The new terminal in the Mexico City airport is almost one year old and the service and organization have certainly improved. As I wrote after it had recently opened it was barely functioning and chaos ruled. The improvements are enormous but the smart traveler still needs to be aware of some of the peculiarities in T2.

This terminal serves both national and international travelers. Those arriving will appreciate the sleek customs area, polite officials and speedy passage. However, leaving the airport still can pose problems, especially if you have a connecting flight in the original terminal (T1). For a connecting flight it is necessary to take the inter-terminal train. For this you should plan on at least 20 minutes travel time. If you are leaving the airport and want to continue on your journey by bus or are heading to a hotel things are a bit more complicated.
First, let’s assume that you want to overnight near the airport. If that is the case I highly recommend the Hotel Gran Prix. . I found the staff exceedingly helpful and polite, the rooms immaculate, and room service great. The cost ($75) is about half that of either the Camino Real or the Fiesta Inn which are both basically attached to the airport. The Gran Prix has a representative at each terminal carrying a sign. Once you locate that person, s/he will radio for a van to come pick you up. The wait was less than 15 minutes. (This is the case for several of the nearby hotels including: Camino real, Fiesta. Ramada, Holiday Inn, Rizorior) The hotel representatives congregate in front of the National arrival area in T1 and downstairs at T2.
If, however, your plans are for you to continue on to other parts of Mexico by bus this is fairly easy. In T2 there is a bus terminal and waiting room downstairs. You can ask for info there. However, not all the bus lines are represented nor do they all make pick up stops there. I, for example, was continuing on to Jalapa on the ADO bus line. This particular bus line (and its affiliate V @ B) has its terminal at the Camino Real Hotel in T1. I grabbed a porter who took me downstairs at T2 to the Camino Real van which provided the necessary shuttle service. The cost of the service was simply a tip… I gave 50 pesos to the porter, then 50 to each of the subsequent porters at the hotel who carried my luggage to the waiting room for the bus. The other option is to take the train over to T1 whose stop is about at the front door of the Camino Real. All the other bus lines have their airport terminal stops at T1 in a designated area. So if you are traveling to Queretaro, Puebla, Toluca, Oaxaca, etc you need to head there. You really need to check beforehand which terminal you are arriving at or departing from. Once on the ground it is still difficult to obtain adequate information.

I noticed that inside the gate area of T2 the PA system is really good so the announcements are clear. All officials were polite and professional. Once in the gate area there still is not much to do. There are very few shops and phones are hard to find. Unfortunately after only 10 months things are breaking down: the sinks in the bathrooms were out of order, toilets waste lots of water since they automatically flush as you enter and as you leave, the roof is leaking so one maneuvers around buckets placed under leaks, and, in order to maintain a clean terminal, there are hordes of cleaners mopping around your feet. If you plan on eating, the best option is the food court rather than the restaurants. The noise level is much less as is the actual cost of the food.

The best advice for getting through the airport experience is to check your terminal, give yourself plenty of time, ask questions of several people, and take things as they come!