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Pedestrian "Cross Border Xpress" /"CBX" Bridge links Otay Mesa, USA - TIJ Airport

Old Dec 13, 2015, 1:37 pm
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Last edit by: JDiver
"CBX" Pedestrian bridge connects TIJ Int'l. Airport and Otay Mesa



"Cross Border Xpress" connects Otay Mesa and TIJ / Tijuana A. L. Rodriguez International Airport as of 9 Dec 2015
with enclosed pedestrian bridge, including U.S. Immigration and Customs facilities


Link to Cross Border Xpress website.

CBX is an enclosed pedestrian skywalk bridge exclusively for Tijuana Airport passengers who cross the U.S./Mexico border as part of their trip.
Q. What documents do I need to use the CBX pedestrian bridge?
  • Passport
  • Visa if required
  • Airline boarding pass
  • CBX ticket for bridge use
Users are required to have airline travel from (or to) TIJ (can be purchased at CBX ticket counters). Adults will be charged USD $18.00, with 20% discounts for those 65 or over and children 12 or younger; children through age 3 are free of toll charges. Tolls will be collected as of 19 December 2015. June 2016, parking is $15 a day.

The "CBX" consists of an enclosed pedestrian bridge that connects TIJ / the Tijuana A. L. Rodriguez International Airport with a facility in Otay Mesa that includes USCBP inspection area (SENTRI kiosks are available), airline ticket counters, an 850 car parking lot and access to multimodal land transport (intercity bus, taxis, Uber). A duty free shopping area and restaurant has been added.

CBX plans to add a gasoline station, shopping center and hotel some time in the future.

Link to San Diego Union-Tribune article 9 Dec 2015

NOTE:
Originally Posted by Big4Flyer
7 Jan 2016: Just received a quick and courteous email from CBX in response to my question regarding whether a passport card is sufficient to cross using the bridge. She confirmed that a passport card is sufficient as they have no additional requirements beyond what is required by customs and immigration and the crossing is considered to be a land border crossing.
Q. Why would I use this and fly out of TIJ?

Particularly if you live in the San Diego area, you can save as much as 50% or more flying domestic intra-Mexico services out of TIJ.

Q. Has anyone posted about their CBX experience?

FlyerTalk Community Director SanDiego1K has shared her experience in February, 2019 crossing from Otay Mesa, CA to TIJ airport in post #93.

Q. Are there lower cost alternatives to using the CBX?

Yes, but they entail less convenient border crossings (particularly inconvenient herding your baggage through) at San Ysidro or the conventional Otay Mesa crossing and securing transport to TIJ once you've completed border formalities.

NOTE: See Walking into Tijuana? (San Ysidro crossing & new PedWest Aug 2017)

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Pedestrian "Cross Border Xpress" /"CBX" Bridge links Otay Mesa, USA - TIJ Airport

Old Apr 19, 2014, 11:06 pm
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Arrow Pedestrian "Cross Border Xpress" /"CBX" Bridge links Otay Mesa, USA - TIJ Airport

This is great news for those of us who fly from TIJ to other destinations in Mexico, usually at half the price of flying from SAN.

Cross-border airport plan clears hurdle
Construction could start in May


"A groundbreaking plan for a privately funded international port of entry linking San Diego directly to Tijuanas A.L. Rodriguez International Airport appears to have cleared its final hurdle.

It would allow departing airline passengers to park their cars in San Diego and walk across a bridge to board a plane in Tijuana. For arriving passengers, it would provide a U.S. Customs facility allowing them to circumvent lengthy border waits at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.

The projects U.S. developer, Otay-Tijuana Venture, has agreed to build the Customs inspection facility and pay for staffing, said R. Gil Kerlikowske, newly named commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection."

LINK to article
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Old Apr 20, 2014, 7:51 am
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That will be a boon to people crossing to use TIJ Airport, for $savings and more direct flights to various Mexican destinations - not to mention Interjet, Magni, VivaAerobus, Volaris, etc.

Thanks for the update.
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Old Apr 20, 2014, 10:42 am
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A groundbreaking plan for a privately funded international port of entry linking San Diego directly to Tijuana’s A.L. Rodriguez International Airport appears to have cleared its final hurdle.

It would allow departing airline passengers to park their cars in San Diego and walk across a bridge to board a plane in Tijuana. For arriving passengers, it would provide a U.S. Customs facility allowing them to circumvent lengthy border waits at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.
Same above article
Very nice move. It sounds like it has very good potential to be a commercial success.
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Old Apr 24, 2014, 4:26 pm
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I assume the "toll" mentioned in the article would be charged to pedestrians for crossing the foot bridge. I wonder if they'll pay each way or only upon exiting the airport? I assume there will be a parking fee as well. Anyhow, they'll have to be careful that they don't price things too high as to negate the other competitive advantages.

It would be really cool/useful if the San Diego trolley route was extended from San Ysidro along the border to the new airport pedestrian bridge. But that would of course be extremely costly and the passenger loads at TIJ probably don't justify that.

That being said, I wonder if this new option will open up TIJ to service to/from US destinations (I believe there are no cross-border flights from TIJ currently). One could easily imagine Volaris flying TIJ-OAK or TIJ-DFW. Or for that matter, how about TIJ-PHX on US Airways/American? I know the latter would somewhat compete with SAN-PHX but you'd also tap into the TIJ market, not just luring southern San Diego folks.
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Old Apr 25, 2014, 7:42 pm
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Good points.

I read the construction is privately funded as a profit-making enterprise, with the idea of charging a pedestrian toll and operating a for pay parking lot. The article states (in small part):

The projects U.S. developer, Otay-Tijuana Venture, has agreed to build the Customs inspection facility and pay for staffing...

The new port of entry, unique on the U.S.-Mexico border, is a for-profit private venture that would be financed through toll-paying ticketed airline passengers who fly into and out of the Tijuana airport.

The U.S. development group, spearheaded by Chicago real estate mogul Sam Zell...

A spokeswoman for the group has estimated that the tolls would cost anywhere from $13 to $17 per passenger.
Their challenge is to set up a system that makes a profit without costing so much people just take the time to cross at Otay Mesa or San Ysidro.
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Old Apr 28, 2014, 10:22 am
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Originally Posted by JDiver
Good points.

I read the construction is privately funded as a profit-making enterprise, with the idea of charging a pedestrian toll and operating a for pay parking lot. The article states (in small part):



Their challenge is to set up a system that makes a profit without costing so much people just take the time to cross at Otay Mesa or San Ysidro.
As it is now, I pay $7 a day to park in Otay Mesa. The lot has a free shuttle to the border. If there are one or two of us, we use the free shuttle, then take a taxi on the Mexican side to TIJ for IIRC MX$150, so ~US$12, each way. If there are three or more of us, we spring for a $30 van that takes us all the way from the lot to TIJ. Either way, on the return we always take a taxi to "La Linea," walk across and call for the free shuttle to the lot.

The ideal trip is four of us with dive gear utilizing the van to get all the way to TIJ, splitting the van and taxi costs and parking. Comes to about US$25 each for parking and transportation both ways.

Yeah, the new system would need to be competitive to work for me. I might use it traveling solo or as a couple. I will certainly try it out once when it opens.
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Old Jun 24, 2014, 4:24 pm
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Does anyone know if there will be a trusted traveller lane (SENTRI)?
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Old May 5, 2015, 10:06 am
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Originally Posted by saturnino3
Does anyone know if there will be a trusted traveller lane (SENTRI)?
Just watched an interview with the head of the Economic Development Council for San Diego who said that there won't be a need for the Ready Lane/ Fast Lanes, etc. since lines should be virtually nonexistent. Personally I'm really excited about this. The only thing I'm wondering that I haven't seen addressed is whether or not the border crossing rules will be the same for a land border crossing or an air border crossing i.e. whether passport cards will be sufficient and the rules for documentation for minors. Right now it looks like its on track to be completed by November 2015.
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Old May 5, 2015, 11:00 am
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This clip is a month old, looks like it is coming together by the end of the year. I am cautiously optimistic, it will all depend on the usage price point for me.

http://www.10news.com/news/sneak-pee...order-terminal
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Old Dec 9, 2015, 4:05 pm
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Bumping this thread as the bridge opened up today and I didn't see discussion elsewhere.

http://www.flyertalk.com/articles/ne...pen-dec-9.html

http://www.latimes.com/travel/califo...207-story.html

I'm curious to try this out sometime soon.
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Old Dec 9, 2015, 11:09 pm
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Yes, oddly enough I found myself in San Diego yesterday and the local news on TV said it will open tomorrow, i.e. today (Wednesday).

For some reason thought this was already open, so it took quite a while

Only saw what it looks like inside on TV, but sure looks impressive from outside. At least on Mexican side, haven't seen US side. And non secure side of TIJ looks pretty nice, though it sure feels like an outpost.

Maybe why the moved the fuel stopover on MEX-NRT flight (IIRC). Sure was weird seeng the Dreamliner above Tijuana

(so yes, I spend $2.50 X 2 for the trolley to spend fewer dolars for a hotel. Well I used to, until they decided that I need a stamp in my passport to enter post on that to follow, probably tomorrow)
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Old Dec 12, 2015, 7:15 pm
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After reading LA Times and SD Union Tribune online articles found web site for CBX

No public tranportation, though they list a shuttle service and their website. Website so far indicates they only serve SAN
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Old Jan 1, 2016, 12:35 pm
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Any news on whether this is being treated as a land or air border crossing? I only have a passport card and wonder whether I could use the bridge without a passport book.
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Old Jan 1, 2016, 7:45 pm
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Originally Posted by Big4Flyer
Any news on whether this is being treated as a land or air border crossing? I only have a passport card and wonder whether I could use the bridge without a passport book.
Just read the quoted stories above. You NEED a Boarding Pass, so pretty sure it's treated as air crossing.

OTOH, you don't need a passport to go through security at US airports, just need it to board a flight. But I still suspect that you'd have problems coming back to US. My guess they regard this similarly if not same as entering US in Canadian airports.
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Old Jan 2, 2016, 5:20 am
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Originally Posted by Big4Flyer
Any news on whether this is being treated as a land or air border crossing? I only have a passport card and wonder whether I could use the bridge without a passport book.
The bridge crossing facility owner says a passport is required along with the boarding pass and CBX facility use ticket. That said, I'm not sure why the Mexican and/or US Governments would require passports of all, but the company operating the facility can have its own requirements in excess of what government demands and control access in both directions.
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