Flights to Puerto Vallarta
PVR is unusually well connected for a city this size — direct from much of North America, and a short hop from anywhere in Mexico.
Puerto Vallarta's airport — Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International (PVR) — sits just north of the city, near Marina Vallarta. It handles a heavy seasonal load of North American traffic, which is good news: in high season you have a lot of direct options, and competition keeps fares reasonable.
Where you can fly direct from
These are the non-stop routes announced for the 2026–27 winter season, when the network is at its widest. Some run only from November or December to April, and summer schedules are much thinner. Flying times are approximate, worked out from the distance; check your own schedule.
2026 has been an unsettled year for routes. Spirit Airlines stopped flying in May, and Alaska Airlines has dropped several winter routes to Puerto Vallarta, including from Sacramento, Las Vegas, St Louis and New York JFK. New this winter are Porter from Edmonton, Air Canada Rouge from Calgary, Flair from Montréal, and Delta from Seattle and Minneapolis.
From the United States
| From | Airlines | Flying time |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Alaska, American, Delta; United in winter | about 3 h 15 |
| San Francisco | Alaska, United | about 4 h 00 |
| San Diego | Alaska, Southwest | about 3 h 00 |
| Orange County | Southwest | about 3 h 15 |
| Sacramento | Southwest (winter) | about 4 h 00 |
| Seattle | Alaska; Delta from 19 December 2026 | about 5 h 15 |
| Portland | Alaska (winter) | about 5 h 00 |
| Phoenix | American, Southwest | about 2 h 45 |
| Las Vegas | Southwest | about 3 h 15 |
| Salt Lake City | Delta | about 3 h 45 |
| Denver | United (daily from 25 October 2026), Southwest; Frontier in winter | about 3 h 30 |
| Dallas/Fort Worth | American | about 2 h 45 |
| Houston | United (Bush Intercontinental); Southwest (Hobby) | about 2 h 30 |
| Austin | Southwest (winter) | about 2 h 15 |
| Chicago O'Hare | American, United (winter) | about 4 h 30 |
| Minneapolis | Sun Country; Delta from 5 December 2026 | about 4 h 30 |
| Detroit | Delta (winter) | about 5 h 00 |
| Atlanta | Delta | about 4 h 00 |
| New York (Newark) | United | about 5 h 30 |
From Canada
| From | Airlines | Flying time |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | Air Canada, WestJet; Flair in winter | about 5 h 30 |
| Calgary | WestJet, Flair; Air Canada Rouge from 10 December 2026 to 10 April 2027 | about 5 h 15 |
| Edmonton | WestJet, Flair; Porter from 3 November 2026 | about 5 h 45 |
| Toronto | Air Canada, WestJet, Porter; Air Transat and Flair in winter | about 5 h 15 |
| Montréal | Air Canada (winter); Flair weekly from 16 December 2026 | about 6 h 00 |
| Winnipeg | WestJet (winter) | about 5 h 00 |
WestJet also flies in winter from Saskatoon, Regina, Kelowna, Victoria, Abbotsford, Comox and Prince George, and Air Transat from Québec City.
Within Mexico
| From | Airlines | Flying time |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | Aeroméxico, Volaris, Viva (also from Felipe Ángeles airport: Aeroméxico Connect, Mexicana, Volaris, Viva) | about 1 h 30 |
| Guadalajara | Volaris, Viva | about 45 min |
| Monterrey | Volaris, Viva | about 1 h 30 |
| Tijuana | Volaris, Viva | about 3 h 00 |
Volaris also connects Puerto Vallarta with Aguascalientes, León, Mexicali, Puebla, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí, and Viva with Chihuahua.
From the UK and Europe
There's no scheduled non-stop flight this winter. TUI's flights from the UK were reported in November 2025 to be paused until 2027 at the earliest, so expect one connection, most often through a US hub, Mexico City or a Canadian city.
Who flies to Puerto Vallarta? The airlines at PVR
Several North American services run only in winter, so treat this as the shape of the network rather than a timetable:
- From the United States: Alaska, American, United, Delta and Southwest carry most of the traffic, with Frontier and Sun Country on a few routes, concentrated on the western and central hubs.
- From Canada: Air Canada (including Rouge), WestJet, Porter, Flair and Air Transat, heavily weighted to the November–April season and to the western and prairie cities.
- Within Mexico: Aeroméxico, Volaris and VivaAerobús, which between them connect PVR to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Tijuana year-round.
The domestic carriers are worth knowing about even if you're flying from abroad: if the direct fare from your city is high, routing through Mexico City or Guadalajara on a low-cost domestic connection is often substantially cheaper. Read the baggage rules before you do — the Mexican low-cost airlines are strict, and a fare that looks cheap frequently isn't once a case is added.
When to book
- High season (November–April): book well ahead. Canadian and US winter demand is heavy, and the Christmas, New Year and Easter peaks sell out months in advance at the worst prices of the year.
- Green season (June–October): far more availability and much cheaper fares — the flip side is humidity and afternoon storms. See best time to visit.
- Shoulder weeks: May and late October regularly give dry-season weather at green-season fares. If your dates are flexible, that's where the value is.
Flight plus hotel, or separately?
Packages can genuinely undercut booking separately for the big all-inclusive resorts, because operators buy rooms in bulk. They rarely help if you want a small hotel in Old Town, which is where we'd suggest most first-timers stay — those properties aren't usually in package inventory. Price both before deciding, and read what the package actually includes: transfers are sometimes in, sometimes not.
Arriving at PVR
PVR serves the whole of Banderas Bay and the coast north of it. There's no separate airport for Nuevo Vallarta, Punta Mita, Bucerías or Sayulita, so "flights to Nuevo Vallarta" and "flights to Punta Mita" both mean flights to Puerto Vallarta. The airport is small and straightforward, but the arrivals hall has one well-known trap: people offering "free" tours, transport or welcome gifts are timeshare representatives, not airport staff. Walk past them to the official taxi booth or your pre-booked driver.
Taxi fares, Uber, buses, drive times to each area and the new terminal are all in our Puerto Vallarta airport guide.
Flying to Nuevo Vallarta, Sayulita, Mismaloya and the rest of the bay
Whichever town on Banderas Bay you're heading for, you fly into Puerto Vallarta (PVR) and finish the trip by road — or, for the boat-only villages of the south shore, by water taxi. Here's how far each one is:
| Flying to… | Airport | By road from PVR | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marina Vallarta | PVR | 7 km | 5–10 min |
| Nuevo Vallarta | PVR | 8 km | 15–20 min |
| Hotel Zone | PVR | 11 km | 10–15 min |
| Downtown and the Malecón | PVR | 14 km | 15–25 min |
| Old Town (Zona Romántica) | PVR | 15 km | 20–30 min |
| Bucerías | PVR | 14 km | 20–30 min |
| La Cruz de Huanacaxtle | PVR | 20 km | 25–40 min |
| Mismaloya | PVR | 27 km | 35–50 min |
| Boca de Tomatlán, for Las Ánimas | PVR | 31 km | 40–55 min |
| Punta de Mita | PVR | 35–42 km | 45–60 min |
| Sayulita | PVR | 34 km | About 1 hour |
| San Pancho | PVR | 38 km | About 1 hour |
| Yelapa | PVR | No road | 20–30 min to the Los Muertos pier, then 40–45 min by water taxi |
| San Sebastián del Oeste | PVR | 83 km | About 2 hours, mountain road |
Road distances come from OpenStreetMap routing; drive times are the ranges from our area guides, which allow for normal traffic. Add time in the late afternoon and in high season. For the towns on the Nayarit side, a pre-booked transfer is the simplest option, because airport taxi zones and ride-hailing get complicated across the state line.
Airports near Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta's is the only commercial airport on Banderas Bay, and for almost every trip it's the one to use. The nearest alternatives are hours away by road:
| Airport | By road from PVR | Passengers (2025) | Worth considering? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Vallarta (PVR) | — | 6.9 million | Yes: the airport for the whole bay |
| Tepic (TPQ), Nayarit | 170 km, at least 2 h 15 | About 239,000 | Rarely. Flights from Mexico City, Tijuana, Los Angeles (Volaris), Houston (United) and, in season, Calgary (WestJet) |
| Manzanillo (ZLO), Colima | 259 km, at least 3 h 30 | About 231,000 | Only for the Costalegre coast south of Puerto Vallarta |
| Guadalajara (GDL), Jalisco | 322 km, at least 4 h | 18.7 million | As a connection: flights from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta take about 45 minutes |
Driving times are without traffic; allow more. If your best fare lands in Guadalajara or Mexico City, a short domestic flight on to PVR is almost always better than the drive.
Practical notes
- Departure: PVR gets congested in high season, when several US- and Canada-bound flights leave together. Allow extra time; see the airport guide.
- Time zone: Puerto Vallarta is in Jalisco, and the Bahía de Banderas side of Nayarit — Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías, Punta Mita, Sayulita and San Pancho — keeps the same time. Further north into Nayarit is an hour behind, which matters only if you drive up the coast.
- Connections: if routing through Mexico City, allow generous time — you may need to clear immigration and recheck bags.
Frequently asked
Who flies to Puerto Vallarta?
From the United States, mainly Alaska, American, United, Delta and Southwest, with Frontier and Sun Country on a few routes; from Canada, Air Canada (including Rouge), WestJet, Porter, Flair and Air Transat; within Mexico, Aeroméxico, Volaris and Viva. Many North American routes run only in winter.
Is there an airport in Nuevo Vallarta?
No. Flights to Nuevo Vallarta are flights to Puerto Vallarta (PVR), about 8 km away: a 15 to 20 minute drive. The same airport serves Bucerías, Punta de Mita and Sayulita.
What airport do you fly into for Mismaloya, Sayulita or Punta de Mita?
Puerto Vallarta (PVR) for all three. Mismaloya is about 27 km south, 35 to 50 minutes by road; Sayulita about an hour north; Punta de Mita 45 to 60 minutes.
What other airports are near Puerto Vallarta?
Tepic (TPQ) is 170 km away, Manzanillo (ZLO) 259 km and Guadalajara (GDL) 322 km, all at least two hours' drive. For almost every trip, fly into Puerto Vallarta, connecting through Guadalajara or Mexico City if needed.
How long is the flight to Puerto Vallarta?
About 2 h 15 to 3 h 30 from Texas, Arizona, Colorado and southern California; 4 to 5 h 30 from Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Seattle and Minneapolis; 5 to 6 hours from Canada; 45 minutes from Guadalajara and 1 h 30 from Mexico City.
When are flights to Puerto Vallarta cheapest?
In the green season, June to October, and in the shoulder weeks of May and late October. Christmas, New Year and Easter are the most expensive, and sell out months ahead.
Latest articles
Puerto Vallarta Transport Cost Estimator
What it costs to get around Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay — by bus, Uber, taxi or water taxi — with the…
Read →
Puerto Vallarta Trip Budget Calculator
Work out what your trip will cost — in total, per person and per day — from a guesthouse budget to a resort…
Read →
Puerto Vallarta Map
The city, the beaches, the boat-only coves and the towns around Banderas Bay on one map — each linked to its…
Read →