NLU Airport Review & Guide | Felipe Ángeles International Airport
I recently almost missed a flight on my way to Selina Puerto Escondido and Oasis surf camp when I booked a flight departing from the wrong airport (oops). Thankfully I made the flight after taking the relatively short taxi ride from the Mexico City airport (MEX) to the correct airport which was Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU Airport). It turned out to be a fun little excursion!
I’ve heard so many great things about the Mexico City airport (MEX) but not much about this one, which is brand new as of 2022. I also couldn’t find much info online about it. I ended up being super impressed and they had tons of flights to the Puerto Escondido airport, which is relatively hard to get to. I would 100% fly out of this airport again! Here’s my NLU Airport review and guide for your travels.
*I’m not being paid for this review
NLU Airport : Quick Review
The Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU Airport) is a new welcome addition to the areas near Mexico City. Before security you’ll find a few food options, a currency exchange and excellent WIFI. After security the WIFI is slightly weaker but still works and you’ll find tons of food options, charging stations, places to hangout and a pleasant atmosphere.
The facility is huge with plenty of open space, plenty of natural light and even a fountain, which is great for a stressful travel day and really goes a long way during a long layover. Since the building is well organized, there are barely any lines and every process from check-in to security and even boarding the flight was seamless. Overall, I found the NLU airport to be a much easier and more pleasant experience compared to the MEX airport and I would for sure fly through NLU again in the future.
NLU Airport Complete Review
Below you’ll find my complete review on the new NLU Airport and everything you should know for your layover or when choosing which airport to use.
Location : How Far is NLU Airport From Mexico City?
The Felipe Ángeles International Airport is a little under an hour away from Mexico City, and the drive was smooth for me on a Wednesday afternoon on my little detour. I also noticed that when we pulled up to the NLU airport there was absolutely no traffic and it was super easy getting out of the car. This was totally unlike the airports I fly out of at home in Washington D.C., where there are lines of cars and traffic at the airport at all hours of the day.
New Airport with Plenty of Open Space
You can tell the NLU airport is brand new right when you arrive. There was hardly anyone outside of the airport, which was nice although I’m sure won’t stay that way. The Antrium lobby and departures area is massive, which is great for busy or stressful travel days! I felt very at ease here after a somewhat hectic day.
There’s also two different cafes in the departures area, as well as a place to change cash and a few other services. Overall it’s lacking slightly but they will probably add more as the airport gets more popular.
Random, but don’t miss the bathrooms at NLU. The one in the departures area has a light up sky ceiling and is really beautiful and big!! I saw a sign somewhere after security that mentioned a cinema themed bathroom as well, so it looks like they like to have fun with their bathroom design and I love it.
Seamless Check-In and Security
There wasn’t one line that I saw at any of the check-in booths. I flew with Viva Aerobus and the whole check-in process was completely seamless. There was no line and I was in and out in a minute or two. So great!
Security was relatively simple and straight forward. There weren’t any big lines when I was there and I didn’t see anyone having trouble.
Once through security you’ll see the entire terminal area is in one giant atrium, which I thought was really cool. It feels incredibly spacious and the building is massive, with high ceilings and tons of natural light through the floor to ceiling windows, it kind of feels like being outside. One thing it seemed like they were lacking are airport maps around the facilities. I couldn’t find one but I’m sure they will add one if they haven’t already.
The terminals area is pretty easy to navigate, although beware it’s very long and can take a while to walk from one end to the other! Leave plenty of time to navigate around and do what you need to do. Keep in mind that there are a few gates downstairs, in case you’re having trouble finding your gate. Walk to the far end of the terminal to the right once you get out of security and you’ll find escalators which take you down to the other gates.
Along with lots of food places, which I talk about in the next section, you’ll find multiple convenience stores with everything you might need along with some luxury shops.
My favorite parts about this airport is that there’s a big fountain in the middle of the Terminal and near the gates, so you can relax to the sound of running water while you wait! There were people laying on the edge and hanging out like you would at a park. They even have children’s play areas here which I’m sure parents are thankful for!
WIFI at NLU Airport
The NLU Airport WIFI worked really well in the check-in area and before security, and then not so good after security at different gates. However, I was able to find a place with good WIFI pretty easily after walking around a little, and I was happy to find a spot where I could sit with no one bothering me right near an outlet / charging station.
As someone who was there working remote, I really appreciated the massive amount of charging stations and seating areas. There was too many to count, which is so different than the airports in DC where you usually can’t find a spot.
The WIFI network I used was the free option, which I’m blanking on but I don’t remember it being hard to figure out. You can always ask a staff member at one of the food stands if you have trouble!
Food & Drinks at NLU Airport
Before security there is a cafe or two, but after security you’ll find tons of great food options which is the real highlight. You can tell there will be tons of new vendors added in the future as well because there were lots of spaces still vacant.
After security I ended up kind of taking a tour of the food options which were available at the time at the NLU Airport because I had a relatively long layover. I was having hard time choosing where to actually sit down because of how many options there were. Some of the highlights were lots of Mexican spots, a few burger places, a sushi restaurant and an Italian eatery + lots more.
Most had plenty of open tables and seats open, including both sit-down restaurants and counter service food stands. Personally I like to hangout at a sit down restaurant and work during a longer layover.
I ended up choosing to eat at El Fogoncito at Felipe Ángeles International Airport because the food smelled great and the decor inside was really cool, with a dimly-lit trendy vibe and plants hanging from the ceiling. I was blown away by how budget-friendly the food was for this quality at an airport. Again to reference our airports in Washington D.C. and all around the U.S., it’s typical to spend twice as much on a meal inside the airport as opposed to outside the airport, so I’m used to crazy prices.
El Fogoncito specializes in gringas, which are like pumped up quesadillas kind of, which is what I got. They also bring out various dipping sauces for the table, all of which were a little too spicy for me but very good. I also got the guac appetizer which was more than I was expecting and great as a sauce for my gringas. The WIFI also worked pretty good in the restaurant itself and the service was amazing.
Usually Mexican food tends to hurt my stomach, especially before or after a flight, but I had absolutely no pain and the food was all really fresh. All in all 10/10 recommend this place!! I’m surprised it doesn’t get better reviews on Google!
NLU vs MEX Airport : Which is Better?
Since I went to the NLU airport and the Mexico City airport (MEX) on the same day, I was really able to get a feel for each airport and how they compare. Because MEX has so many offerings and is so big, kind of like a shopping mall, I found the layout really confusing to navigate as someone who doesn’t speak Spanish. There were also some outdated areas, understandably as it’s so huge.
That being said, the fact that MEX has so much to offer, if you plan ahead or have experience with the airport, you will have more options in terms of food, services and of course flights. For example, there was nowhere to change cash after security at the NLU airport and there was only one in the Check-In area, while at MEX there were more stands then you can count at the Arrivals area.
At MEX everyone’s luggage took about an hour to come out after my flight which I thought was odd, and there were A LOT of people waiting, so I was guessing other flights were taking that long to get the luggage to passengers as well. I flew American Airlines.
The design, decor and layout of NLU is much more modern and much more my style, which makes sense since it’s so new. It’s also much smaller than MEX, so I can imagine it being easier to organize and find your way around.
Although there are technically less food options at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, unless you need something specific I really think the places here cover their bases and you will be able to find something you like, and that’s coming from a relatively picky eater!
The free WIFI at MEX was not good in my opinion as I couldn’t figure out how to connect during my time there, except to the insecure open network which kicks you off after 15 minutes. I was surprised because it seems like other people don’t have problems via Reddit and other forums, but I couldn’t find anyone to ask and the signs on the wall referred to a network that wasn’t showing up. Maybe it was just an off day! I did see someone who said they were able to get access to a locked network by getting coffee at Starbucks and asking the check out person, so that is something I would try next time. My experience with the WIFI at NLU was great, which you can read earlier in this review, so on that front I thought NLU outperformed MEX.
One major plus for the MEX airport is that they have on-site accommodations, ranging from sleep pods at the IzzZzleep Aeropuerto hotel to more upscale hotel accommodations at the Hilton or Courtyard Marriott. I used the sleep pods during a long layover and absolutely loved them! You can read my IzzZzleep Aeropuerto hotel review to learn more about what to expect from a capsule hotel.
Getting a cab from either airport was super easy and that was a big plus. There was minimal congestion outside of both airports. Overall I was really impressed by the NLU airport and I personally think NLU is a better airport for easy they make everything compared to MEX. If I had the option to choose between the two I would pick NLU. I do think the NLU airport offers less flights, so you may not have the option and that is a downside compared to MEX. For more info, visit the NLU airport website!
A popular destination people fly through NLU to reach is Puerto Escondido. I’ve written a bunch of blogs on Puerto Escondido, to help you visit this beautiful destination in Mexico, which is a little surfing town in paradise near Oaxaca. 🐚
Lauren Kessel
Lauren Kessel is the author of this blog post and the creator of the Inspired Backpacker travel blog. She is a passionate digital nomad, with the mission to make slow travel a more accessible way of life for everyone. Lauren believes travel is an important means of education and more importantly, a way for people of different cultures to come together and understand each other better. She has a BS in Tourism and has planned countless domestic and international trips for herself, her family and friends, having visited over 12 countries and 30 states so far.
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