A U.S. Border Patrol vehicle passes under the bridge that links the Mexico to the U.S. and the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers make their way to the parking lot in front of the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers make their way through the duty free store in the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017, before making their way across the border. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers have their papers checked before in the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017, before making their way across the border. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers make their way to an airline counter to check in for a flight in the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
A U.S. Border Patrol vehicle passes under the bridge that links the Mexico to the U.S. and the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Signs in the Tijuana International Airport let travelers know which way to go. A bridge links the U.S. to Mexico from the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of Tijuana without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers check in for a Volaris Airlines flight in the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers make their way into the duty free store in the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017, before making their way across the border. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Flight departures listed in the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
The exterior of the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. It allows a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
The flags of California, Mexico and the United States fly in the wind outside of the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Tijuana International Airport control tower as seen from the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego with the border between the U.S. and Mexico between the fences on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The Cross Border Xpress allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of Tijuana without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers can take a shuttle bus to various cities in southern California from the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers have their papers checked before in the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017, before making their way across the border. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
A traveler nears the border on the bridge that links the U.S. to Mexico from the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego to the Tijuana International Airport on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out Tijuana without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
The border between the two countries is shown by a plaque on the wall of the bridge that links the U.S. to Mexico from the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego to the Tijuana International Airport on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of Tijuana without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers make their along bridge that links the U.S. to Mexico from the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego to the Tijuana Airport on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers leave the duty free store in the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017, and make their way to the bridge across the border. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kiosks for travelers to check in for flights in the Cross Border Express building in San Diego in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
Travelers check in for an AeroMexico flight in the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of the Tijuana International Airport without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
A traveler makes his way toward the U.S. from the Tijuana International Airport and the bridge that links the Mexico to the U.S. and the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of Tijuana without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
A traveler makes his way toward the ticket counter in the Tijuana International Airport after crossing over the bridge that links the U.S. to Mexico from the Cross Border Xpress building in San Diego on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The facility allows for a traveler to park in the U.S., check in for a flight, and then walk across an indoor elevated walkway to a flight out of Tijuana without ever actually setting foot in the city of Tijuana. (Photo by Mark Rightmire,Orange County Register/SCNG)
The idea seemed ludicrous: build a bridge from San Diego directly into the Tijuana airport.
I was intrigued when I heard this, because I like to fly out of the Tijuana airport to save money.
You save international departure taxes and take advantage of the favorable exchange rate. But it’s a hassle to cross the border on foot. Or not on foot. It’s just a hassle to cross the border.
But I never thought they’d actually build the bridge. I figured it was just one of those good ideas that would get bogged down in the details.That’s why I was amazed when it opened in December 2015, and when I recently found myself walking over it on the way down to Baja California Sur to go whale watching. It works so well that 1.5 million of the 6.3 million passengers who flew out of Tijuana in 2016 used the toll bridge. And that number continues to grow.
That’s why I was amazed when it opened in December 2015, and when I recently found myself walking over it on the way down to Baja California Sur to go whale watching. It works so well that 1.5 million of the 6.3 million passengers who flew out of Tijuana in 2016 used the toll bridge. And that number continues to grow.
It’s pretty simple. You drive to Otay Mesa, 22 miles from downtown San Diego. There’s a border crossing there close to the Tijuana airport.
In the past, we’d park in a secure paid lot on the San Diego side, then wheel our suitcases several blocks before entering the border area, crossing into Mexico through metal doors, then a few more blocks to hop a cab to the airport. On the return, we’d pick up our bags, buy a ticket for a taxi back to the border crossing, then stand in line – sometimes for three hours – to go through customs and cross back into the U.S.
Now, however, there’s an alternate path. Let me walk you through 10 steps to show you how it works. Are you ready? Vamos a Mexico!
1. Park your car at an airport-style lot in San Diego >> It’s run by the Cross Border Xpress. Parking costs $17 per day on the 55-acre property at 2745 Otay Pacific Drive.
2. Enter the brand-new terminal >> It looks very airportish, and you buy your $16 (one way) ticket at one of the kiosks. This ticket enables you to use the Cross Border Xpress toll bridge to enter Mexico.
3. Fill out your Mexican immigration form >> That’s required on the other side of the bridge.
4. Show your ticket and airline boarding pass at the entrance >> There are baggage carts if you need them and a duty-free shop. Then, you enter the fully enclosed bridge, luggage in tow. It’s 390 feet long and 33 feet wide.
5. Take note halfway across >> You’ll see a bronze plaque that marks the U.S.-Mexico border. Then you’ll come to a small Mexican immigration facility, where you’ll show your passport and tourist visa form. Don’t be scared by the word “visa”; you don’t need to get it in advance if you’re a U.S. citizen. If you’ll be in Mexico less than a week, you don’t have to pay anything, at this writing. If longer, you’ll have to shell out around $17 in cash. Make sure you keep your visa; you’ll have to show it when you leave.
6. Emerge into the Tijuana airport >> It has only one terminal, which is clean and has all the junk food you need: A Starbucks, a Carl’s Jr. and a Subway. And of course a bar, for those early morning cocktails. More than 6 million people flew out of this airport last year to 30 destinations.
7. Check in for your flight >> Get on your plane and fly to your destination. You can also fly to a few foreign destinations from here, including Central America, though you generally have to change planes.
8. Reverse the process to return >> You pick up your luggage and you’ll have to put it through an X-ray machine before leaving the terminal. Then, you use your ticket or buy one to cross back over the bridge.
9. Go through American customs >> You’ll see agents in a familiar-looking setup, where you may have to wait for a few minutes, but nothing like the line at the regular borders. Flash your passport; go through the baggage inspection area, which generally takes a few seconds; and re-enter the U.S.
10. Pick up your vehicle >> Cart your things out to your car, pay your parking fee. Hit the freeway and head home.
Now, here’s the downside: They don’t speak as much English as they should in this airport, considering that 74 percent of the people who fly in and out cross the border at some point. Luckily for me, I speak enough Spanish to get around, but if you don’t, prepare to use a lot of gestures.
At the counter for Volaris — the biggest carrier from Tijuana — they’ll always dig up someone who speaks English to help you. But remember that you are in Mexico, despite the presence of the Carl’s Jr. and Starbucks. The good news is, the customers can actually help you more than the staff. Ordering at Subway on a recent trip, a woman in line behind me helped me translate “veggie burger” for the person behind the counter. The other good news is, there’s a shop in the airport that sells yummy wines from Baja California. They’ll let you bring them on the plane, too, since you’ve already passed security.
Flying from Tijuana
Volaris is sort of the Spirit Airlines of Mexico. So the fares, which you can find on Volaris.com, are low. The downside is that you have to pay extra for nearly everything except the air that you breathe. The good news is that, at this writing, you can check a bag for free. However, a carry-on suitcase will cost you. So will food and drink. So bring your own. Volaris has two hubs in Mexico — Tijuana and Guadalajara. So it’s very easy to fly in and out of those destinations.
