Getting There By Air
Aeropuerto Arturo Merino Benitez (SCL)
Tel: (2) 690 1752 or 690 1753 (information).
Website: www.aeropuertosantiago.cl
All flights to Santiago arrive at the Arturo Merino Bentez Airport located in the city’s eastern suburb of Pudahuel, 25km (16 miles) northwest of the city. There are two terminals, international and domestic, and over six million passengers pass through here every year on flights from all major cities in the Americas and Europe.
Approximate flight times to Santiago: From London is 20 hours; from New York is 10 hours; from Los Angeles is 16 hours; from Toronto is 17 hours and from Sydney is 26 hours.
Airport facilities: These include restaurants, bars, a post office, left-luggage, tourist information, duty-free shops, boutiques, VIP lounges, a bureau de change and ATMs. There is a first-aid centre at the western end of the first floor of the International Terminal, with a fully equipped ambulance on 24-hour standby. Passengers in search of lost property should call the airport’s helpline (tel: (2) 690 1707), open daily 0800-1800. Car hire is available from eight companies, including Avis and Alamo.
Transport to the city: TurBus (tel: (2) 270 7500 or 601 9573; website: www.turbus.cl) operates buses that leave every 30 minutes (0530 to 0000) from outside arrivals, stopping at city centre locations, including Los Hroes and Universidad de Santiago Metro stations. CentroPuerto (tel: (2) 601 9883 or 601 0549) offers a similar service. Door-to-door mini-van transfers from airport to hotel are offered by TransVip (tel: (2) 677 3010/00; website: www.transvip.cl) and TurTransfer (tel: (2) 677 3600; website: www.turtransfer.cl). It is possible to find space in one of these mini-vans on arrival but advance booking is advisable and can be done by phone or by Internet. For safety purposes, visitors are advised to only use the airport’s official taxi service (tel: (2) 690 1381), which is available 24-hours a day. A trip to the downtown area should cost little more than US$15 (journey time – approximately 25 minutes, although it can take much longer due to traffic).
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Getting There By Air