Landing at Tijuana International Airport

What TIJ is like

Tijuana sits so close to the international line that the runway runs almost parallel to it, and the airport does two jobs at once: gateway to the city, and departure point for people who live north of the border but fly domestically inside Mexico. A pedestrian bridge connects the terminal directly across to the United States side, which is a genuinely unusual arrangement. Using it requires the documents and the ticket conditions the bridge itself sets. For everyone else, this is an ordinary and efficient regional terminal.

On arrival

Have the line working before you land, because decisions come quickly here. Some passengers head for the border bridge and some walk out the front into the city, and those two routes separate while you are still inside the building. Follow the signage and take the one that matches your ticket and your documents rather than following the crowd. The terminal is not large, so the walk from aircraft to exit is short by the standards of a national hub. If you are going into the city, arrange the car while you are still indoors, the same as anywhere else in the country.

How far the airport Wi-Fi gets you

Airport Wi-Fi is available behind the usual sign-in and is fine for messages and checking a flight. What people do not think about is what happens if you walk across the bridge: your line will be looking at networks in a different country, and a plan that covers only Mexico stops being useful the moment you are on the other side. Border zones also make handsets flip between masts on either side, so the connection stutters in places even before you cross. If crossing is part of your plan, check what your plan actually covers before you start walking.

Getting into town

The city centre is a short road trip from the terminal, and the road is the only way. Most arrivals take a taxi from the rank the airport organises or order a car in an app, which works in this city. The common destinations are the central districts and the restaurant streets people cross the border to eat in. A second group never enters the city at all and drives south along the coast instead, which is a much longer haul. On any of those, the data goes on the map and on talking to the driver. If you are crossing the border, though, coverage matters more than volume, so think about where your plan applies first.

What people ask about this airport

• The bridge has conditions — The walkway across is only for travellers whose documents and ticket meet its conditions, so check that before the day rather than at the entrance.
• Crossing changes the network — Once you are on the other side your line attaches to networks there, and a plan covering only Mexico stops working immediately.
• Border signal wobbles — Close to the line, handsets flip between masts on both sides, so anything heavy you try to load right there rarely goes smoothly.