Getting to the Airport

I know a number of people are traveling for the winter holiday, so it seems like a good time for a post on getting to the airport.

Most people who arrive at Queen Alia International Airport take the Sariyah Bus, aka Banana Bus, in order to get into the city:

It's hard to miss

At the airport, the driver usually waits for the bus to fill up before leaving, which means you'll most likely have a short wait (10 or 15 minutes) before leaving, but the price (3.25 JD) makes it well worth it.

For getting from Amman to the airport, there are a few options, and the Sariyah bus is still a good one so we'll start there. I called the Sariyah Express company, and the operator said that for departures to the airport they have the following schedule:

• The first bus of the day leaves at 06:15 from Mujamma3a al-Shamal (North Station/Tabarbour). 
• It takes 15-30 minutes to get to 7th Circle, depending on traffic. To catch it, wait by the side of 7th Circle that leads towards Airport Road, which is also where the Madaba buses stop.
• The buses then run every half hour until 17:00, at which point they run only once an hour. The operator said that the bus should pull out of 7th Circle on the hour (18:00, 19:00 etc), but I'd be wary of banking on the schedule being that precise.
• The main takeaway is that if you show up before 17:00, the bus will come sometime in the next 30 minutes, and after 17:00 it'll come sometime in the next hour.
• The last bus of the day leaves 7th Circle at midnight, according to the operator. Eric, a friend and fellow mapmaker said that he took the Sariyah at 3am last spring, and it may be that after midnight they don't have fixed departures but will leave from North Station if the bus fills up.

I'm finishing up this post right now from Queen Alia (thanks for the free wifi, Zain!) after having had a very quick and easy trip on Sariyah from Mujamma3a al-Shamal.

Option #2 for getting to the airport is to catch a cab. Taxis are easy to get from 7th Circle and usually cost around 15 JD, and many people also know a driver who will pick you up at your place for around 20JD, so ask around to find someone for that option.

Option #3 is a nice one to use if the Sariyah bus is taking a while to come. Regular Amman drivers looking to supplement their income will often stop by 7th Circle and see if anyone needs a lift to the airport, especially drivers who live in Madaba or airport workers. If you stand waiting for the Sariyah at 7th Circle, chances are you'll get a couple people pulling up in normal cars asking where you're headed. I've done that twice, and paid 6 JD each time, though you could probably negotiate a little harder if you need to.

Leave a comment or email me at peter.damrosch@gmail.com if you have other ways to get to the airport, or positive or negative experiences with Sariyah. And as always, check out Rich, Eric, and my bus-map-in-progress by clicking here or the new government website with bus routes (in Arabic) by clicking here.