Set on 7,100 acres of land in sunny Texas, El Paso International Airport (ELP) is a small, regional airport that sees three million visitors each year. At 6km (3.7 miles) from downtown El Paso and 19km (12 miles) north of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, the airport functions as a major gateway between the two countries.
The airport is functional and sees a lot of fairly localised travel, so don't expect too much by way of duty free shopping or international cuisine. The central terminal is small and logically laid out, with a decent mix of coffee shops and fast food joints to see you through.
El Paso itself is a large border community that sees much trade and commerce, so there are many flights to El Paso International Airport from cities around the US. The airport has a huge cargo section and is surrounded by several industrial parks.
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The airport has one main entrance to a central ground floor area where you can find the ticketing desks, baggage claim area, some shops, a restaurant and a bar. The upper level branches into two concourses to the east and west, where you'll find all boarding gates and a food court. There's a security checkpoint between the east and west concourses, which can take an hour or more to get through – so make sure you give yourself enough time between flights.
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Train: There is no train station at the airport.
Taxi: There are three metered taxi companies licensed to operate from the airport: Border Cab, Sun City Cab and United Independent Cab. They leave from just outside the main entrance to the airport. It'll cost you at least $10 to get into the city, excluding a 10-15 per cent tip. Several hotels in the area offer airport shuttle services – it'll be worth it to double check.
Bus: Sun Metro's Route 33 bus goes to the Downtown Plaza and Bassett Shopping Centre in El Paso every 45 minutes or so, from early in the morning till about 9pm. A ticket is $1.50 – make sure you have exact change.
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There's a large short-term parking lot just across the road from the entrance to the main building. The first half hour is free, the second costs $1.50, and thereafter it's an extra $1 per hour, or $10 for the day.
There are two long-term parking lots which of free for the first half hour, $1 for the next half hour, and then $0.50 every hour an hour after that, or $5 per day. There are shuttle buses to take you from the car park to the terminal entrance. Altogether there are almost 6,000 spaces (excluding the extra parking made available over Thanksgiving and Christmas) so you shouldn't have any trouble finding a spot.
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Money and communications: ATMs and currency exchange in the Travelex business centre near the information desk.
Luggage: There is lost property at the airport and a left-luggage office.
Conference and business: The Travelex business centre, near the information desk in the main lobby, has phone and fax facilities, Wi-Fi stations, travel insurance, photocopying, and an overnight package delivery service.
Other facilities: Not applicable.
Wi-Fi: There is Wi-Fi access in most public areas at the airport, although it's not free. You'll need to create an account with the Wi-Fi provider, Boingo, and pay online. Otherwise, the business centre (near the information desk in the main lobby) has Wi-Fi stations, although you'll need to pay to use these.
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