6 ms·

Tijuana Airport Parking, Just Over the Border

67 points by nikunjk 13y ago

jpatokal 13y ago
The Swiss-French airports mentioned in the article are Basel-Mulhouse and Geneva: http://www.euroairport.com/en/ http://www.euroairport.com/en/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroAirport_Basel%E2%80%93Mulhouse%E2%80%93Freiburg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroAirport_Basel%E2%80%93Mulh... http://www.gva.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx http://www.gva.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_International_Airport https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_International_Airport Unlike the Tijuana project, which is an airport in Mexico with a bridge to the US, in both BSL and GVA you could use either the French or Swiss side of the airport without crossing over to the other side. (Both are now in the Schengen zone, meaning French visas are valid in Switzerland and vice versa, so the distinction is no longer necessary.)
- rmc 13y ago
  In the Schengen Zone, you can just drive across the border, there might be a flag at the border to tell you when you've crossed (or more importantly) a sign telling you the new road traffic laws. And of course citizens of both countries can live and work in each other for as long as they like. Can't see the USA & Mexico doing that.
  - VLM 13y ago
    "And of course citizens of both countries can live and work in each other for as long as they like. Can't see the USA & Mexico doing that." We already do that, although its only one direction and technically not legal. Its actually pretty hard for a US dude to work illegally in .mx, like if you wanted to be a web dev in Mex City. Don't confuse a militarized photo op area thats about 500 feet wide with the rest of the thousands of miles of border.
aluhut 13y ago
So how does this annoying paywall work? I clicked the link 5 times. At the 6th time it showed me the full article without the url-tail. Can someone confirm that?
- corin_ 13y ago
  They show the page and then block it from you afterwards, so if you load the page then keep spamming the escape key to stop anything else from running the content will stay there. Therefore my guess is that your 6th time it just happened to not work (maybe you accidentally hit escape, maybe your browser decided not to execute a script, or your internet timed preventing it from doing so, or....) - but I could be wrong.
- hudibras 13y ago
  You go to this page[0], where they give you three options ranging from $3.75 to $8.75 each week. But they're running a sale right now, you can get the first 4 weeks for 99 cents. [0]http://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp5558.html?campaignId=3HYHY http://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp5558.htm...
- ot 13y ago
  Also, if you google the title and click on the nytimes links from there, there is no paywall. It has always worked for me. Probably they look at the referrer, but I don't know why they do it.
te_chris 13y ago
Having just spent a couple of weeks in Mexico the amount of paranoia and ignorance that their northern border mates tend to exhibit towards them is just completely ridiculous.
- grecy 13y ago
  Agree 100%. I spent 4 months driving South through Mexico and had a fantastic time. I know of at least 50 people that have done the same thing in recent years and they all had the same experience. Mexico is nothing like the American media portrays it to be. Hell, most of the world is nothing like the American media portrays it to be.
- thangalin 13y ago
  The wall between the United States and Mexico is a make-work project that will be dismantled in two hundred years once humanity grows out of its nationalistic tendencies. The North American countries should loosen borders, not tighten them, paving an open road to unification. Building a border barrier feels like erecting another Berlin Wall. Last I checked, we all live on the same planet, and are all tied to its fate for the foreseeable future.
  - CreakyParrot 13y ago
    1. Not defending the concept or execution of that wall, but the list of reasons behind its existence includes many more things than just nationalistic tendencies. If and when it's dismantled, it'll say far more about the relative functioning of the two nations' respective institutions and economies than it will about any decrease in nationalistic tendencies. The original signatories to the Schengen Agreement were some of the most nationalistic countries on the planet, and still are, 29 years later. 2. It only feels like the Berlin Wall if you ignore the fact that the Berlin Wall was built to prevent emigration and defection. 3. You and I live on the same planet; mind if I enter and leave your home without restriction? Mind if everyone else is free to, also? I agree with what you're saying in principal, but the application of ideals is where things become far more complex. Also, it's worth reflecting on the fact that the federal republic of the United States has totally open borders between its 50 states, which is too often taken for granted, and basically provided the model the EU is struggling to imitate.
jasonkester 13y ago
I guess it's cool that San Diego will get another accessible airport out of the deal, but it seems like this will otherwise just kill off another good thing. I bet that guy saving $1,000 on his flights doesn't mind the hour of extra work it takes him to do so, and that the people taking advantage of this little arbitrage are all fine with it too. But it's plain to see that on Day One of the new bridge thing, airfares will adjust so that now it costs exactly $12-$19 less to fly out of Tijuana vs San Diego (adjusted based on whatever silly fee they put in place to walk across that bridge). No more $1,000 savings. No particular reason to use this airport in favor of the old one if it worked for you. It reminds me a bit of the big push in the late 70's to put as many Diesel cars on the road as possible because "Look at how cheap Diesel is!!! It's like half the price of Regular!!!". Which was indeed the case, until four days after all those diesels hit the road.
- carlob 13y ago
  Diesel is still cheaper both absolutely and by distance driven in most European countries even if the penetration of Diesel vehicles is much higher than in the US.
  - monkeynotes 13y ago
    Diesel in the UK and France, in my own experience, is more expensive per litre than petrol. Diesel is more expensive partly because all the tight regulations on emissions, low sulfur and all nonsense.
    - jtheory 13y ago
      I've been living in France (and driving a diesel Peugeot 206) since 2006; diesel (gazole) is always cheaper than standard petrol (and that's part of why I bought this car). See: http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/ http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/ You do seem to be correct about the UK, though -- diesel is a bit more expensive than basic unleaded petrol.
    - cjrp 13y ago
      But you also get more energy per litre than petrol, so it actually works out cheaper.
x0054 13y ago
As a side note, if you live in San Diego, and like traveling to Mexico, get a Sentri Card. [1] It's worth it. With it you can drive from San Diego to TJ and back in 40 minutes. The wait at the border is cut from 3 hours to 5-10 minutes. Me and my wife got the cards so we can go to doctors and mechanics in TJ and to watch movies. Cinepolis tickets in TJ are $7, vs $20 in US :) Just a quick tip. [1] http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/sentri/sentri.xml http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/sentri/se...
gregalbritton 13y ago
I just flew out of Tijuana Airport from San Diego. Took public transport with no problems at all. We'll see what the project brings to the surrounding area, I hope it's a positive benefit for everyone.

67 points by nikunjk 13y ago

The Swiss-French airports mentioned in the article are Basel-Mulhouse and Geneva: http://www.euroairport.com/en/ http://www.euroairport.com/en/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroAirport_Basel%E2%80%93Mulhouse%E2%80%93Freiburg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroAirport_Basel%E2%80%93Mulh... http://www.gva.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx http://www.gva.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_International_Airport https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_International_Airport Unlike the Tijuana project, which is an airport in Mexico with a bridge to the US, in both BSL and GVA you could use either the French or Swiss side of the airport without crossing over to the other side. (Both are now in the Schengen zone, meaning French visas are valid in Switzerland and vice versa, so the distinction is no longer necessary.)

rmc 13y ago
In the Schengen Zone, you can just drive across the border, there might be a flag at the border to tell you when you've crossed (or more importantly) a sign telling you the new road traffic laws. And of course citizens of both countries can live and work in each other for as long as they like. Can't see the USA & Mexico doing that.
- VLM 13y ago
  "And of course citizens of both countries can live and work in each other for as long as they like. Can't see the USA & Mexico doing that." We already do that, although its only one direction and technically not legal. Its actually pretty hard for a US dude to work illegally in .mx, like if you wanted to be a web dev in Mex City. Don't confuse a militarized photo op area thats about 500 feet wide with the rest of the thousands of miles of border.

aluhut 13y ago

So how does this annoying paywall work? I clicked the link 5 times. At the 6th time it showed me the full article without the url-tail. Can someone confirm that?

corin_ 13y ago
They show the page and then block it from you afterwards, so if you load the page then keep spamming the escape key to stop anything else from running the content will stay there. Therefore my guess is that your 6th time it just happened to not work (maybe you accidentally hit escape, maybe your browser decided not to execute a script, or your internet timed preventing it from doing so, or....) - but I could be wrong.
hudibras 13y ago
You go to this page[0], where they give you three options ranging from $3.75 to $8.75 each week. But they're running a sale right now, you can get the first 4 weeks for 99 cents. [0]http://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp5558.html?campaignId=3HYHY http://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp5558.htm...
ot 13y ago
Also, if you google the title and click on the nytimes links from there, there is no paywall. It has always worked for me. Probably they look at the referrer, but I don't know why they do it.

te_chris 13y ago

Having just spent a couple of weeks in Mexico the amount of paranoia and ignorance that their northern border mates tend to exhibit towards them is just completely ridiculous.

grecy 13y ago
Agree 100%. I spent 4 months driving South through Mexico and had a fantastic time. I know of at least 50 people that have done the same thing in recent years and they all had the same experience. Mexico is nothing like the American media portrays it to be. Hell, most of the world is nothing like the American media portrays it to be.
thangalin 13y ago
The wall between the United States and Mexico is a make-work project that will be dismantled in two hundred years once humanity grows out of its nationalistic tendencies. The North American countries should loosen borders, not tighten them, paving an open road to unification. Building a border barrier feels like erecting another Berlin Wall. Last I checked, we all live on the same planet, and are all tied to its fate for the foreseeable future.
- CreakyParrot 13y ago
  1. Not defending the concept or execution of that wall, but the list of reasons behind its existence includes many more things than just nationalistic tendencies. If and when it's dismantled, it'll say far more about the relative functioning of the two nations' respective institutions and economies than it will about any decrease in nationalistic tendencies. The original signatories to the Schengen Agreement were some of the most nationalistic countries on the planet, and still are, 29 years later. 2. It only feels like the Berlin Wall if you ignore the fact that the Berlin Wall was built to prevent emigration and defection. 3. You and I live on the same planet; mind if I enter and leave your home without restriction? Mind if everyone else is free to, also? I agree with what you're saying in principal, but the application of ideals is where things become far more complex. Also, it's worth reflecting on the fact that the federal republic of the United States has totally open borders between its 50 states, which is too often taken for granted, and basically provided the model the EU is struggling to imitate.

jasonkester 13y ago

I guess it's cool that San Diego will get another accessible airport out of the deal, but it seems like this will otherwise just kill off another good thing. I bet that guy saving $1,000 on his flights doesn't mind the hour of extra work it takes him to do so, and that the people taking advantage of this little arbitrage are all fine with it too. But it's plain to see that on Day One of the new bridge thing, airfares will adjust so that now it costs exactly $12-$19 less to fly out of Tijuana vs San Diego (adjusted based on whatever silly fee they put in place to walk across that bridge). No more $1,000 savings. No particular reason to use this airport in favor of the old one if it worked for you. It reminds me a bit of the big push in the late 70's to put as many Diesel cars on the road as possible because "Look at how cheap Diesel is!!! It's like half the price of Regular!!!". Which was indeed the case, until four days after all those diesels hit the road.

carlob 13y ago
Diesel is still cheaper both absolutely and by distance driven in most European countries even if the penetration of Diesel vehicles is much higher than in the US.
- monkeynotes 13y ago
  Diesel in the UK and France, in my own experience, is more expensive per litre than petrol. Diesel is more expensive partly because all the tight regulations on emissions, low sulfur and all nonsense.
  - jtheory 13y ago
    I've been living in France (and driving a diesel Peugeot 206) since 2006; diesel (gazole) is always cheaper than standard petrol (and that's part of why I bought this car). See: http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/ http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/ You do seem to be correct about the UK, though -- diesel is a bit more expensive than basic unleaded petrol.
  - cjrp 13y ago
    But you also get more energy per litre than petrol, so it actually works out cheaper.

x0054 13y ago

As a side note, if you live in San Diego, and like traveling to Mexico, get a Sentri Card. [1] It's worth it. With it you can drive from San Diego to TJ and back in 40 minutes. The wait at the border is cut from 3 hours to 5-10 minutes. Me and my wife got the cards so we can go to doctors and mechanics in TJ and to watch movies. Cinepolis tickets in TJ are $7, vs $20 in US :) Just a quick tip. [1] http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/sentri/sentri.xml http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/sentri/se...

gregalbritton 13y ago

I just flew out of Tijuana Airport from San Diego. Took public transport with no problems at all. We'll see what the project brings to the surrounding area, I hope it's a positive benefit for everyone.