CBX (Cross Border Xpress)

[TomJackin]

Just got back from Mexico City today. Easy signage both to my departing and returning flights TIJ to MEX. Also, the $16 each way to use CBX was more than offset in terms of cost, time and stress because I didn't need to worry about a preflight COVID test in CDMX due to the fact that you're not flying back to the United States and instead crossing back by land.

Thank you for the information and feedback.

[LuvMexicanas]

Just got back from Mexico City today. Easy signage both to my departing and returning flights TIJ to MEX. Also, the $16 each way to use CBX was more than offset in terms of cost, time and stress because I didn't need to worry about a preflight COVID test in CDMX due to the fact that you're not flying back to the United States and instead crossing back by land.

[LuvMexicanas]

Well, yes. That post is almost 5 years old. There is no more "Long Term" parking on-site. It's all the same, and all the same (high) price. Better long term options exist in the vicinity, and they will drive you to CBX. But they aren't as convenient.

The check in is the same. You can buy your CBX ticket on-site or on their web site. Some airlines will allow you to buy it along with your ticket.

The portion past the entrance "gate" is all built out now. Lots of "duty free" shopping to walk thorough. You enter one end of the "store" and exit the other. It's all pretty intuitive now.

At the end you still go downstairs into the passport control area where you will be made to get an FMM. Free for 7 days or less, $30 (or whatever) for longer stays. You'll have wanted to fill out your FMM when you first arrived at CBX. Then here at passport control you'll either have the agent validate it, or pay and then have it validated.

Once through passport control you'll still be dumped into the "arrivals" section and you'll have to walk "around" to the left to the departures entrance where you check your luggage. You'll have checked your luggage at the other side when you entered CBX so you can skip these lines. Your boarding pass and your passport will be checked again. I've heard rumors that they might be modifying this portion, as part of the airport expansion, but I haven't used CBX since pre-pandemic so I can't confirm or deny..

That's great and even better is the $91 Aeromexico round trip fare to CDMX vs the $500 from the States. Thanks.

[LuvMexicanas]

That was old report. I've used CBX 6 times, the last time was in Jan 2020. Year time, they improved the services. I would highly recommend using CBX nowadays.

Awesome to hear. Thanks TomJackin.

[TomJackin]

Has anyone recently used CBX? Please tell me they've made some process improvements and that it's now easier than the above described shitshow.

That was old report. I've used CBX 6 times, the last time was in Jan 2020. Year time, they improved the services. I would highly recommend using CBX nowadays.

[Phordphan]

Has anyone recently used CBX? Please tell me they've made some process improvements and that it's now easier than the above described shitshow.

Well, yes. That post is almost 5 years old. There is no more "Long Term" parking on-site. It's all the same, and all the same (high) price. Better long term options exist in the vicinity, and they will drive you to CBX. But they aren't as convenient.

The check in is the same. You can buy your CBX ticket on-site or on their web site. Some airlines will allow you to buy it along with your ticket.

The portion past the entrance "gate" is all built out now. Lots of "duty free" shopping to walk thorough. You enter one end of the "store" and exit the other. It's all pretty intuitive now.

At the end you still go downstairs into the passport control area where you will be made to get an FMM. Free for 7 days or less, $30 (or whatever) for longer stays. You'll have wanted to fill out your FMM when you first arrived at CBX. Then here at passport control you'll either have the agent validate it, or pay and then have it validated.

Once through passport control you'll still be dumped into the "arrivals" section and you'll have to walk "around" to the left to the departures entrance where you check your luggage. You'll have checked your luggage at the other side when you entered CBX so you can skip these lines. Your boarding pass and your passport will be checked again. I've heard rumors that they might be modifying this portion, as part of the airport expansion, but I haven't used CBX since pre-pandemic so I can't confirm or deny.

You must retain your boarding pass on your return trip in order to get back through CBX. They have the ability to scan your phone now, in case it's on your phone and not on a piece of paper.

It's really not as complicated as it sounds. It's way better, if you don't have GE or SENTRI, because you can cross back into the USA in a matter of minutes, not hours. Otherwise, getting dropped off at the front door of the airport is more convenient.

[LuvMexicanas]

A certain Major Tom, late of Ground Control, suggested a post on this subject, just in case somebody here was contemplating flying out of TIJ.

First, as somebody else said, if you have SENTRI it's much cheaper to park at Ticuan, cab / Uber to the airport, cab / Uber back to Ticuan and drive across. However, if that isn't an option for you, read on.

I connected online with an old friend about whom I wrote in one, or the other, of these forums (fora?) back in 2007. She's living in Tuxtla Gutierrez and I arranged a visit. I guess I should get off my ass and write a TR about it. So, I decided to TOFTT and use CBX, just to see what it was like.

First, buy your tickets to CBX online. Buy a bi-directional ticket. It's $12 each direction, and you can buy a North-South ticket, a South-North ticket or a round-trip. You can buy it in advance or you can buy it from an automated kiosk there. It's faster to just buy it and print it.

You get to the place by taking the 905 to the Brittania exit. Go south on Brittania to Siempre Viva. Follow the signs, as it's pretty well marked. I believe there is also a shuttle available at SAN.

The parking signage is absolutely worthless. The web site just says that long-term parking is available, but nothing else. Here's the skinny. You pull up to the arm, take a ticket and enter the parking lot. This is the short term lot. It's $16 for the first 24 hour period. It's $16 per each subsequent 24 hour period, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF. So, 48 hours and 5 minutes? $48. These tickets can be inserted into any of several auto-pay machines around the lot, and all credit cards are accepted..

Has anyone recently used CBX? Please tell me they've made some process improvements and that it's now easier than the above described shitshow.

[Sound7]

https://smartbordercoalition.com/border-wait-times

NGO with UCSD / CPB BWT App is on track to implement in the near future.

https://smartbordercoalition.com/border-wait-time

[WombatEd2]

When we got to the Mexican immigration station, the bozo working there screwed up and it took quite a while to straighten it out.

We told the immigration officer that we were staying for two weeks, but on my wife's form, he wrote down four days. When we discovered the error, it meant that my wife had to go back and pay for a visa. But the guy who was supposed to collect this fee wouldn't accept our payment until we corrected the error on the form, and the guy who made the error wouldn't correct it until we paid the fee. It was his mistake, but the lazy, arrogant asshole didn't know how to fix it.

In all other respects, the CBX worked quite well for us. So I'm just saying, if you have a plane to catch, it might pay to get to the CBX four hours before your departure time.

[Phordphan]

A certain Major Tom, late of Ground Control, suggested a post on this subject, just in case somebody here was contemplating flying out of TIJ.

First, as somebody else said, if you have SENTRI it's much cheaper to park at Ticuan, cab / Uber to the airport, cab / Uber back to Ticuan and drive across. However, if that isn't an option for you, read on.

I connected online with an old friend about whom I wrote in one, or the other, of these forums (fora?) back in 2007. She's living in Tuxtla Gutierrez and I arranged a visit. I guess I should get off my ass and write a TR about it. So, I decided to TOFTT and use CBX, just to see what it was like.

First, buy your tickets to CBX online. Buy a bi-directional ticket. It's $12 each direction, and you can buy a North-South ticket, a South-North ticket or a round-trip. You can buy it in advance or you can buy it from an automated kiosk there. It's faster to just buy it and print it.

You get to the place by taking the 905 to the Brittania exit. Go south on Brittania to Siempre Viva. Follow the signs, as it's pretty well marked. I believe there is also a shuttle available at SAN.

The parking signage is absolutely worthless. The web site just says that long-term parking is available, but nothing else. Here's the skinny. You pull up to the arm, take a ticket and enter the parking lot. This is the short term lot. It's $16 for the first 24 hour period. It's $16 per each subsequent 24 hour period, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF. So, 48 hours and 5 minutes? $48. These tickets can be inserted into any of several auto-pay machines around the lot, and all credit cards are accepted.

Long term is there, but not intuitive, nor marked. If it's your first time, and you're in a hurry due to insane traffic (don't ask!) you may not have time to figure it out. Take the ticket you just got at the entrance, drive to the front of the lot, make sort of left you-turn, go all the way to the back of the lot and you'll see another gate arm. Drive up to it, insert your "regular" ticket and it will spit out a long-term ticket and let you into the LT lot. You must pay for LT at the exit gate, you can't use an auto-pay machine.

Once inside you can check in at the counter. The Mexican airlines are represented there, in my case Mexicana. Check in, hand them your passport, etc. , and get your boarding pass. Then proceed to the escalators. The crossing ticket kiosks are near the escalator. A guard will scan your crossing ticket and let you pass. Up the escalator, hike across the bridge, and down onto the Mexican side. You'll come to the passport control section where (if you're lucky) a pretty lady will look at your passport, ask where you are going and how long you plan to stay, then she'll stamp your passport and put your "visa" (a slip of paper) into it.

Once out onto the ground floor, follow the signs. They are a bit confusing, there are usually guards to ask, but I still had to ask a lady at a food stall. The long and winding road takes you "outside" to the departure level of the airport. You'll walk all the way to the end, past all the vendors, to the entrance where you would normally go to the airline check-in counter. But you're already checked in, so head all the way back the way you came (but inside the airport) to the gates. They'll check your boarding pass and x-ray your sorry ass.

Upon return, the first thing to do is to KEEP YOUR BOARDING PASS. Collect your luggage, follow the signs and retrace your steps. At the entrance to the CBX portion you will be stopped and they will scan your CBX ticket and your boarding pass. If you don't have it you'll be arrested and you'll spend the remainder of your days in La Mesa. Well, I'm not sure about the last part but I'm pretty sure it'll be a major PITA to prove you just flew in.

After hiking back across you'll come to US customs. They accept your passport or your SENTRI. These guys don't appear to have a lot to do and I think this is the plum assignment if you're a CBP agent.

Find your car, hit the road. What could be easier?