For the first time, Americans heading for the beaches, resorts, and ruins of Tulum can now skip the chaos of the Cancún (CUN) airport – and the nearly two-hour drive down the Riviera Maya, too.
Several U.S. airlines touched down in Tulum (TQO) on Thursday, operating the first-ever nonstop flights straight to the buzzy beachside town. Located just 30 minutes or so from the center of Tulum proper, the airport actually opened in December – but only to domestic flights from within Mexico. Thursday marked the start of international service.
And tons of airlines are in on the fun from the start. Within weeks of announcing it would open for international service in spring 2024, all but a few major airlines hatched plans to fly there:
- Delta was the first to put Tulum on the map, starting with daily nonstop service from its Atlanta (ATL) megahub on day one.
- American is already going even further, flying to Tulum twice a day from its hubs in Charlotte (CLT) and Miami (MIA) – and twice a day from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)
- United Airlines commences nonstop service from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), Houston-Intercontinental (IAH), and Newark (EWR) this weekend, adding summer flights to and from Los Angeles (LAX) in late May
- JetBlue will add nonstops to Tulum from New York City (JFK) this summer
- Spirit planned two nonstop routes but the ultra-low-cost-carrier has since indefinitely shelved those flights
- For Canadians, Air Canada plans to start once- or twice-a-week flights from both Toronto (YYZ) and Montreal (YUL)
Wondering what the brand-new airport is like? Stay tuned: We’ll have a travel reporter on the ground in the coming weeks!
Once a hidden gem south in the Riviera Maya, Tulum's surging popularity has made it a bonafide tourist magnet. Located 40 miles south of Playa del Carmen and 75 miles south of Cancún, Tulum is known for its beachfront hotels, its archeological ruins, and the Parque Nacional Tulum. New boutique accommodations, all-inclusive resorts, and hotels from the majo chains seem to pop up every month.
Despite years of chatter, Tulum lacked its own airport to handle an influx of tourists. But a rapid construction project starting in 2022 spearheaded by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador changed that.
It's the third major airport in the region, after Cancún (CUN) and Cozumel (CZM). And while it's the closest to Tulum by far, it's still a 30- to 40-minute drive to the town, beaches, and famous ruins.
A brand-new train line dubbed Tren Maya connecting Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and the rest of Quintana Roo and other surrounding states is also up and running … at least in part. The entire line isn't expected to be open until sometime later this year, however.
Nonstop service to Tulum from the States comes at the perfect time for a spring warmup – and maybe on a bargain, too.
Travelers flocked to the beaches of Mexico in the first years of the pandemic thanks to lax entry restrictions, but travel demand from the U.S. down to the Yucatán seems to have plateaued. With plenty of seats to fill, it's led to fire sale prices to Cancún … and even on the new flights to Tulum, too.
We've sent Thrifty Traveler Premium members deal after deal to either airport in recent months, including sub-$300 roundtrip fares straight into Tulum for a trip this spring, summer, and even out into next winter.
Get flight deals into Tulum and beyond straight into your inbox with Thrifty Traveler Premium!
Bottom Line
There's a new, faster way to get to Tulum.
Nonstop flights between the U.S. and the new Tulum (TQO) airport are officially underway after kicking off Thursday. A handful of major U.S. airlines like American and Delta are already flying there, and even more nonstops are on the way soon.