick-up/drop-off point. So call that alternative about 200 pesos each way. The problem with that is that Toluca airport isn't what it used to be (long story), and there are no droves of shuttles leaving every 20 minutes or so. My flight leaves at 8:40 pm, but the latest shuttle pick-up is 4:30 pm! The pick-up, BTW, is right on the Toluca highway, so travel time to the airport should be under 30 minutes, maybe even less (I once made it in under 20 minutes from farther away) as the flight is on Sunday.

So I should have to spend several hours just waiting for the time to pass...

Oh, well. I expect I'll have an audio book handy.

Travel in foreign countries seems to be a mixture of types. I just read of Rio and its various bus systems some of which are operated by illegal militias in the slums.

I've usually found a more or less reliable friend to drive me to an airport so as to avoid waiting times and airport parking charges. Normally there has been no problems on the pickup part, even if the planes have been delayed or the weather had turned real bad.

Its the same thing with pets. Some people automatically board their pets, others have friends and family that will water the pets and plants.

Reliability seems more common in the USA. Your Tolucua airport seems so infrequently used that the final shuttle driver might not have any inclination to make that trip. It seems strange to endure such an enforced wait. Have a second book with you, one that is not electronic. You just never know.

I work in travel and its not easy finding flights going to Toluca unless you live in TX. Thats probabbly why there is a lack of regular ground transportation between the 2 airports. Just about any decent sized airline these days totally ignores Toluca and instead fly in and out of Mexico city. I've actually had clients that needed to fly into Toluca due to a manufacturing plant there, and I could not find anything without overnighting in Houston or another US city close to Mexico. I fly them to Mexico city instead.

Quote: terapined

I work in travel and its not easy finding flights going to Toluca unless you live in TX.

<nod> Blame it all on Mexicana's demise. Had it not ceased operations, both Volaris and Interjet would have kept more operations there. Sow hen they began to expand to the US, all those flights would have gone to and from Toluca. As its, they now depart and return to Mex City.

Quote:

Thats probabbly why there is a lack of regular ground transportation between the 2 airports.

Not really. At the Mex City airport there's a small bus depot running hourly services to Puebla, Cuernavaca and Toluca. All first class.

Unexpected changes. Do you love them or what :)

I finalized trip arrangements yesterday evening. By today the site claimed an error, but warned me not to book a second trip as I might be charged for both. So just now I called to see what's going on. Apparently a problem with yadda yadda yadda, but they can re-enter the trip data. Fine.

Well, when the nice gentleman at the other end began to check dates and times, he says "Interjet leaving Toluca at ten past 3 pm-" and naturally I had to interrupt. Long story short, for some reasn and at some point Interjet changed its schedule to an earlier time. I dislike the usual turbulence in afternoon flights, but I like arriving that much earlier. The timing and even the shuttle to the airport work better that way.

Anyway, with the new schedules, I should take the 12 pm shuttle to Toluc and arrive around 12:40, with the flight departing about 2:30 hours alter. That's much better.

I'd arrive in Vegas at around 5 pm, say I should be at the hotel by 6-6:30, depending on the shuttle situation at McCarran. I think on my last three flights I had to hitch to Terminal 1 to get to a shuttle. But now all international flights arrive at Terminal 3, and it seems that one won't be as half-serviced as Terminal 2 (now closed) used to be.

To avoid last year's problems with the long immigration wait, I've already selected a seat as far forward in the plane as possible. It's a good thing you can do that on Interjet this far away from the departure date. I love that airline.