Getting to the Tijuana airport from San Diego Using the CBX Border Crossing Bridge

This post was updated in February 2024

One of my favorite travel hacks for flying to Mexico from San Diego? It’s actually to cross into Mexico via the CBX Bridge and fly through the Tijuana airport instead, which is located directly across the US-Mexico border from San Diego.

I’ve used the CBX bridge many times, and so have many other San Diego locals. It’s a great way to find alternative flight options to Mexico or even parts of Central America (often with connections in Mexico City). It’s easy, clean, and doesn’t require a ton of logistical planning.

Why Fly Through Tijuana Using the CBX Bridge Over San Diego?

Flying from San Diego limits you to one airport, where flights are typically more expensive and have a layover somewhere in the Southern US like Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta, or Miami. Plus, the border is only around a 20-30 minute drive depending on where in San Diego you are coming from.

Being able to (sometimes) save money but also save time by flying nonstop to many Mexican cities from Tijuana makes travel days much more smooth!

Taking a direct 5-hour flight from Tijuana to Cancun on the east coast of Mexico is much more appealing to me personally than taking a 3-hour flight to, say, Texas, spending 4-6 hours in the airport, and then another 2-hour flight to Cancun.

(And typically if you find me flying to Cancun, it’s because I’m actually going to Tulum, which is a 1.5-2-hour drive south of Cancun - so the more time saved flying, the better!)

The CBX (Cross Border Express) Experience

Gone are the days are having to take an Uber to the San Ysidro border, walk across through customs with your luggage, and take another Uber on the Mexico side to the airport to fly through Tijuana.

The CBX border crossing is a completely separate experience designed to make the border crossing extremely simple - and it is directly linked to the Tijuana airport!

Note: you can only use the CBX bridge if you have a ticket for a flight out of the TIJ airport, or if you fly into the TIJ airport and are coming back into the US directly after a flight.

CBX Tickets

1. Purchase single or roundtrip CBX tickets online. These are usually $19.95 USD each way give or take a few dollars, depending on whether it is high season or low season.

Getting to the CBX from San Diego

2. Drive or take an Uber/taxi to the CBX. This is on the US-side, and you will not be in Mexico until you cross through. Be sure to drive to or put in Uber directions to CBX bridge, NOT the San Ysidro border crossing. They are in two separate locations.

If you take an Uber or Lyft, they will drop you off at the rideshare dropoff/pickup location. It is only about a 2-minute walk to the CBX entrance. If you have a friend or a taxi dropping you off, the dropoff is right in front of the doors.

For public transportation, you can consider the trolley. Keep in mind that while there is a trolley station that goes right to the San Ysidro border crossing (where you would walk or drive across), there is not one at this time that goes to CBX, so you would have to Uber/taxi or find a bus to get to CBX.

CBX offers parking as well. You can pre-pay for parking on the CBX website when you buy your tickets. Personally, I’ve found that it costs less to take an Uber from San Diego (I live near downtown) than it would be to park for multiple nights, though compare cost and convenience to see if parking in the lot makes sense for you.

Crossing through the CBX

3. Walk into the lobby and first go to the left side with the desk of computers to do complete your customs form. You will need your passport handy, flight information, dates you will be visiting Mexico, and the address of your hotel.

There are CBX employees standing near the computers available to assist and answer questions.

Once you’ve filled out your information, you will swipe your passport through the passport scanner and it will print out the customs form. Hang onto this as you’ll need it later.

4. After, you will need to scan the QR code on your CBX ticket as well as your boarding pass to pass through the CBX turnstiles. Have both of them handy. The CBX employees typically ask to see your customs form to make sure you completed it.

5. Walk through the “bridge” (hallway) into the Tijuana airport. Many people refer to the CBX as a bridge, but it really is a large building that is attached to the Tijuana airport.

It’s very straightforward - you simply walk through the long hallway, which already feels like you are in the airport, and reach customs on the other side.

6. The customs officers will ask you how long you are staying in Mexico. If it is more than three nights, they’ll direct you to the computers on the left to fill out and pay for the typical tourist fee (hang onto this card if it applies to you, you’ll need it on the way back - I always keep this in my passport case).

If you are staying three nights or less, you’ll go right into the customs line as there is no fee. It’s a typical customs experience at this point - passport check, they look at your customs form you printed out at CBX, and then you do a quick bag scan before officially entering the Tijuana airport.

7. Once you’re in the Tijuana airport, you’re in! You’re flying domestic at this point so you do not need to do customs again until you return back to the US via Tijuana/CBX (unless you fly back into the US or another country outside Mexico).

Typical airport routine like check a bag if you need to, then go through security and find your gate are here.

My Personal Tips

If you have a Priority Pass and want to visit the airport lounge, after security keep walking down the hall past the Liberias Ghandi bookstore and you’ll see the VIP club on the right.

There are other food and drink options in the regular gate areas, plus shops and souvenir stores.

Which airline should you choose when flying out of Tijuana?

The main three airlines you will see flying out of Tijuana are AeroMexico, VivaAerobus, and Volaris. I’ve flown all three and much prefer AeroMexico and Viva over Volaris.

AeroMexico is a standard airline, Viva is a budget airline but still perfectly fine for short trips like this, and Volaris is a budget airline and fine but they are such sticklers on the bag fees and weight.

I personally use Google Flights to compare pricing, departure/arrival times, and number of connections (I usually filter by nonstop and aim to fly nonstop if possible to save time on my travel day).

Keep in mind that once you start the ticket reservation process, carry-on and checked bag fees and seat selection fees could mark the price up a little.

Returning to the US from Tijuana via the CBX Bridge

Getting back through the US-Mexico border from the Tijuana airport is very simple using the CBX bridge.

1. After you land back in Tijuana, collect your checked bags (if applicable) at baggage claim, then follow signs for the Cross Border Express.

2. Scan your return ticket for the CBX to go through the turnstiles. If you only purchased a one-way CBX ticket on the way into Tijuana, you can purchase a single trip for the way back. Be sure to select Tijuana > San Diego.

3. Follow signs for customs. If you have Global Entry/Sentri, you can use that line. Make sure to have your Global Entry or Sentri card handy with your passport as they want to see the actual card.

After customs, you’ll go through past the mini bag scan and then will be in the hallway that leads you back to the US side.

4. Once you’ve made it back onto the San Diego/US side, you can exit the CBX building and depart via pickup, Uber/Lyft, or taxi.

If you are taking an Uber/Lyft, the rideshare pickup point is at the same location as the dropoff.

Previously, I’ve reserved rides through Uber or Lyft ahead of time based on my arrival time (adding ~30 minutes to get through the CBX, and more if I checked a bag).

Is flying through Tijuana worth it for San Diegans?

There are a few things to consider when deciding whether this option is worth it.

First, if you are for sure flying through the Tijuana airport and coming from San Diego, I could not recommend the CBX Border Crossing Bridge more. The experience was easy and quick. (Still allow yourself additional time for typical unexpected travel occurrences).

I don’t see why you would choose to walk through the border and take an Uber or taxi to the airport, though. That seems tedious when the CBX exists and is fairly inexpensive.

If you still haven’t booked your flight through Tijuana, you’ll want to consider the extra time and financial costs of flying through Tijuana compared to San Diego. Yes, flying through Tijuana is often cheaper, but there are hidden costs you’ll need to add up:

Getting there. Cost of taking an Uber to the CBX or paying for parking if you drive yourself
Hidden airline fees. Cost of carry-on or checked bags (this applies to any airline, but some airlines make you pay for a carry-on. Once you add in the carry-on cost, the fare might be the same as San Diego.)
The number of connections/layovers. For one of my trips, getting to Cancun (and then taking the 1-2 hour taxi to Tulum) on the day we needed to be there would have required at least one layover and over 24 hours of travel total if we flew from San Diego. Flying from Tijuana to Cancun got us there quicker.

I hope this information is helpful if you are planning on getting to the Tijuana airport from San Diego! Like I mentioned above, if you’re doing this, I highly recommend getting to the TJ airport using the CBX border crossing bridge.

It required more time departing for our trip than it would have had we flown through San Diego, but it was a hassle-free experience overall.

Also, every staff member and customs agent was super friendly, welcoming, and professional! Seriously, everyone was really nice.