The Cross Border Express (CBX) from Tijuana International Airport to the USA could not have been simpler…it is a far better way to cross into the USA than the conventional land route.
Cross Border Xpress (CBX) Review – Northbound Crossing From Tijuana Airport To USA
I first wrote about the proposed bridge linking Tijuana to the USA in 2010…by December 2015 it had opened (at a cost of $120 million) and each year about 4 million travelers pass through.
After arriving in Tijuana from Mexico City, we walked down the departure hall, following the signs for the Cross Border Xpress.
In an apropos end to LEGO-filled trip, there was a LEGO vending machine on the way out…
Exit the secure area, proceed downstairs to baggage claim, the walk to the far end of baggage claim. There, you will find the CBX entrance. It’s currently under construction. There’s kiosk you can use to buy tickets…don’t do it!
Note: this service is only available for those departing or arriving in Tijuana Airport. You must scan your boarding pass in addition to your CBX ticket. When arriving and crossing northbound, you must use CBX within two hours of arrival.
Not only can you pre-purchase tickets online, but you can purchase them online on the spot and they are issued instantly. Ticket prices vary slightly based on the season and the direction you are traveling, but via the kiosk, they were 740 MXN each (about 36 USD) for our northbound high season crossing while online they were 29.95 USD each.
While family after family came up to the kiosk to buy tickets, I purchased them on the phone and saved about 15 USD for the two of us. Why didn’t I buy them in advance? I figured if there was a flight delay or some other issue, we might not need to use the CBX at all.
Tickets are not issued in a specific name…they are transferable…and really solely about revenue generation to pay for the facility rather than tied to your passport or any security-related matter.
Use the QR-code generated from your ticket to exit the gate, then proceed upstairs and start walking…it took us about 10 minutes to reach the end at a healthy pace. With the painting and other work taking place, I did not see that actual border marker marking the line between the United States and Mexico.
As we approached the end, we took an escalator downstairs and found the sort of immigration area you would expect to see at any major airport or cruise terminal…a dozen desks and belted stanchions creating lines (no photos – there were several no photography signs posted in this area).
Thankfully, it was empty…we had the room to ourselves and were processed into the USA in about 30 seconds.
Once past the desk, walk by the customs area (where you will be directed for any applicable secondary screening) and then follow the exit signs out, where you will be dumped by a 24/7 Starbucks.
The arrival hall in the CBX facility also feels like an airport, with rental car counters and concessionaires. Outside, you can walk past a couple taco trucks and into the parking lot.
We made our way around to the front where did not have any wait for a Lyft to take us to San Diego Airport (45 USD…Uber was 62 USD). The journey took 25 minutes at 7:00 pm.
CONCLUSION
The entire CBX process was very smooth and certainly saved time…it was worth the 60 USD for the easy cross-border experience. While the standard crossing at San Ysdiro does have an express lane for Global Entry cardholders, Augustine does not have one (yet) and that would have likely meant a very long and tedious wait.
I recommend the CBX and also advise you, especially if you are traveling within Mexico, to check out fares from Tijuana versus San Diego. In our case, we saved a whole lot of money (and it was fun!).
Do you have to be flying out of TIJ to use the CBX? Or in theory, can anyone use it if you’re willing to pay the $30?
You have to an airline ticket. Either way you go, into the TJ airport or out of the TJ airport, you have to scan both your CBX Code and your airline boarding pass for the gate to open.
Yes, I have updated story to add that. Thank you for the reminder.
What a great review. Thanks!
I’ve always wondered what the CBX is like from the experience side. Never used it but such a fascinating airport model.
As one that now lives in Cabo San Lucas and still has family in Orange County, we use it frequently. The airfare inside mexico to TJ is usually hundreds less than flying to LAX, or Orange County. The care rental prices are a good deal usually as well. Big note missed, there is a shuttle bus service you can book that leaves about every hour to San Diego and beyond. $17 to san Diego airport rental car terminal. Other buses go to LA, Las Vegas and Stockton.
The shuttle would have been ideal if I was traveling solo, but for the two of us I thought the 45 USD Lyft was fair.
I can just see it. Years from now, you’ll bring up this trip and your son won’t remember it, until you call it the “great Lego journey.”
There is a vacation from 2019 which a certain family member still refers to as ‘the time you wouldn’t let me get my picture taken with the Mr Men.’
Do they have a Global Entry Lane at the CBX?
They do, but the line to return to the US is so short you’ll only save a few minutes.
This is fascinating. At what point will this become a second airport to SAN for Latin American carriers wanting to reach two markets and avoid costs or restrictions at SAN or technically landing in the U.S.. I really never knew this existed.
Certainly it’s not for connectivity, but it has some interesting upsides for certain markets to hit two birds with one stone.
Yes it has served that purpose for years, which is what prompted the CBX build. At one point there was an AeroMexico TIJ-NRT as well.
This has been a nifty trick for SkyTeam mileage runs on AM since it opened, especially since I’m West Coast. Locate to SAN on DL (or whatever is cheaper), bus to CBX, fly TIJ-MEX-USA in biz for a pittance.
I have done this twice but in the reverse direction because Tijuana often has cheap business-class airfares on Aeromexico to Mexico City and then onward to Europe on Aeromexico or Air France. It’s super easy. The Tijuana airport is actually decent, although the Priority Pass lounge (like just about every PP lounge in Mexico) is awful. The only disappointment was the Aeromexico check-in desks on the U.S. side weren’t operational when I used it both times. Not a big deal, but a little disappointing. I didn’t expect to drop my bags but I would have liked to gotten physical boarding passes before crossing into Mexico in the event that Mexican passport control wanted to see them.
Any flights from TJX that are actually worth the drive down from San Diego or OC?
Yes, if flying to Europe in business class you can often save $$$.
You can take an Uber from TIJ to the traditional border crossing for MXN 100, then walk across, and if you have your GE card there’s no wait in the SENTRI line, then take the SD trolley or another Uber to where you want to go. Pretty substantial savings over CBX. To me, CBX isn’t so much a time saver, but a $30 charge to make gringos feel more comfortable.
Yeah, I do plan to go back to doing it this way next time. It’s a little more tedious, but not bad at all.
I’ve got Global Entry, and that avoids most of the line, but it doesn’t avoid the highly unprofessional Homeland Security Personnel that makes this one of the least pleasant places to enter into the USA.
Matthew, thank you so much for your great review on CBX. I’m glad you were able to use us! We have completed many of the construction you experienced during your crossing, and we have many infrastructures and IT projects ahead that I hope we can surprise you in your next visit! Please let me know next time you are planning to travel, and I’ll be happy to meet you! Thanks again. Jorge Goytortua/CEO
Thank you for your comment, Jorge!
One trick of using the CBX northbound is that if your luggage does not make the connection, the airline will not be much help. Our bags did not make the connection in Mexico city. We had to cross the regular border, back into Mexico the next evening to go to the the TJ airport to claim our luggage. also, there was a bit of a wait to get someone to bring our luggage to us. The airline will not transfer it across the boarder to San Diego. They did offer to put it on a flight to LAX, but that would have been a longer drive to claim the bags.
Interesting – so they would have sent it back via Mexico City to LAX?