I’m taking liberties with the phrase “ace up the sleeve,” since Priority Pass lounges in Mexico aren’t a secret. However, in general they can be relied upon for A) a snack and a drink, and B) good service, and most importantly, C) access.
What spurred me on to write this post was a recent flight from Tijuana International Airport (TIJ). Before getting to the subject, I must throw in a photo of a fantastic pair of tacos in downtown Tijuana.
Thereafter, I took an Uber to Tijuana airport. As I was heading over to the Aeroméxico check-in counters, I noticed signs for a landside, i.e. before security, lounge. Or, was it landside?
Turns out that this Priority Pass lounge in Mexico borrowed a page from the long-gone Turkish Airlines classic at Istanbul Atatürk Airport. That is to say, it offered a security checkpoint directly leading into the lounge (and thus, to the gates).
I forgot to snap a photo of the airside entrance, not to mention it’s something of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it corridor. If you’ve already gone through the general security queue, here’s the same lounge entrance from the airside (post-security) POV. Once you’re in, you will be able to pass by the aforementioned security checkpoint.
At Tijuana’s Priority Pass lounge, like in many other version in Mexico, you can order from a small menu of snacks and light meals. Waitstaff is typically quite friendly, too; I speak Spanish, but from noticing their interactions with non-Spanish speaking guests, it was good service. Out of all countries that I’ve visited, I’d even say Mexican waitstaff ranks in the top three.
Now to that I think about it, the Tijuana VIP Lounge also had golf carts to bring some passengers to their gates. On that note, so did one of the Priority Pass lounges at Mexico City’s other commercial airport, Felipe Ángeles International Airport. For golfing fans, the latter one even had a golf simulator.
Mexico City’s main airport, however, that’s a little more complicated. Terminal 1 has a few options, but they’re really compact. Most offer light meals and drinks, some shoe shine services, and that one tucked away downstairs somewhere by gate 31, avoid it. ETA: oh, good, looks like it’s being redone. As for Terminal 2, there’s one lounge available — VIPort Lounge — and it’s cozy. Try to sit downstairs for less mental drain.
For me, the ubiquitous negative in the country is the frequency of speakerphone usage. I’m not the U.S. government, I’m not trying to pry, so don’t give me an “in” into your issues. Buy headphones, and be done with it.
Ultimately, I’m not saying Mexico’s Priority Pass offerings are superlative, but they have their moments.
