Arriving
From the mainland this is a domestic flight. No customs, no immigration, no passport if you are a US citizen flying direct; you need the same ID you used to board, which since May 7, 2025 means a REAL ID license with the star, a passport, or another TSA-accepted ID. A passport only comes into it if your trip routes through a foreign country. TSA: REAL ID
The airport is in Carolina, on the east edge of the city, with Isla Verde's hotels directly across the highway. Baggage claim is on the ground floor of each terminal; the official taxi stands are outside the Terminal B and C exits and on the Terminal A arrivals level, and dispatchers quote the fare before you get in. A separate first-floor pickup lane for friends and family opened in November 2024, so a ride from someone you know no longer means circling. Free WiFi on the network SJUFreeWiFi. Your US phone plan works here; Puerto Rico is inside every major carrier's domestic coverage. Discover Puerto Rico: taxis
Getting into town
- Taxi Turístico
Isla Verde $12, Condado, Miramar, Ocean Park and Santurce $17, Old San Juan and the cruise piers $21, the Convention Center and Isla Grande airport $17, plus $1 a bag, $1 after 10 pm, and a $3 airport fee. Rates are posted in the cab and drift upward; these were current in January 2026. Tolls and tip are extra. Old San Juan is about 15 minutes outside rush hour. San Juan taxi rates
- Uber
Licensed to pick up at SJU since 2017. The app shows the exact spot once the ride is confirmed; give the driver your terminal and door. Aerostar's own advisories mention Lyft too, but Uber is the one with the published pickup page. Do not take a ride offered at the curb. Uber: SJU pickup
- Rental car
Enterprise, Alamo and National are in the garage across from baggage claim with kiosks and no shuttle; the other majors are on the same floor, and the cheaper local outfits run shuttles from the pickup lane. Book ahead for Christmas and SanSe; the garage sells out. Enterprise at SJU
- Bus
The AMA's E40 express runs from the upper level to the Piñero Tren Urbano station until 8 pm; route 53 goes to Old San Juan's Covadonga terminal. Slow, cheap, fine with one bag.
Drive times from the airport, outside rush hour (6 to 8 am and 4 to 6 pm): Old San Juan 15 minutes, Luquillo and El Yunque under an hour, Fajardo and the Ceiba ferry about 90 minutes, Ponce 90 minutes to two hours, Rincón two and a half. More on driving, tolls and the ferries on the getting around page.
Terminals and airlines
Four terminals in a row, A to D, connected landside and by a post-security walkway between A, B and C. Terminal B's checkpoint serves B, C and D; Terminal A has its own, open 4 am to 7 pm. The lineup as of mid-2026, after Spirit's shutdown in May took nine routes with it:
| Terminal | Airlines |
|---|---|
| A | JetBlue, Air Canada, Avelo, Tradewind. Duty free and the Terminal A lounge. Ticket counter open 24 hours. |
| B | Delta, United, Southwest, Air Canada check-in. The main TSA checkpoint. |
| C | Frontier, American, Arajet, Avianca, Copa, Iberia, and JetBlue's international arrivals. The Terminal C lounge. |
| D | Cape Air, Caribbean Airlines, InterCaribbean, charters, and the airport hotel. Delta, Frontier and United spill over here at peak. |
Nonstops from the mainland: American from Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Philadelphia; Delta from Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis and JFK; United from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark and Dulles; Southwest from Baltimore, Chicago Midway, Fort Lauderdale, Houston Hobby, Nashville, Orlando, St. Louis and Tampa; JetBlue from fifteen cities including Boston, JFK, Newark, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and, from November 2026, Baltimore; Frontier from fourteen; Avelo from four small ones; Sun Country from Minneapolis. SJU airlines and destinations Caribbean Journal, May 2026: after Spirit
The small airports
- Isla Grande (SIG)
The city's old airport on the bay, where Vieques Air Link and Air Flamenco fly nine-seat Islanders to Vieques (25 minutes) and Culebra (30), from about $89 to $109 one way. Cheaper than SJU's Cape Air flights and a shorter walk to the plane. Discover Puerto Rico: getting to Vieques and Culebra
- Ceiba (NRR)
Ten-minute hops to Vieques and Culebra, about $80 round trip, on the same two airlines. The move when the ferry sells out.
- Aguadilla (BQN)
JetBlue from JFK, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando; United from Newark; Frontier from Orlando; Avelo from Lakeland and New Haven starting November 2026. Fly here for a west coast trip and skip the two-and-a-half-hour drive.
- Ponce (PSE)
JetBlue from Fort Lauderdale (daily since July 2026) and Orlando; Frontier from Orlando.
Leaving: the bag inspection
Every bag leaving Puerto Rico for the mainland, checked and carry-on, goes through a USDA agriculture inspection before the airline counter. Have your bags ready to open; declared items take a minute or two, undeclared ones cost $100 to $1,000 and are confiscated either way. The list that matters: USDA APHIS: Puerto Rico travelers notice, July 2026
| Goes home | Stays here |
|---|---|
| Coffee, rum, hot sauce, anything canned or shelf-stable | Soil, plants, cuttings, seeds for planting, cactus |
| Avocado, banana, coconut, citrus, cantaloupe, breadfruit, cassava, corn on the cob | Mango, papaya, pineapple, soursop, strawberries, watermelon, most other fresh fruit |
| Dried herbs, ginger root, cut flowers, mushrooms | Tomatoes, potatoes, squash, most fresh vegetables |
| Commercially canned pork, packaged baked goods | Pasteles, lechón, chicharrones, any uncanned pork |
| Clean empty shells, wood souvenirs if declared | Palm-frond crafts, live snails, pet birds |
The pork rule is the one that hurts at Christmas, and the airport says so every December: pasteles do not fly. Ship them? No. Eat them here.
Leaving: security
- Arrive two hours early, two and a half from mid-December through the first week of January, three for an international flight. TSA waits run about 20 minutes most of the year. In March 2026 a federal shutdown closed Terminal A's checkpoint and lines passed four hours; it was back to normal by April. Primera Hora, November 2025: Aerostar guidance
- TSA PreCheck works here and children 12 and under go through with you. CLEAR lanes opened in 2022.
- Rum. Carry-on only under 3.4 oz, so buy it at the Terminal A duty free after security or check it: up to 5 liters per person of anything 24 to 70 percent, sealed in retail packaging. TSA: alcohol
- Coquito is a liquid; it checks, it does not carry on. Frozen food can go in a carry-on only if it is still solid at the checkpoint, and pork is out regardless.
- The busiest days on record are all in December and January; TSA's holiday window is December 18 to January 8. SanSe 2027 is January 21 to 24.
Inside
- Lounges
The Lounge San Juan in Terminal A, past security and through the duty free on the right, up to four hours before departure; and a second on the third floor of Terminal C, over 18 only, reached through the B checkpoint. No Admirals Club, no Sky Club. Amex: Terminal A lounge
- Food
El Mesón Sandwiches, the island's own chain, for a last tripleta. Order kiosks everywhere since 2026.
- Kids
A free play area for ages 1 to 12, opened September 2026.
- Pets
- Lost and found
Aerostar holds items 30 days; sjulostandfound.com or 787-289-7240 ext. 2000. Anything left on the plane is the airline's.
Parking and the airport hotel
The five-story garage across from Terminals A, B and C runs about $27 for the first 24 hours and $18 a day after, with the first 15 minutes free; a cell phone lot beside Terminal A gives you 45 free minutes if you stay with the car. The whole airport has about 5,200 spaces and every one of them was full before Thanksgiving 2025. For anything over five days, use the Park and Ride at the Mall of San Juan: $60 for one to five days and $9.50 a day after, tolls and 24-hour security included, free shuttle every 30 minutes around the clock, booked through JustPark. Park and Ride at the Mall of San Juan Garage rates (third party, October 2026)
The San Juan Airport Hotel is inside Terminal D, landside, about $130 to $190 with breakfast, a gym and rooftop hot tubs; it also stores luggage for a daily fee. Across the highway in Isla Verde, ten minutes door to door, the Fairmont El San Juan, the Royal Sonesta and the Courtyard are the full-service beach options for a first or last night. Discover Puerto Rico: where to stay in Carolina
Hurricanes and the airport
SJU closed for two days for Maria in 2017 and one for Fiona in 2022, and reopened before most of the island had power: 24 generators, 12 megawatts, 40,000 gallons of diesel on site, and since 2026 a solar microgrid. When a storm is forecast the airlines post waivers a few days out that let you move your dates without a change fee; book refundable in August and September and watch the airline's travel alerts page, not the airport's. Metro PR, June 2026: hurricane readiness The season itself is on the when to go page.