Arriving at the Puerto Vallarta Gustavo Diaz Ordaz Airport does not need to be a daunting experience if you understand the routine.  You first go through immigration with your Tourist card and your customs card (which you should have filled out on the airplane) along with your passport – a stamped portion of your Tourist card will be returned to you, which you must not lose, as you will have to return it on your way home.  Proceed to the baggage claim carousel if you have checked luggage.  After this come Customs, where each family or group pushes a button which randomly turns either red or green.  If the light is red, you must have your luggage inspected, although this inspection is usually not too invasive.

It’s after you get out of this that the airport becomes a little sketchy, with very official-looking people trying to usher you around toward counters, etc.  These are timeshare people, and you probably want to avoid them.  That include the people who claim to protect you from the timeshare folks and they disguise themselves by wearing the hotel's logo on their uniform. Once outside, you will see two taxi booths – ignore the people shouting “TAXI!” and buy your ticket at a booth.  These tickets are a bit above the normal (yellow) taxi price, because it is a Federal Zone and taxis need to have expensive plates to do business there.

If you are arriving by cruise ship, you will find these same white Federal taxis, but you can walk up the road to catch a cheaper yellow cab.  If you have not booked any tours through your cruise company, you will have to wait an hour to embark after all the passengers who did book their tours through the cruise company.