SITA today announced the successful implementation of its passenger processing technology at Cross Border Xpress (CBX), the first ever skywalk to connect a facility in the United States of America directly into a foreign airport terminal – Tijuana Airport, Mexico (TIJ).
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, (GAP), the operator of TIJ, is a partner in this the first true bi-national airport passenger terminal in the Americas. It allows passengers from the US to access the more than 30 destinations that TIJ offers, including direct flights to Shanghai, many of which are not served by other Southern California airports.
The cross-border bridge at the airport, between San Diego, U.S.A. and Tijuana, Mexico, serves in the region of 2.4 million passengers who already cross the border as part of their travels, helping them avoid unpredictable, often long delays at congested San Ysidro and Otay Mesa land ports of entry.
SITA’s AirportConnect® Kiosks and work stations allow travelers for any flight departing from, or arriving in, Tijuana, to check-in at CBX and use the facility to reduce their waiting time. The time now needed to cross the border between Mexico and the US has dropped from four hours to just 30 minutes.
Juan Francisco Martinez, CIO of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, said: “As we developed CBX it was important that we had a strong technology partner. We needed seamless passenger processing and to be able to get new airlines up and running quickly. SITA’s common-use self-service kiosks and work stations make it easy for us to welcome new international airlines to this great facility and make this unique border crossing smooth and fast for all travelers.”
Alex Covarrubias, SITA Vice President Sales, Latin America and the Caribbean, said: “The Cross Border Xpress facility at Tijuana Airport is an innovative way to enable passengers to cross the U.S./Mexico border quickly and easily. Our team at SITA worked closely with the team at GAP to make sure that from day one passengers and airlines would enjoy world class check-in facilities. The SITA AirportConnect check-in kiosks and work stations are in place for multiple airlines, with more airlines due to start using them soon for the 2.4 million passengers at this border crossing.”
CBX is an enclosed pedestrian skywalk bridge exclusively for Tijuana Airport passengers who cross the U.S./Mexico border as part of their trip. At just over 390 feet long and a five-minute walk it is a faster, more secure and hassle-free way for ticketed airline passengers to cross between San Diego and Tijuana Airport.
GAP operates airports serving metropolitan and tourist destinations in Mexico including Guadalajara, Tijuana, La Paz, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and others. Today, SITA provides GAP with its world-class airport technology at Tijuana’s main terminal together with nine other airports across Mexico.
