The ride from the boarder to the Tijuana Airport is relatively short and easy. After the line the bus heads south, crosses the river, spins around a traffic circle and then heads east along the boarder fence for about 3 miles.
While the bus ride was straight forward the navigating airport is not. Some Spanish language skills and calm determination is required. English only would work here but it would make things more challenging.
The airport is nice and modern with plenty of food and other basics and with a little lead lead time should present no major problems. But it helps to know the drill. In Mexico there are often more than one way to do things and they often change but for what it's worth here is what I did:
First I went inside the airport and got in line that led to check in area.
There is an x-ray machine for your bags here and they may check for a boarding pass - I can't remember .
Just before the x-ray check point there is a small INM window - it is fairly well marked - I asked about getting an FMT (tourist visa) and the uniformed officer said to pay inside and come back for the FMT.
I went in and got in the long slow check in line.
Note that each flight has its own check in line and each flight gets one check in window. Be sure to get in the correct one. At the front of each line just before the check-in window, a team of three people did a cursory search of our bags and then sealed them with zip-ties.
While in this line I talked to an American couple who I had met on the bus and had come through a different initial screening entrance where they had paid a different INM guy directly and had their FMTs already.
After a little asking around my Spanish paid off and I was directed to this window:
When you are in the Volaris check in lines this window is directly behind you.
I paid my $22 for the FMT here got a receipt and was directed back to the INM guy near at the x-ray line.
I was relieved to discover that he had a small window on the inside of the security check so I didn't have to go outside and return through security.
I gave him the receipt and he gave me an FMT good for 180 days.
Then I was back in the check in line, got my bags searched and sealed, got my boarding pass and headed to the final security check.
The final security check was the third bottle neck for the morning - there appeared to be only one lane for the check that was serving several flights. It was the standard x-ray your carry on and metal-detector deal.
After that it was a quick hustle through the terminal - very new and nice but with the trio of long lines I didn't have time to enjoy it.
At the gate they loaded us onto a pair of buses and then drove us a few hundred yards across the taxiways to a waiting plane and boarded using old-school stairs.
I was a little over whelmed by the process and may have gotten small details wrong but the general plan should work.
I snapped this picture of
Adriana - all
Volaris
aircraft appear to have names - but not all have a Krispy Kreme logo.
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