Travel time: Tijuana airport/Border/San Diego Airport

Hi. I'm trying to schedule a trip that involves landing in Tijuana, then crossing the border, and then racing to San Diego to catch a flight. This will mostly likely occur late Saturday afternoon on foot, but I might change the date if Saturdays are crazy. Can anybody guestimate how long the trip will take, or at least tell me how long to cross the border. Also, what's the best way to get from the border to San Diego airport? Are there busses or do I need a cab? Thanks.

It's really a crap shoot. I cross the border 4 days a week and it is never the same wait time. Saturday and Sundays are typically the worst. I would say 1 1/2 -2 hours, maybe shorter but you don't want to miss your flight. I think a taxi from airport to the border is about $50. If your trying to save money and have the time you can take the trolley (which is right at the border) to downtown San Diego and get a taxi from there, saving about $25. It takes about 30 minutes to get from the border to the airport in a car. I would add at least another hour if your doing the trolley/taxi combo.

Pretty simply put you don't "race" on this route. Give yourself many hours to do it, everything will go excruciatingly slow on a Saturday if you hit the border after 9am.

I've been told that there are some taxis at the Tijuana airport that have a permit to cross the border using a special lane for busses and taxis. Any idea if that works and how? thanks

If you are flying with volaris, it has a shuttle form Tijuana´s Airport to downtown San Diego and to San Ysidro border crossing and viceversa.

Some shuttles do cross the border, and there's a special lane that you will use to get thru customs, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you will get thru any faster than the pedestrians. Like #1 says, it's a crap shoot. Best bet is to cross in the wee hours of the morning.

For border to airport, "San Ysidro Trolley Station" is where you will get on the trolley after you clear customs at the border.

Saturdays are crazy. Schedule at least 3 hours. If money is no object you can use the shuttle van at the airport to get to the walk-across line at the border (about $35), and then a taxi to the airport ($? 50?), which would be the fastest way. Otherwise, there's the trolley into downtown $3.00(?)), and then use that same ticket to board the 992 Airport Flyer bus to the airport which goes to all 3 airport terminals. Also, those bus and taxi lanes are used exclusively for those vehicles. A shuttle or taxi will drop you off at a corner where you can get into the walk-across sidwalk.

I frequently fly into TIJ on the weekends. The easiest and shortest way for me is to take a taxi from the airport to the Otay Mesa border crossing. ($18 US). Cross on foot and walk two blocks north to the bus stop and take the 905 bus to the Iris Street trolley station. Use your bus transfer to take the trolley to downtown San Diego and transfer to the Airport Flyer to the airport. Total cost $20 approx. There is seldom a pedestrian wait of more than 10 minutes to cross the border whereas in San Ysidro it can sometimes be one hour or longer on the weekends. The 905 bus runs every 30 minutes from 5:30 AM to 6:15 PM on the weekends. The time involved in doing it this way is fairly predictable as opposed to San Ysidro which is, as others have said, a "crapshoot". The 905 bus leaves at 35 minutes and 10 minutes after each hour from the border crossing. The trolleys run every 15 minutes to downtown and the Airport Flyer the same. Hope this helps you.

Good plan #7, you would save some $ by walking around the parking garage and taking a yellow taxi or taxi libre (white) for $10 instead of the "official" airport guys.

What happens after 6:15 pm on weekdays?

It might be expensive to taxi from the USA side of Otay Mesa. ??

It's a strange schedule during the week, Pernel. Buses run every 15 minutes from 4:45 AM until 9:15 AM. Then there are no buses until 1:30 PM when they run every 15 minutes until 6:45 PM. There are no buses after 6:45 PM. I don't know the reason for this unless it coincides with workers from Mexico coming to the US and then returning after work in the evening from the Iris trolley station. Other than that I don't suppose there is enough foot-traffic to warrant having buses all day. As far as the taxi on the US side - I have never seen one hanging around there and imagine they would have to be called. Don't know the fare.

don't forget the wait time at the san diego airport. figure another 2 hours for the beloved homeland security paranoia. edward