🛫 The Single Terminal — Two Concourses

Airlines: Avianca (the dominant carrier and Star Alliance partner via United/Copa codeshare), Copa Airlines (Star Alliance, Panama-based hub-and-spoke), American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Aeroméxico, Iberia, Volaris El Salvador, Wingo, plus Spirit’s former routes now operated by JetBlue, Avianca and Volaris.

Layout: One main terminal building, two concourses (north for international, south for domestic and Central American regional). Walk time check-in to the furthest international gate: 8–12 minutes. There’s no inter-concourse shuttle — everything is connected by airside corridors. Domestic and international share the same check-in hall on the ground floor.

📥 Spirit Airlines Collapse — What Changed in May 2026

Spirit Airlines ceased operations in May 2026. Pre-collapse, Spirit ran daily MIA–GUA and FLL–GUA rotations carrying budget travellers from South Florida. JetBlue absorbed FLL–GUA; Avianca and Volaris El Salvador picked up the MIA–GUA market.

Practical impact: GUA–US fares from Florida are 15–25% higher in mid-2026 than the Spirit-era floor. Volaris El Salvador (a low-cost subsidiary of Mexican carrier Volaris) is the closest budget replacement; reliability has improved markedly since Spirit’s last quarter.

90-Day CA-4 Stamp · Shared Across 4 Countries

EU/UK/US/CA/AU/NZ get up to 90 days on arrival, but the clock is shared with El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua under CA-4. Crossing into one of those countries doesn’t reset the timer. To reset, leave for Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama or fly out — minimum 72-hour absence. Extensions of another 90 days are possible at the Migración office (Q254 fee, ~30 min appointment) but only granted once per stay.

USD Accepted · Quetzals Cleaner

USD is widely accepted in tourist Guatemala — Antigua hotels, Lake Atitlán boats, Tikal tours — at a 5–8% mark-up over the official rate. For everything else (food carts, chicken-bus fares, market shopping), use Quetzals. ATM fees: Q25–40 plus your home bank’s. Withdraw Q1,500–3,000 in arrivals; the airport BAC and Banrural ATMs have decent rates. The Q200 note is hard to break in markets; ask the ATM for Q100s and Q50s.

No EES, No ETIAS, No Tourist Refund

Guatemala is not in any visa-waiver scheme requiring online pre-registration. The EU’s EES and ETIAS apply only to the Schengen area — Guatemala is not affected. There is no tourist VAT/IVA refund at GUA. The 12% IVA on goods is included in the price and stays in Guatemala. Ron Zacapa, coffee and chocolate are duty-free standouts; we’ll cover them in Section 5.

⭐ Official Airport Taxis — Flat Zone Rate

GUA runs licensed taxi desks immediately past Customs in the Arrivals hall (Taxi Amarillo and Taxi Plus). Pay at the desk, get a slip, dispatcher hands you off to the next car. The price is fixed by destination zone — no haggling, no meter surprises. Yellow cars (Amarillo) and white-with-stripes (Plus) only. All accept card.

🚚 Antigua Shuttles — The Default Move for Most Travellers

Most leisure travellers skip Guatemala City entirely and head straight from GUA to Antigua, 45–75 minutes west depending on traffic. Atitrans and Clásica Tours have shuttle desks in Arrivals offering Q80–120 per person (multi-stop minivan, 8–15 passengers). Departures every 60–90 minutes 06:00–20:00. Drop you at any hotel within Antigua. Direct private taxi: Q280–400 for the whole car.

📱 Uber, InDriver & Yango — The App Lane

Uber, InDriver and Yango all operate at GUA. Pickups happen at a Level 1 designated app zone, signposted “Aplicaciones”. Uber is fully legal in Guatemala City — no driver awkwardness like Cartagena’s grey area. Apps are typically 30–50% cheaper than the official desk for the same trip; the official taxi is the late-night/no-data backup.

🚫 Tuk-Tuks & Chicken Buses — Don’t

Tuk-tuks (auto-rickshaws) are common in Antigua and rural Guatemala but do not operate at GUA airport — if someone offers you one, it’s either bait or a scam. Chicken buses (camionetas, the painted ex-school buses) are quintessentially Guatemalan and a memorable experience — just not from the airport with luggage. They run from the Trebol intersection 2 km from GUA, no fixed schedule, no luggage racks, and target tourists for theft. Skip both for the airport transfer; experience them on day 2 when you’re settled in Antigua.

✨ Copa Club (international airside, status only)

Pollo Campero is a Guatemalan institution, founded in 1971, now operating across Latin America and the US. The GUA airport branch is the original-strength version — crispier, juicier and ~30% cheaper than US imports. Order the 3-piece combo with rice and frijoles volteados (~Q55–75). The Pollo Campero at the food court is open 05:00–23:00. The McDonald’s and Burger King are at the same food court; skip them — you can have those anywhere.

Café Barista at GUA central concourse does proper Guatemalan single-origin (try Antigua Genuine or Huehuetenango single-origin) for Q22–35. The smaller Café León stand at the international concourse is where serious coffee enthusiasts go — Acatenango microlot, properly extracted, Q35–48. Skip the airport Starbucks — you have that everywhere.

Ron Zacapa Centenario (the 23-year-old solera-aged rum, Q280–420 a litre at duty-free, ~40% cheaper than US import) is the export-gift default. Ron Botran 18-year is the second-best Guatemalan rum and tougher to find abroad. Whole-bean Antigua Genuine coffee, single-origin, vacuum-sealed. Cacaohabla and Choco Museo chocolate. Guatemalan jade at the Joyería Maya stand — certified imperial jade, but compare to Antigua artisan-market prices first; the airport markup is real. Avoid the Mayan textiles — they’re 60% cheaper from any Antigua market stall.

Pepían is Guatemala’s national dish — a thick, smoky, spice-stewed chicken or beef in a sauce darkened with toasted seeds and chiles. Las Brisas at the airport food court does a credible airport rendering for ~Q70–95 a plate. Ask for the side of frijoles volteados (Guatemalan-style refried black beans) and a stack of fresh corn tortillas. If you have one Guatemalan meal at the airport, this is it.

Spirit Airlines collapsed in May 2026 and no longer operates any flights, including FLL/MIA – GUA. JetBlue absorbed FLL–GUA; Avianca and Volaris El Salvador picked up MIA–GUA. Direct from JFK is JetBlue. Old Spirit GUA tickets are essentially worthless; check your travel insurance for airline-insolvency coverage. Allow 1–2 weeks for refund processing through the bankruptcy estate.

Guatemala City sits at 1,500 m elevation — subtropical highlands rather than tropical lowlands. 18–25°C daytime year-round, 12–15°C overnight. The dry season (November–April) is sunny and pleasant; the wet season (May–October) brings short heavy afternoon thunderstorms but mornings are usually clear. Antigua is similar; Lake Atitlán is similar. Tikal in the lowlands is hot. Bring a light fleece for evenings — you will use it.

Guatemala City tap water is not safe to drink, including airport washroom taps. Bottled water airside runs Q12–18 for 500 ml. Status lounges (Copa Club, Avianca Sala) have free filtered water. Hot drinks (coffee, tea) are safe because boiling kills bacteria. Outside the airport, in Antigua and Lake Atitlán, the same rule applies; ice in restaurants is generally safe in tourist hotels but ask if uncertain.

For Guatemala City and Antigua: Airalo, Holafly, GigSky and Saily all work fine — ~US$10–20 for 5–10 GB / 14 days. For travel beyond — Lake Atitlán, Tikal, Semuc Champey, Highland villages — buy a local SIM. Tigo has the best Guatemalan rural coverage; Claro is second. The Tigo kiosk at GUA arrivals takes a passport and 10 minutes; ask for the “Tigo Tour” bundle (~Q150–200 for 30 days unlimited domestic data).

Antigua is among Central America’s safest destinations; tourist police walk the streets and the historic centre is well-lit. Guatemala City Zone 10 (Zona Viva), Zone 14, and Zone 15 are similarly safe. Avoid Zones 1 (historic centre at night), 3 (industrial), 18 (Eastern peripheral) after dark. The single biggest rule: do not hail street taxis; use Uber, InDriver or Yango only. The GUA airport itself is safe and well-policed; the official taxi desks are 100% legitimate. Solo travel to Lake Atitlán and Antigua via the daytime shuttle is fine — the routes are tourist-saturated.

Guatemala’s Cabinet approved a replacement airport at El Tepeyac (San Juan Sacatepéquez, 25 km west of Guatemala City) in 2024-25 to relieve La Aurora’s capacity and noise problems. Site preparation began 2025; construction has not yet started in earnest as of mid-2026. Optimistic opening 2030; realistic 2032–2034. Until then, La Aurora handles every passenger flight in the country. When El Tepeyac opens, expect a 35-minute drive from the city centre vs the current 15–25 — further but less noisy and properly sized. If you’re reading this in 2027 or later, double-check which airport you’re flying into — the IATA code GUA may transfer to El Tepeyac on opening.