I used CBX, the private border crossing bridge that connects Tijuana airport with the US and found it's one of the best kept secrets for travelers

Tijuana International Airport Cross Border Xpress — Using Cross Border Xpress at Tijuana International Airport.
Thomas Pallini/Insider

Cross Border Xpress connects Tijuana International Airport with the US through a private border crossing.
Flyers can use Cross Border Xpress when flying in and out of Tijuana to avoid wait times at traditional ports of entry.
It took me no more than 15 minutes to get from Tijuana to the US using the crossing with virtually no lines for US Customs and Border Protection.
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Travelers around the globe have always been willing to cross international borders to get cheap airfare, and Americans are no different.

Tijuana International Airport sits mere feet away from the US-Mexico border. But accessing its cheap flights from the American side has never been easy.

Tijuana International Airport Mexico — Tijuana International Airport in Tijuana, Mexico.
BILL WECHTER/AFP/Getty

Crossing the border by car at nearby ports of entry can take hours and walking across the boundary requires a subsequent taxi or bus ride to the airport.

San Ysidro Port of Entry - US-Mexico border — The San Ysidro Port of Entry on the US-Mexico border.
Thomas Pallini/Insider

That's where the Cross Border Xpress, or CBX for short, comes in. The private bridge connects Tijuana airport with what is essentially an airport terminal in the US.

Cross Border Xpress - US-Mexico border — The Cross Border Xpress bridge over the US-Mexico border fence.
BILL WECHTER/AFP/Getty

Here's how other businesses along land borders with the US have seen success in making it easier for travelers to cross over.

Flyers get dropped off on the American side where they check-in for their flights and fill out the required customs and immigration paperwork. Then, the bridge brings them right into the Tijuana airport terminal where they'll clear Mexican passport control.

And the same works in reverse. Flyers can land in Tijuana and immediately cross the border into California, just a few miles from San Diego.

I used Cross Border Express on a recent trip to Southern California. Here's what it was like.

Landing in Tijuana could not have felt any more different than landing in San Diego. And yet, Tijuana airport is just about as close as you can get to the US with only a six-lane road dividing the main terminal from the border wall.

I walked off my Aeromexico flight from Mexico City and was immediately greeted with CBX signage directing me to the private border crossing.

The Tijuana airport terminal is tiny and easily walkable. Its single terminal is arranged in a rectangular shape but without the fourth side.

This was my first time visiting Tijuana's airport and I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it. But I was genuinely impressed.

It felt as if I had landed in San Diego with American food chains like Panda Express, Domino's Pizza, and Johnny Rockets all featured in the food court.

There was even a Starbucks available. Of course, Mexican food chains and eateries were also on offer.

But I didn't have too much time to fawn as I was eager to cross the border and wrap up a nearly 20-hour travel day.

I saw the purple signage for CBX as soon as I entered baggage claim. Three self-serve kiosks are located just beyond the exit doors from the terminal with more spread throughout the baggage claim area.

CBX tickets are $16 one-way and $32 round-trip. It's not exactly cheap but the fee is for the convenience of not having to wait in line at San Ysidro or Otay Mesa.

I had purchased my ticket on the CBX mobile application so I skipped the kiosk and headed straight to the crossing.

CBX has become an integral part of the terminal to the point where I couldn't go a few feet without seeing signage, branding, or messaging for it.

Aeromexico's own website even markets Tijuana as San Diego when selling tickets on its website, branding the destination as "Tijuana (San Diego via CBX)."

San Diego CBX — Using Cross Border Xpress at Tijuana International Airport.
Thomas Pallini/Insider via Aeromexico

CBX advertisements promise a crossing time of fewer than 15 minutes and I was there to put that to the test. Wait times at the nearby ports of entry can exceed an hour for pedestrians.

The CBX loophole also doesn't help foreign nationals come into the US as the land border is only open to essential traffic, including US citizens returning home. But it does let US citizens fly home from Mexico and other international destinations without a COVID-19 test.

US-bound users also can't exit the airport on the Mexican side, or else they won't be able to get back into CBX. And those that cross to the US and want to come back have to purchase an airline ticket since CBX is only available to travelers utilizing Tijuana airport.

The line to use CBX was quite short and I waited no more than five minutes.

CBX staff check border crossing documents before entry to ensure users had the proper documentation to enter the US. And now with the travel ban, that includes non-US citizens without authorization to travel to the US because this is a land border crossing.

Automated boarding gates verified both my boarding pass and CBX ticket, granting entry to the private crossing. This was the only document check until I got to the US side.

Then began the long walk home down a series of corridors and hallways, with no way to go but straight.

The last stop in Mexico is a small duty-free store with the normal selection of perfumes, alcoholic beverages, and candies, among other high-end items.

Foreign nations requiring an I-94 form could use the dedicated computers on the Mexican side of the border. Similar computers are available on the US side for Mexico's immigration forms.

I finally reached the border bridge and the US was in sight. The private crossing has its perks as it was clean and sheltered from the elements.

The borderline came around midway down the bridge, with the official placard from the International Boundary and Water Commission demarcating the line.

The line also ran along the floor so I could put a foot on each side and say I was in two countries at once.

Windows didn't provide much of a view, shielding travelers from the harsh reality of the border fence below.

Leaving Mexico was the easy part. Next came the hard part of clearing US Customs and Border Protection.

Social distancing placards led the way to the border checkpoint but there was no real line on the bridge. Global Entry members are also guided to a separate line for expedited processing.

I descended down into the US and was greeted with a shorter line than any time I've ever crossed the US-Mexico border on foot.

The Global Entry line was even shorter, with only one person ahead of me. The only question I was asked pertained to whether I was bringing anything back from Mexico into the US, to which the answer was no.

And that was it, just like that I was back in the US.

The arrival hall of the American terminal appeared no different than a traditional airport, complete with rental car counters, a Wetzel's Pretzels, and even a Starbucks.

California had even installed a welcome center in the terminal; though, it was closed at the time of my visit.

The terminal was actually more inviting than a traditional airport, with places for visitors to sit and wait for arriving passengers.

A large LED screen showed the arrival status for flights arriving into Tijuana for the benefit of those coming to the airport to pick up passengers.

The other side of the terminal is the departure hall. Interestingly enough, CBX branding entirely replaces the Tijuana International Airport name.

All of the major airlines serving Tijuana had check-in counters in the terminal.

CBX might be the only American airport terminal that doesn't cater to any American airline or have a runway in the same country where check-in takes place.

The line to cross into Mexico was non-existent during my late afternoon visit.

Self-serve kiosks are also available for those that don't need to visit the airline counter.

Travelers are also now required to fill out health declarations when traveling on Mexican flights, regardless of the airline.

CBX provides the paper forms to be completed on the US side before crossing.

Mexico also requires crossers to fill out immigration forms when walking over the US-Mexico border in this part of the country.

Dedicated computers and printers are available for travelers to quickly fill out the lengthy form, without having to worry about illegible handwriting.

Overall, using CBX was quick and painless.

Just outside the terminal doors during my visit was a food truck and a small shop in a tent, as well as an outdoor seating area.

The rental car parking lot was a stone's throw away with no shuttles to take or long moving walkways to endure.

But CBX lived up to its promise and Americans now have the choice to pay the high tariffs associated with international travel or simply cross the border using CBX and catch a flight on a Mexican airline.

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