Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez SCL: the complete layover guide

SCL is a two building airport: T2, the big international terminal that opened in February 2022, and T1, the older domestic terminal sitting right beside it.

Every international flight uses T2. The building covers roughly 248,000 square meters, about double the size of the old terminal, and it shows its youth in the best way: high ceilings, daylight, working escalators, and enough seating that you are not fighting for a bench at gate level. Departures sit on the third floor with self service bag drop machines, arrivals exit on the ground floor. T1, the original terminal, now handles only domestic flights, and a refurbishment program has been working through it section by section, so expect some construction noise on the domestic side.

Moving between the two buildings is simple but it happens landside. A pedestrian route with travelators links the terminals over about 500 meters; allow 10 to 15 minutes at a normal walk with bags. There is also a free shuttle bus running every 10 to 15 minutes around the clock, worth taking in rain since part of the walking route is exposed. Whichever you choose, you clear security again at the next terminal, so a terminal change is never a five minute errand.

Connections are where Santiago demands respect. Domestic to international on a single LATAM ticket carries a published minimum of 75 minutes, and that works because your bags transfer automatically. International to domestic is the trap: you clear Chilean immigration, collect your bags, pass customs and agricultural inspection, then move to T1 and drop the bags again. The published minimum is 110 minutes. On time inbound, light immigration queues, no checked bags, fine. Any friction and you are rebooking. On separate tickets, treat 3 hours as the floor and do not argue with the floor.

Heading into the city, there is no rail link, so it comes down to road. The Centropuerto and Turbus buses leave from outside arrivals and reach the Pajaritos and Los Heroes metro stations in 35 to 45 minutes for a few dollars, which makes them the best value by a mile. Official taxis booked at the counters in the arrivals hall run about 20,000 to 30,000 Chilean pesos to downtown or Providencia and take 25 to 40 minutes outside rush hour. Rideshare apps work and usually undercut the taxi counters slightly. Downtown is about 15 kilometers away, close enough that a city run on a 7 hour layover is realistic if immigration is kind.

Wifi is free and unlimited in both terminals on the official airport network. Sessions can drop and force a reconnect, which is irritating on a video call, but there is no data cap and no fee. Power outlets and charging points are spread through the gate areas in T2, more thinly in T1.