San Jose International Airport
Encyclopedia
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport
serving the city of San Jose
in Santa Clara County, California
, United States. It is named for San Jose native Norman Yoshio Mineta, who was Transportation Secretary in the Cabinet
of George W. Bush
, and Commerce Secretary in the Cabinet of Bill Clinton, although the airport is also named to recognize Mineta's service as a Councilman for, and Mayor of, San Jose. It is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection
international Port of entry
. It is located two nautical mile
s (4 km) northwest of Downtown San Jose
, near the intersections of three major freeways, U.S. Route 101, Interstate 880, and State Route 87
. The airport's dominant carrier is Southwest Airlines
. Alaska Airlines
, along with its regional subsidiary, Horizon Air
, is the second largest carrier at the airport. Alaska Airlines also operates most of its departing flights from the Bay Area out of SJC. The airport offers free Wi-Fi
in all its terminal buildings.
The San Jose City Council has considered changing the name of the airport to San Jose/Silicon Valley Mineta International Airport. The city believes that the new name would help the airlines' marketing strategy.
(SFO), and fewer passengers than Oakland International Airport
(OAK). Like the Oakland airport, it attracts Bay Area residents who find SFO to be inconveniently distant from their homes.
SJC is situated as a "downtown airport". Its relatively convenient location for residents and visitors near downtown San Jose has also led to some drawbacks. It became surrounded by the city and had little room for expansion. The proximity to downtown has also led to restrictions on heights of buildings in downtown San Jose by safety margins set in FAA regulations.
, a wholesale grocer and future mayor of San Jose, led a group that negotiated an option to purchase 483 acres (2 km²) of the Stockton Ranch from the Crocker family, to be the site of San Jose's airport. Renzel led the effort to pass a bond measure to pay for the land in 1940. In 1945, test pilot James Nissen leased about 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) of this land to build a runway, hangar and office building for a flight school. When the city of San Jose decided to develop a municipal airport, Nissen sold his share of the aviation business and became San Jose's first airport manager. Both Renzel and Nissen were instrumental in the development of San Jose Municipal Airport over the next few decades, culminating with the opening of what is now Terminal C in 1965.
In the early 1980s San Jose International Airport was one of the first U.S airports to participate in the noise regulation
program enacted by the U.S. Congress for delineation of airport noise contours
and developing a pilot study of residential sound insulation
. This program succeeded in its objective of demonstrating that residences in the airport vicinity could be retrofitted in a cost-effective manner to reduce interior sound levels from aircraft noise
substantially.
In 1990, San Jose International Airport greatly expanded with the opening of Terminal A. Plans at the time called for a Terminal B to be eventually built between Terminals A and C.
In November 2001, the airport was renamed after Norman Yoshio Mineta, who is a native of San Jose, its former mayor and congressman, former United States Secretary of Commerce
and former United States Secretary of Transportation
. In December 2003, the airfield was named after former mayor Ernie Renzel.
light rail and the planned BART
station adjacent to the current Santa Clara Caltrain station
. Cargo facilities would be moved to the east side of the airport. A long term parking garage would be constructed at the current location of the rental car operations. A new short term parking structure would also be constructed at the site of current Terminal C short term parking lot.
In November 2005, a scaled-back airport improvement plan was approved and announced. The new two-phase plan called for a simplified Terminal B, rather than the initially proposed James Nissen Central Terminal, with a North Concourse to replace the aging Terminal C. In addition, Terminal A would be expanded for additional check-in counters, security checkpoints, and drop-off/pick-up curbside space. The new plan cost $1.3 billion, less than half of the original plan's cost of $3 billion. The first phase was completed in June 2010, when Terminal B and the North Concourse officially opened for service. The second phase, adding a South Concourse to Terminal B, is to be built when demand is sufficient.
DC-3s on the multistop run between SFO and LAX, starting in 1948-49. Southwest (later called Pacific) was the only airline until 1966, when PSA started flying Electras nonstop from LAX, with 727s later that year. (SJC's first airline jets were Pacific 727 nonstops to LAX earlier in 1966). In 1968 United Airlines arrived, with 727 nonstops from Denver, Chicago and LAX, and DC-8s from New York Kennedy and Baltimore.
opened a hub at San Jose in 1988, using slots it obtained in the buyout of Air California
in 1986. Reno Air
, a startup based in Reno, Nevada
, took over many of American's gates until it was bought out by American in 1998. The American hub lasted only a few years because of a downturn in the economy.
After the dot-com bubble
burst in 2001, the city lost several flights because of a decrease in demand. Air Canada
discontinued its flights to Toronto
and Ottawa
, Canada, and American Airlines
stopped its nonstop flights to Taipei
, Taiwan
; Vancouver
, Canada
; and Paris
, France
. American also dropped its focus city
service to Miami
, St. Louis
, Seattle
, Portland
, Denver
, and Phoenix
; the airline's flights to Southern California
were downgraded to American Eagle
regional flights.
Dramatic reduction at SJC continued throughout 2004. Alaska Airlines
halted its San Jose–Puerto Vallarta
and Cabo San Lucas
seasonal routes, Horizon Air
discontinued its twice daily San Jose-Tucson
service. and American Airlines
discontinued its San Jose–San Luis Obispo
and San Jose–Boston Logan links.
In October 2005, Hawaiian Airlines
began nonstop daily service from Honolulu to San Jose. This made San Jose Hawaiian's fifth gateway city in California, along with San Diego, Los Angeles
, Sacramento
and San Francisco. However, one year later, in October 2006, American Airlines discontinued the San Jose–Tokyo-Narita
route, which was San Jose's last remaining link with an international overseas destination.
SJC suffered with many mid-tier airports during the 2008 rise in oil prices as airlines reduced marginal services to improve profitability. SJC lost much of its transcontinental U.S. service in the fall with Continental
ending Newark
flights, JetBlue ceasing Boston
service, and United
ending longtime service to its Chicago-O'Hare and Washington Dulles hubs.http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10252614 The New York Times
reported that between 2007 and 2009, SJC lost 22% of its seat capacity.
ceased service to Austin, Texas
. However, Alaska Airlines
announced afterward it would begin new routes to Austin
from SJC, and would upgrade service to Portland, Oregon
, which was run by regional subsidiary Horizon Air
, to commercial jet service which began on September 2, 2009.
In 2010, service expanded at SJC for the first time in several years. JetBlue Airways
resumed San Jose/Boston routes, although it discontinued service to Long Beach on the same day. Volaris
entered into service at SJC in May 2010, with flights to Guadalajara, Mexico. Alaska Airlines added service to Kahului, Kona
, Lihue, and Los Cabos
/San José del Cabo
. The airline also doubled its daily flights to several destinations on its regional subsidiary, Horizon Air
and added service to Guadalajara
, Mexico, which began on December 15, 2010. Alaska now operates most of its flights out of the Bay Area from San Jose.
Despite the addition of service, Frontier Airlines
pulled out of SJC in May 2010, citing lack of profitability on its single flight from the airport to Denver, Colorado.
In August 2010,Mexicana Airlines also suspended all its flights out of the airport and its other destinations permanently due to bankruptcy. In the same month, Southwest Airlines
announced it would begin nonstop flights to Austin, Texas
. Several months later, Alaska announced it was ending service to Austin, likely due to the increased competition from Southwest.
In September 2011, Hawaiian Airlines announced that it would begin service to Maui starting on January 10, 2012. On the same day, Alaska Airlines announced that it would upgrade its service to Kahului and Kauai to daily flights; currently, Alaska flies to Kahului four times a week and to Kauai three times a week.
revealed that San Jose Airport has the lowest passenger satisfaction rating of any comparable small airport in the United States. San Jose Airport ranked the lowest in each of the six categories surveyed: accessibility, baggage claim, check-in, terminal facilities, security check, and food/retail services; however, this survey was conducted before the new Terminal B was opened and before the renovation of Terminal A was completed.
, CONRAC, has been fitted with new public art featuring hands of people in Silicon Valley
. The art is on the outside of the facility and can be seen from more than one mile away. Artist Christian Moeller
designed the new "Hands" mural.
of 62 feet (18.9 m) above mean sea level. It has three runway
s: 12L/30R and 12R/30L each have a 11000 by 150 ft (3,352.8 by 45.7 m) concrete
surface and 11/29 has a 4599 by 100 ft (1,401.8 by 30.5 m) asphalt
surface. The runway separation is less than ideal: 700 feet between centerlines.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 213,107 aircraft operations, an average of 583 per day: 59% scheduled commercial
, 14% air taxi
, 27% general aviation
and <1% military
. At that time there were 176 aircraft based at this airport: 50% single-engine
, 6% multi-engine, 38% jet
, and 6% helicopter
.
From 1960 to 2010, San Jose State University
operated a flight-simulator facility for its aviation program in buildings at the southeast corner of the airport. The university has since relocated to the Reid-Hillview Airport located about 5 miles to the southeast.
In 2009, the gates at the airport were renumbered in preparation for the addition of Terminal B. Gate A16B at the north end became Gate 1, and Gate A1A at the south end became Gate 16.
Designed by a team of architects and engineers led by HTB, Inc., Terminal A and its adjoining parking garage were originally designed and built in 1990 for American Airlines. The overall program was led by a joint team of San Jose Airport and Public Works staff known as the "Airport Development Team". The project was awarded the Public Works Project of the Year by the California Council of Civil Engineers. It underwent extensive renovation and expansion in 2009, with larger ground-level ticketing counters, more curbside parking space, larger security checkpoints, and more concessions. The renovations and expansion was designed by Curtis W. Fentress
, FAIA, RIBA of Fentress Architects
.
The terminal includes an international arrivals building, which contains Gates 15 and 16. All international flights (all of which depart at Terminal A) at the airport must clear customs from this building in order to proceed to their gates. The gates used in this building are also used for arrivals of Volaris
flights.
Terminal A had an Admirals Club across from Gate 8 for American Airlines passengers, however the club closed in September 2010, with the airline citing rising costs, and cutbacks in its flight schedule at San Jose for the club's closure.
. Construction management was provided by Hensel Phelps Construction Co. The terminal officially opened on June 30, 2010. Its design features dramatic daylit spaces, modern art, shared use ticket counters/gates, and chairs with power cords and USB ports on the armrest to charge laptops or handheld devices.
The terminal has recently earned a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in recognition of the airport's significant commitment to environmentally sustainable design and construction.
The first six gates of the new concourse were opened to the public on July 15, 2009. The remaining gates were opened on June 30, 2010. Southwest Airlines
is the primary tenant, along with Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, and Delta Air Lines.
and SkyWest Airlines
, used turboway ramps. In preparation for construction of Terminal B, the north end of Terminal C, previously home to gates C14–C16, which housed Alaska Airlines
, Horizon Air
, and Frontier Airlines
, was closed for demolition in December 2007. The remaining portion of the terminal was reconfigured, including the addition of a new, larger, consolidated security checkpoint. The demolition of the north end occurred in February 2008, officially clearing the way for construction of Terminal B.
In December 2009, United Airlines
, Continental Airlines
, and JetBlue Airways
moved to new or reconstructed gates in Terminal A, as the area within Terminal C containing the three airlines' gates was demolished. Other airlines operating at that time within Terminal C remained in the terminal until the North Concourse of Terminal B opened in June 2010.
The Terminal C baggage claim was closed for demolition on February 2, 2010. This allowed for completion of the airport's new roadways. The terminal was officially closed on June 30, 2010. The remaining portions of the terminal were torn down in July 2010, and the space the terminal occupied now serves as a surface parking lot.
Route 10 Airport Flyer bus connects the airport to the Santa Clara Station
for Caltrain
and ACE
commuter rail services as well as numerous local buses; and to the Metro/Airport Light Rail Station
for VTA's light rail
service.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
serving the city of San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
in Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
, United States. It is named for San Jose native Norman Yoshio Mineta, who was Transportation Secretary in the Cabinet
United States Cabinet
The Cabinet of the United States is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, which are generally the heads of the federal executive departments...
of George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, and Commerce Secretary in the Cabinet of Bill Clinton, although the airport is also named to recognize Mineta's service as a Councilman for, and Mayor of, San Jose. It is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...
international Port of entry
Port of entry
In general, a port of entry is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has a staff of people who check passports and visas and inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. International airports are usually ports of entry, as are road and rail crossings on a...
. It is located two nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (4 km) northwest of Downtown San Jose
Downtown San Jose
Downtown San Jose is the central business district of San Jose, California, United States. The area is generally located north of Interstate 280 and east of Guadalupe Parkway, which roughly parallels the Guadalupe River. The region is bound to the north by U.S...
, near the intersections of three major freeways, U.S. Route 101, Interstate 880, and State Route 87
California State Route 87
State Route 87 , locally called Highway 87 or the Guadalupe Freeway, is a north–south state highway entirely within San Jose, California, United States. Its name was changed from Guadalupe Parkway in 2004 after its entire constructed length was upgraded to a freeway...
. The airport's dominant carrier is Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
. Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
, along with its regional subsidiary, Horizon Air
Horizon Air
Horizon Air Industries, Inc. is a regional low-cost airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. It is the eighth largest regional airline in the USA, serving 52 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico....
, is the second largest carrier at the airport. Alaska Airlines also operates most of its departing flights from the Bay Area out of SJC. The airport offers free Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
in all its terminal buildings.
The San Jose City Council has considered changing the name of the airport to San Jose/Silicon Valley Mineta International Airport. The city believes that the new name would help the airlines' marketing strategy.
Overview
Despite San Jose's position as the most populous city in the Bay Area, SJC is the smallest of the three Bay Area airports offering scheduled service (10.9 million passengers annual in 2006), with less than one third the passengers of the region's major international airport San Francisco International AirportSan Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
(SFO), and fewer passengers than Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport , also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public airport located south of the central business district of Oakland, a city in Alameda County, California, United States...
(OAK). Like the Oakland airport, it attracts Bay Area residents who find SFO to be inconveniently distant from their homes.
SJC is situated as a "downtown airport". Its relatively convenient location for residents and visitors near downtown San Jose has also led to some drawbacks. It became surrounded by the city and had little room for expansion. The proximity to downtown has also led to restrictions on heights of buildings in downtown San Jose by safety margins set in FAA regulations.
Beginnings and expansion
In 1939, Ernie RenzelErnie Renzel
Ernest E. Renzel was an American politician who served as the mayor of San Jose, California from 1945 until 1946. He was known as the "Father of the San Jose International Airport" for his work in establishing a major airport in San Jose.-Early life:Ernie Renzel was born as a third-generation...
, a wholesale grocer and future mayor of San Jose, led a group that negotiated an option to purchase 483 acres (2 km²) of the Stockton Ranch from the Crocker family, to be the site of San Jose's airport. Renzel led the effort to pass a bond measure to pay for the land in 1940. In 1945, test pilot James Nissen leased about 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) of this land to build a runway, hangar and office building for a flight school. When the city of San Jose decided to develop a municipal airport, Nissen sold his share of the aviation business and became San Jose's first airport manager. Both Renzel and Nissen were instrumental in the development of San Jose Municipal Airport over the next few decades, culminating with the opening of what is now Terminal C in 1965.
In the early 1980s San Jose International Airport was one of the first U.S airports to participate in the noise regulation
Noise regulation
Noise regulation includes statutes or guidelines relating to sound transmission established by national, state or provincial and municipal levels of government. After the watershed passage of the United States Noise Control Act of 1972, other local and state governments passed further regulations...
program enacted by the U.S. Congress for delineation of airport noise contours
Contour line
A contour line of a function of two variables is a curve along which the function has a constant value. In cartography, a contour line joins points of equal elevation above a given level, such as mean sea level...
and developing a pilot study of residential sound insulation
Noise mitigation
Noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce noise pollution. The main areas of noise mitigation or abatement are: transportation noise control, architectural design, and occupational noise control...
. This program succeeded in its objective of demonstrating that residences in the airport vicinity could be retrofitted in a cost-effective manner to reduce interior sound levels from aircraft noise
Aircraft noise
Aircraft noise is noise pollution produced by any aircraft or its components, during various phases of a flight: on the ground while parked such as auxiliary power units, while taxiing, on run-up from propeller and jet exhaust, during take off, underneath and lateral to departure and arrival paths,...
substantially.
In 1990, San Jose International Airport greatly expanded with the opening of Terminal A. Plans at the time called for a Terminal B to be eventually built between Terminals A and C.
In November 2001, the airport was renamed after Norman Yoshio Mineta, who is a native of San Jose, its former mayor and congressman, former United States Secretary of Commerce
United States Secretary of Commerce
The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce"...
and former United States Secretary of Transportation
United States Secretary of Transportation
The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fourteenth in the Presidential line of succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Transportation on October 15, 1966,...
. In December 2003, the airfield was named after former mayor Ernie Renzel.
Terminal B North Concourse
In August 2004, the city broke ground on the North Concourse, the first phase in a three-phase, nine-year expansion plan. The master plan, designed by Gensler and The Steinberg Group, called for a single consolidated terminal that contains 40 gates (eight more than present), an international concourse, and expanded security areas. The terminal would be named after James Nissen. The sail-shaped facade would greet up to 17.6 million passengers a year. A people mover system would link the new terminal with VTASanta Clara Valley Transportation Authority
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is a special-purpose district responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning for Santa Clara County, California, United States...
light rail and the planned BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
station adjacent to the current Santa Clara Caltrain station
Santa Clara (Caltrain/ACE station)
Santa Clara station is one of two heavy railway stations in Santa Clara, California...
. Cargo facilities would be moved to the east side of the airport. A long term parking garage would be constructed at the current location of the rental car operations. A new short term parking structure would also be constructed at the site of current Terminal C short term parking lot.
In November 2005, a scaled-back airport improvement plan was approved and announced. The new two-phase plan called for a simplified Terminal B, rather than the initially proposed James Nissen Central Terminal, with a North Concourse to replace the aging Terminal C. In addition, Terminal A would be expanded for additional check-in counters, security checkpoints, and drop-off/pick-up curbside space. The new plan cost $1.3 billion, less than half of the original plan's cost of $3 billion. The first phase was completed in June 2010, when Terminal B and the North Concourse officially opened for service. The second phase, adding a South Concourse to Terminal B, is to be built when demand is sufficient.
Early days
San Jose's first airline flights were Southwest AirwaysPacific Air Lines
Pacific Air Lines was a regional airline serving the West Coast of the United States that began operations in the 1940s under the name Southwest Airways...
DC-3s on the multistop run between SFO and LAX, starting in 1948-49. Southwest (later called Pacific) was the only airline until 1966, when PSA started flying Electras nonstop from LAX, with 727s later that year. (SJC's first airline jets were Pacific 727 nonstops to LAX earlier in 1966). In 1968 United Airlines arrived, with 727 nonstops from Denver, Chicago and LAX, and DC-8s from New York Kennedy and Baltimore.
1988–2008
American AirlinesAmerican Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
opened a hub at San Jose in 1988, using slots it obtained in the buyout of Air California
Air California
Air California, later AirCal, was a regional airline using mainline equipment and serving different points in the state of California and some neighboring western U.S. states. It was founded by a partnership of Orange County businessmen as an alternative to other airlines and what was left of the...
in 1986. Reno Air
Reno Air
Reno Air was a scheduled passenger airline headquartered in Reno, Nevada, United States.Reno Air provided service from its hubs at Reno/Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada and San Jose International Airport in San Jose, California to destinations throughout the western United States, Canada...
, a startup based in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, took over many of American's gates until it was bought out by American in 1998. The American hub lasted only a few years because of a downturn in the economy.
After the dot-com bubble
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
burst in 2001, the city lost several flights because of a decrease in demand. Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
discontinued its flights to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada, and American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
stopped its nonstop flights to Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
; Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. American also dropped its focus city
Focus city
In the airline industry, a focus city is a location that is not a hub, but from which the airline has non-stop flights to several destinations other than its hubs...
service to Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, and Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
; the airline's flights to Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
were downgraded to American Eagle
American Eagle Airlines
American Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries...
regional flights.
Dramatic reduction at SJC continued throughout 2004. Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
halted its San Jose–Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...
and Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas , commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people...
seasonal routes, Horizon Air
Horizon Air
Horizon Air Industries, Inc. is a regional low-cost airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. It is the eighth largest regional airline in the USA, serving 52 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico....
discontinued its twice daily San Jose-Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
service. and American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
discontinued its San Jose–San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
and San Jose–Boston Logan links.
In October 2005, Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a major airline of the United States. It is the largest airline based in the State of Hawai'i, and is the 11th largest commercial airline in the country. Based in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu, the airline operates its main hub at Honolulu International...
began nonstop daily service from Honolulu to San Jose. This made San Jose Hawaiian's fifth gateway city in California, along with San Diego, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
and San Francisco. However, one year later, in October 2006, American Airlines discontinued the San Jose–Tokyo-Narita
Narita International Airport
is an international airport serving the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is located east of Tokyo Station and east-southeast of Narita Station in the city of Narita, and the adjacent town of Shibayama....
route, which was San Jose's last remaining link with an international overseas destination.
SJC suffered with many mid-tier airports during the 2008 rise in oil prices as airlines reduced marginal services to improve profitability. SJC lost much of its transcontinental U.S. service in the fall with Continental
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
ending Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
flights, JetBlue ceasing Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
service, and United
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
ending longtime service to its Chicago-O'Hare and Washington Dulles hubs.http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10252614 The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that between 2007 and 2009, SJC lost 22% of its seat capacity.
2009–present
In the summer of 2009, American AirlinesAmerican Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
ceased service to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. However, Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
announced afterward it would begin new routes to Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
from SJC, and would upgrade service to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, which was run by regional subsidiary Horizon Air
Horizon Air
Horizon Air Industries, Inc. is a regional low-cost airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. It is the eighth largest regional airline in the USA, serving 52 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico....
, to commercial jet service which began on September 2, 2009.
In 2010, service expanded at SJC for the first time in several years. JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
resumed San Jose/Boston routes, although it discontinued service to Long Beach on the same day. Volaris
Volaris
Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A. de C.V., operating as Volaris, is a low-cost airline from Mexico, and the country's second largest airline after Aeroméxico, thus being a leading competitor in the Mexican domestic market, with a market share of around 13-14% of domestic...
entered into service at SJC in May 2010, with flights to Guadalajara, Mexico. Alaska Airlines added service to Kahului, Kona
Kona International Airport
Kona International Airport at Keāhole is an airport on the Island of Hawaii, in Kalaoa CDP, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. The airport serves leeward, or Western Hawaii island, including the town of Kailua-Kona and the major resorts of the North Kona and South Kohala districts.- History...
, Lihue, and Los Cabos
Los Cabos
Los Cabos is a municipality located at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, in the state of Baja California Sur. It encompasses the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo , as well as the Resort Corridor that lies between the two...
/San José del Cabo
San José del Cabo
The city of San José del Cabo is located in Baja California Sur Mexico and is the seat of the municipality of Los Cabos at the south end of the Baja California peninsula. In the 2010 census it had a population of 69,788. Together with neighboring Cabo San Lucas it forms a major tourist destination...
. The airline also doubled its daily flights to several destinations on its regional subsidiary, Horizon Air
Horizon Air
Horizon Air Industries, Inc. is a regional low-cost airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. It is the eighth largest regional airline in the USA, serving 52 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico....
and added service to Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
, Mexico, which began on December 15, 2010. Alaska now operates most of its flights out of the Bay Area from San Jose.
Despite the addition of service, Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines, Inc., is an American airline headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The carrier, which is a subsidiary and operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings, operates flights to 83 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica and maintains hubs at...
pulled out of SJC in May 2010, citing lack of profitability on its single flight from the airport to Denver, Colorado.
In August 2010,Mexicana Airlines also suspended all its flights out of the airport and its other destinations permanently due to bankruptcy. In the same month, Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
announced it would begin nonstop flights to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Several months later, Alaska announced it was ending service to Austin, likely due to the increased competition from Southwest.
In September 2011, Hawaiian Airlines announced that it would begin service to Maui starting on January 10, 2012. On the same day, Alaska Airlines announced that it would upgrade its service to Kahului and Kauai to daily flights; currently, Alaska flies to Kahului four times a week and to Kauai three times a week.
Study of passenger service satisfaction
A 2010 study by J.D. Power and AssociatesJ.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm founded in 1968 by James David Power III. The firm conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for industries ranging from cars to marketing and advertising firms. The firm is best known for...
revealed that San Jose Airport has the lowest passenger satisfaction rating of any comparable small airport in the United States. San Jose Airport ranked the lowest in each of the six categories surveyed: accessibility, baggage claim, check-in, terminal facilities, security check, and food/retail services; however, this survey was conducted before the new Terminal B was opened and before the renovation of Terminal A was completed.
Public art
SJC's new consolidated parking and rental facilityConsolidated rental car facility
A consolidated rental car facility is a complex that hosts numerous rental car agencies. They are often found at American airports.- History :A CRCF exists at Newark Liberty International Airport, Dallas-Ft...
, CONRAC, has been fitted with new public art featuring hands of people in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
. The art is on the outside of the facility and can be seen from more than one mile away. Artist Christian Moeller
Christian Moeller
Christian Moeller is a German architect and artist.He is a professor of Design | Media Arts at University of California, Los Angeles. -Life:...
designed the new "Hands" mural.
Facilities and aircraft
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport covers an area of 1050 acres (424.9 ha) at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 62 feet (18.9 m) above mean sea level. It has three runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s: 12L/30R and 12R/30L each have a 11000 by 150 ft (3,352.8 by 45.7 m) concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
surface and 11/29 has a 4599 by 100 ft (1,401.8 by 30.5 m) asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface. The runway separation is less than ideal: 700 feet between centerlines.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 213,107 aircraft operations, an average of 583 per day: 59% scheduled commercial
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
, 14% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
, 27% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
and <1% military
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
. At that time there were 176 aircraft based at this airport: 50% single-engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
, 6% multi-engine, 38% jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
, and 6% helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
.
From 1960 to 2010, San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
operated a flight-simulator facility for its aviation program in buildings at the southeast corner of the airport. The university has since relocated to the Reid-Hillview Airport located about 5 miles to the southeast.
Busiest routes out of San Jose
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  California Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually... |
476,000 | American, Horizon, Southwest, United |
| 2 |  Arizona Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located southeast of the central business district of the city of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States... |
356,000 | Southwest, US Airways |
| 3 | California Orange County, California John Wayne Airport John Wayne Airport is an airport in an unincorporated area in Orange County, California, with its mailing address in the city of Santa Ana, which is also the county seat, hence the International Air Transport Association airport code. The main entrance to the airport is off of MacArthur Blvd in... |
354,000 | Southwest |
| 4 | California San Diego, California San Diego International Airport San Diego International Airport , sometimes referred to as Lindbergh Field, is a public airport located northwest of the central business district of San Diego, California and from the Mexico – United States border at Tijuana, Mexico... |
312,000 | Southwest |
| 5 |  Washington Seattle, WashingtonSeattle-Tacoma International Airport The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5... |
298,000 | Alaska, Southwest |
| 6 |  Nevada Las Vegas, NevadaMcCarran International Airport McCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and... |
289,000 | Southwest |
| 7 |  Colorado Denver, ColoradoDenver International Airport Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel... |
266,000 | Southwest, United |
| 8 |  Republic of Texas Dallas/Fort Worth, TexasDallas-Fort Worth International Airport Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas... |
244,000 | American |
| 9 | California Burbank, California Bob Hope Airport Bob Hope Airport is a public airport located 3 miles northwest of the central business district of Burbank, a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States... |
212,000 | Southwest |
| 10 |  Oregon Portland, OregonPortland International Airport Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah... |
211,000 | Alaska, Horizon, Southwest |
Terminals
There are currently two terminals at the airport, Terminal A, opened in 1990, and Terminal B, opened in 2010. The airport's first modern terminal building, Terminal C, was opened in 1965 and closed in 2010.In 2009, the gates at the airport were renumbered in preparation for the addition of Terminal B. Gate A16B at the north end became Gate 1, and Gate A1A at the south end became Gate 16.
Terminal A
Terminal A has 16 gates: 1-16.Designed by a team of architects and engineers led by HTB, Inc., Terminal A and its adjoining parking garage were originally designed and built in 1990 for American Airlines. The overall program was led by a joint team of San Jose Airport and Public Works staff known as the "Airport Development Team". The project was awarded the Public Works Project of the Year by the California Council of Civil Engineers. It underwent extensive renovation and expansion in 2009, with larger ground-level ticketing counters, more curbside parking space, larger security checkpoints, and more concessions. The renovations and expansion was designed by Curtis W. Fentress
Curtis W. Fentress
Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA an American Architect, is the Principal-in-Charge of Design at Fentress Architects, an international design studio he founded in Denver, Colorado in 1980...
, FAIA, RIBA of Fentress Architects
Fentress Architects
Fentress Architects is an international design studio known for sustainable and iconic public architecture. Founded in 1980 by Curtis W. Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, the firm is internationally recognized for innovative designs of international airports, national museums, convention centers, high-rise...
.
The terminal includes an international arrivals building, which contains Gates 15 and 16. All international flights (all of which depart at Terminal A) at the airport must clear customs from this building in order to proceed to their gates. The gates used in this building are also used for arrivals of Volaris
Volaris
Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A. de C.V., operating as Volaris, is a low-cost airline from Mexico, and the country's second largest airline after Aeroméxico, thus being a leading competitor in the Mexican domestic market, with a market share of around 13-14% of domestic...
flights.
Terminal A had an Admirals Club across from Gate 8 for American Airlines passengers, however the club closed in September 2010, with the airline citing rising costs, and cutbacks in its flight schedule at San Jose for the club's closure.
Terminal B
The concourse was designed by Gensler (see inset photo) and the Terminal by Fentress ArchitectsFentress Architects
Fentress Architects is an international design studio known for sustainable and iconic public architecture. Founded in 1980 by Curtis W. Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, the firm is internationally recognized for innovative designs of international airports, national museums, convention centers, high-rise...
. Construction management was provided by Hensel Phelps Construction Co. The terminal officially opened on June 30, 2010. Its design features dramatic daylit spaces, modern art, shared use ticket counters/gates, and chairs with power cords and USB ports on the armrest to charge laptops or handheld devices.
The terminal has recently earned a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in recognition of the airport's significant commitment to environmentally sustainable design and construction.
North Concourse
The North Concourse of Terminal B has 12 gates: 17-28.The first six gates of the new concourse were opened to the public on July 15, 2009. The remaining gates were opened on June 30, 2010. Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
is the primary tenant, along with Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, and Delta Air Lines.
South Concourse
The South Concourse will be built once traffic levels reach a certain level determined by the city of San Jose to justify the expansion.Commercial aviation
Cargo
- ABX AirABX AirABX Air, Inc., formerly Airborne Express, is a cargo airline headquartered at Wilmington Air Park in unincorporated Clinton County, Ohio, United States, near the City of Wilmington. ABX Air operates scheduled, ad hoc charter and ACMI freight services. It also provides flight support services and...
- Air Transport InternationalAir Transport InternationalAir Transport International LLC is an airline based in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. It operates worldwide cargo and combi charters for the express package industry and freight forwarders, as well as for the United States Department of Defense and the automotive industry. It also wet-leases aircraft....
- DHL ExpressDHL ExpressDHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
- Emery WorldwideEmery WorldwideEmery Worldwide was a cargo airline, once one of the leading carriers in the cargo airline world. Its headquarters were located in Redwood City, California....
- FedEx Express Memphis, Indianapolis
- National Airlines
- UPS AirlinesUPS AirlinesUPS Airlines is an American cargo airline owned by United Parcel Service Inc. . The company is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Its home airport is located at Louisville International Airport...
Louisville, Dallas-Fort Worth, Des Moines, Chicago-Rockford (Seasonal), Ontario, Philadelphia
Accidents and incidents involving SJC
- February 17, 1981 - Air CaliforniaAir CaliforniaAir California, later AirCal, was a regional airline using mainline equipment and serving different points in the state of California and some neighboring western U.S. states. It was founded by a partnership of Orange County businessmen as an alternative to other airlines and what was left of the...
(AirCal) Flight 336 (a Boeing 737-200), flying from San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
to John Wayne AirportJohn Wayne AirportJohn Wayne Airport is an airport in an unincorporated area in Orange County, California, with its mailing address in the city of Santa Ana, which is also the county seat, hence the International Air Transport Association airport code. The main entrance to the airport is off of MacArthur Blvd in...
, crashed upon initiating a go around. The crew was cleared for a visual approach to Runway 19R while the controller had cleared another flight to take-off from 19R. Upon realizing the mistake, the controller ordered Air California 336 to go-around and the other aircraft to abort its take-off, which it did. The Captain of the landing Air California aircraft delayed the go-around then selected the gear up before a positive rate of climb was achieved. The 737 with the gear up skidded down the runway before coming to rest. A fire started, 4 passengers sustained minor injuries, 91 other passengers and 5 crew exited without incident. The aircraft N468AC was damaged beyond repair and was written off. - April 7, 1994 - FedEx Flight 705FedEx Flight 705On April 7, 1994, FedEx Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 cargo jet ferrying electronics across the United States from Memphis, Tennessee to San Jose, California, experienced an attempted hijacking for the purpose of a suicide attack....
, operated by a McDonnell Douglas DC-10McDonnell Douglas DC-10The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three-engine widebody jet airliner manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 has range for medium- to long-haul flights, capable of carrying a maximum 380 passengers. Its most distinguishing feature is the two turbofan engines mounted on underwing pylons and a...
-30 identified as N306FE, was flying from Memphis International AirportMemphis International AirportMemphis International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Memphis, a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States....
to San Jose International Airport and experienced an attempted hijacking by a soon to be terminated employee. Auburn Calloway, the hijacker, planned to use the aircraft for a kamikazeKamikazeThe were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attack on FedEx Corporation Headquarters in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. The crew of Flight 705 were able to fight off Calloway and land the plane safely. This incident was featured on the National Geographic television show, MaydayMayday (TV series)Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation in the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia and Air Emergency and Air Disasters in the United States, is a Canadian documentary television programme produced by Cineflix investigating air crashes, near-crashes and other disasters...
(Air Crash Investigation or Air Emergency). The episode (Season 3, Episode 4) was titled "Fight for Your Life (Suicide Attack)" - October 25, 1999 - San Jose Police Department McDonnell Douglas 500N helicopter N904PD lost control while entering the traffic pattern at SJC during a maintenance ferry flight. The helicopter crashed into a city street, killing both of the occupants. There were no reported damage or injuries on the ground. The NTSB determined that temporary repairs made in order to ferry the helicopter back to SJC actually made the controllability problem that it was intended to solve worse. Pilot manuals and training for the NOTARNOTARNOTAR is the name of a helicopter anti-torque system which replaces the use of a tail rotor. Developed by McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems , the name is an acronym derived from the phrase NO TAil Rotor...
(no tail rotor) helicopter did not provide adequate preparation for the pilot experienced in conventional helicopters to recover from a stuck thruster condition which occurred.
Terminal C
This terminal was built in 1965, before jet bridges (elevated corridors that connect planes to the terminal) became common at airports. Instead of using jet bridges, Terminal C mostly used airstairs. Some airlines, including Alaska AirlinesAlaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
and SkyWest Airlines
Skywest Airlines
Skywest Airlines Pty Ltd is a regional airline company based in Perth, Western Australia, Australia; servicing key towns in the state of Western Australia, Darwin, Northern Territory and Melbourne, Victoria; as well as charter flights to Bali, Indonesia....
, used turboway ramps. In preparation for construction of Terminal B, the north end of Terminal C, previously home to gates C14–C16, which housed Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
, Horizon Air
Horizon Air
Horizon Air Industries, Inc. is a regional low-cost airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. It is the eighth largest regional airline in the USA, serving 52 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico....
, and Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines, Inc., is an American airline headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The carrier, which is a subsidiary and operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings, operates flights to 83 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica and maintains hubs at...
, was closed for demolition in December 2007. The remaining portion of the terminal was reconfigured, including the addition of a new, larger, consolidated security checkpoint. The demolition of the north end occurred in February 2008, officially clearing the way for construction of Terminal B.
In December 2009, United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
, Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
, and JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
moved to new or reconstructed gates in Terminal A, as the area within Terminal C containing the three airlines' gates was demolished. Other airlines operating at that time within Terminal C remained in the terminal until the North Concourse of Terminal B opened in June 2010.
The Terminal C baggage claim was closed for demolition on February 2, 2010. This allowed for completion of the airport's new roadways. The terminal was officially closed on June 30, 2010. The remaining portions of the terminal were torn down in July 2010, and the space the terminal occupied now serves as a surface parking lot.
General aviation
Private and corporate aircraft are based on the opposite side of the runway from Terminals A and B, on Coleman Avenue.- ACM Aviation
- Atlantic Aviation (formerly San Jose Jet Center)
- AvBase, Inc.
Ground transportation
The airport's web site lists ground transportation options at SJC including taxis, limousines, rental cars, shuttles, and public transportation, which are located on or accessible from the airport.Public transit connections
The free VTASanta Clara Valley Transportation Authority
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is a special-purpose district responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning for Santa Clara County, California, United States...
Route 10 Airport Flyer bus connects the airport to the Santa Clara Station
Santa Clara (Caltrain/ACE station)
Santa Clara station is one of two heavy railway stations in Santa Clara, California...
for Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
and ACE
Altamont Commuter Express
The Altamont Commuter Express is a regional rail service in California connecting Stockton with San Jose....
commuter rail services as well as numerous local buses; and to the Metro/Airport Light Rail Station
Metro/Airport (VTA)
Metro/Airport is a VTA light rail station at First Street and Metro Drive in San Jose, CA. , a shuttle bus jointly operated by VTA and the airport, provides access to San Jose International Airport from this station.-External links:*...
for VTA's light rail
Santa Clara VTA Light-rail
VTA Light Rail is a light rail system serving San Jose, California and its suburbs in Silicon Valley. It is operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, or VTA, and consists of of standard-gauge track on two main lines and a spur line...
service.
See also
- List of attractions in Silicon Valley
- List of airports in the San Francisco Bay area
- List of airports in California
- Reid-Hillview Airport, general aviation reliever airport also in San Jose, 4 miles ESE of SJC
- Moffett Federal AirfieldMoffett Federal AirfieldMoffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale, California, USA. The airport is near the south end of San Francisco Bay, northwest of San Jose. Formerly a United States Navy facility, the former...
, Air National Guard base and NASA Ames Research CenterNASA Ames Research CenterThe Ames Research Center , is one of the United States of America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration 10 major field centers.The centre is located in Moffett Field in California's Silicon Valley, near the high-tech companies, entrepreneurial ventures, universities, and other...
5 miles WNW of SJC with the only other large runways in Silicon Valley
External links
- Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, official web site
- WiFi Connection Guide for SJC
- OpenNav airspace and charts for KSJC