Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (IATA: SJC, ICAO: KSJC, FAA LID: SJC) is a city-owned public airport in San Jose, California, United States. It is named after San Jose native Norman Mineta, former Transportation Secretary in the Cabinet of George W. Bush and Commerce Secretary in the Cabinet of Bill Clinton. The name also recognizes 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 situated three miles northwest of Downtown San Jose near the intersections of U.S. Route 101, Interstate 880, and State Route 87. In 2017, 49% of departing or arriving passengers at SJC flew on Southwest Airlines; Alaska Airlines, for which SJC is also a focus city, was second most popular with about 12.3% of passengers.
Video San Jose International Airport
Overview
Despite San Jose being the largest city in the Bay Area, SJC is the smallest of the three Bay Area commercial airports in terms of total passengers. SJC served 12.5 million passengers in 2017.
SJC is located near downtown San Jose (less than 4 miles (6.4 km) from the city center and easily within city limits), unlike SFO and OAK, which are on opposite shores of San Francisco Bay and around 14 miles (23 km) and 10 miles (16 km) from their respective downtowns. Although the location near downtown San Jose is convenient, drawbacks include SJC being surrounded by the city and therefore having little room for expansion. The proximity to downtown also limits the maximum height of buildings in downtown San Jose, in order to comply with FAA clearance rules.
Maps San Jose International Airport
History
Beginnings and expansion
In 1939, Ernie Renzel, a wholesale grocer and future mayor of San Jose, led a group which negotiated an option to buy 483 acres (195 ha) 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 M. Nissen leased about 16 acres (6.5 ha) 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. Renzel and Nissen were instrumental in the development of San Jose Municipal Airport over the next few decades, culminating with the 1965 opening of what later became Terminal C.
The runway which became 12R/30L was 4,500 feet (1,400 m) until about 1962--Brokaw Rd was the northwest boundary of the airport. In 1964 it was 6,312 feet (1,924 m), in 1965 it was 7,787 feet (2,373 m), and a few years later it reached 8,900 feet (2,700 m), where it stayed until around 1991. The two runways are now both 11,000 feet (3,400 m) in length.
In the early 1980s, San Jose International Airport (KSJC/SJC) 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 showed that residences near the airport could be retrofitted cost-effectively to reduce indoor aircraft noise substantially.
In 1990, San Jose International Airport greatly expanded with the opening of Terminal A. Terminal B between Terminals A and C was planned for later.
In November 2001, the airport was renamed after Norman Y. Mineta, a native of San Jose, its former mayor and congressman, as well as both a former United States Secretary of Commerce and a United States Secretary of Transportation.
Terminal B
In November 2001, San Jose City Council approved an amended master plan for the airport that called for a three-phase, nine-year expansion plan. The plan, designed by Gensler and The Steinberg Group, called for a single, consolidated "Central Terminal" with 40 gates (twelve more than present), an international concourse and expanded security areas. The sail-shaped facade would greet up to 17.6 million passengers a year. A people mover system would link the new terminal with VTA light rail and the planned BART station next to the Santa Clara Caltrain station. Cargo facilities would be moved to the east side of the airport. A long term parking garage would be built where the rental car operations are now. A short term parking lot would be built on the site of Terminal C.
On December 16, 2003, the San Jose Airport Commission named the airfield after former mayor Ernie Renzel and named the future Central Terminal after James Nissen. In August 2004, the city broke ground on the North Concourse, the first phase of the master plan.
In November 2005, a scaled-back 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 on June 30, 2010, when Terminal B and the North Concourse officially opened for service. Planning for Phase II began in early 2018, with 9 additional gates to be added along with a new concourse extension at the south end of Terminal B.
Passenger service history
Early days
San Jose's first airline flights were Southwest Airways Douglas DC-3s on the multistop run between San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX), starting in 1948. Southwest then changed its name to Pacific Air Lines which in turn was the only airline serving the airport until 1966, when Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) started flying Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprops nonstop from LAX with this air carrier then adding Boeing 727-100 jetliner flights later that year. SJC's first airline jets were Pacific Air Lines Boeing 727-100 nonstops to LAX earlier in 1966 with the air carrier also operating 727 nonstops to Las Vegas in 1967. Pacific, which also served the airport with Fairchild F-27 turboprops, then merged with Bonanza Air Lines and West Coast Airlines to form Air West which was subsequently renamed Hughes Airwest which in turn continued to serve SJC with McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets before it was acquired by and merged into Republic Airlines (1979-1986). In 1968 United Airlines arrived, with Boeing 727 nonstop flights from Denver, Chicago and LAX, and Douglas DC-8 jets from New York and Baltimore.
1988-2010
American Airlines opened a hub at San Jose in 1988, using slots it obtained in the buyout of AirCal (formerly 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. By summer 2001, American served Paris, Taipei and Tokyo nonstop from San Jose and had domestic flights to Austin, Boston, Denver, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Maui, Orange County, Portland, Phoenix, San Diego and Seattle.
After the September 11 attacks and the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, the city lost several flights. Air Canada dropped its flights to Toronto and Ottawa, Canada, and American Airlines ended its nonstops to Taipei, Vancouver, and Paris. American also dropped its flights to Miami, St. Louis, Seattle/Tacoma, Portland (OR), Denver, Orange County, CA and Phoenix; the airline's flights to Los Angeles were downgraded to American Eagle regional flights.
Reduction at SJC continued throughout 2004. Alaska Airlines halted its San Jose-Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas seasonal routes, Horizon Air ended its twice daily San Jose-Tucson service. and American Airlines ended its San Jose-San Luis Obispo and San Jose-Boston Logan links.
In October 2005, Hawaiian Airlines began daily nonstops to Honolulu. San Jose was Hawaiian's fifth city in California, along with San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco. In October 2006 American Airlines ended the San Jose-Tokyo-Narita route, San Jose's last nonstop beyond North America and Hawaii.
SJC suffered with many mid-tier airports during the 2008 rise in oil prices as airlines reduced marginal services. SJC lost much of its transcontinental U.S. service in the fall with Continental ending Newark flights, JetBlue ending Boston nonstops, and United ending flights to its Chicago-O'Hare and Washington Dulles hubs.[2] The New York Times reported that between 2007 and 2009, SJC lost 22% of its seat capacity.
In the summer of 2009 American Airlines ended flights to Austin, Texas. Alaska Airlines announced it would begin new routes to Austin from SJC and would upgrade some service to Portland, Oregon, which was run by regional subsidiary Horizon Air, to jet flights that began on September 2, 2009.
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 flights permanently due to bankruptcy.
2010-present: Rebound in service
Beginning in 2010, service expanded at SJC for the first time in several years. JetBlue Airways resumed San Jose/Boston, although it ended service to Long Beach on the same day. Volaris began service in May 2010 with flights to Guadalajara, Mexico. In August, Southwest Airlines announced it would begin nonstops to Austin, Texas. Alaska Airlines added service to Kahului, Kona, Lihue, and Los Cabos/San José del Cabo. The airline also doubled its flights to several cities on its regional subsidiary, Horizon Air and added service to Guadalajara, which began on December 15, 2010.
In September 2011, Hawaiian Airlines announced that it would begin service to Maui on January 10, 2012. Soon after, Alaska Airlines announced that it would upgrade its service to Kahului to daily. In December, All Nippon Airways announced it would begin service between San Jose and Tokyo in 2012, restoring the link between the two cities that was lost when American Airlines ended service on the route in 2006. The airline uses the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, making San Jose one of the first cities in the United States to see scheduled 787 flights. Due to delivery delays of its 787 aircraft, the airline postponed the launch of the route to early 2013. The airline launched service to Tokyo on January 11, 2013. The 787 fleet was grounded after its inaugural flight due to mechanical errors. Service to Tokyo resumed on June 1, 2013.
On February 4, 2013, Virgin America announced it would begin service from San Jose to Los Angeles International Airport on May 1, 2013, with four daily round trip flights. The airline was the only carrier with first class service on all flights to and from Los Angeles. The carrier utilized its Airbus A320 aircraft on all flights between the two airports. In March 2014, Virgin America announced that the route would end on May 14, 2014, due to a decrease in demand.
In 2015 and 2016, several new international flights were launched. Hainan Airlines began nonstop flights from Beijing on June 15, 2015. British Airways commenced a daily Boeing 787 Dreamliner service from London-Heathrow on May 4, 2016; and Air Canada returned to SJC on May 9, providing flights from Vancouver operated by Air Canada Express. Lufthansa connected SJC and Frankfurt on July 1, with flights operated by Lufthansa CityLine Airbus A340-300 aircraft. Air China introduced Shanghai-Pudong flights on September 1 with an Airbus A330-200.
In the wake of the acquisition of Virgin America, Alaska Airlines grew rapidly at Mineta Airport as well as San Francisco International Airport between 2015 and 2018. In June 2015 it announced service to Eugene with regional partner Horizon which began the following November. It also announced in February 2016 that it would launch service to Orange County and San Diego, via SkyWest. Alaska has called SJC a focus city in several articles when announcing new destinations from San Jose.
After slot controls were loosened at Newark in winter 2016-2017, Alaska Airlines announced a daytime flight to Newark to complement the existing red-eye flight to the New York area from JetBlue. Days later, United Airlines announced it would restart service to both Newark and Chicago-O'Hare. JetBlue restarted daily services to Long Beach on January 4, 2017.
In 2017, Frontier Airlines resumed service to Denver and began flights to Las Vegas. Additional service to Austin, Atlanta, Cincinnati and San Antonio began in the spring of 2018. On July 1, Aeromexico started a daily flight to Guadalajara, becoming the third airline on the route after Alaska and Volaris, and the eighth international airline serving SJC. In June 2018, Aeromexico began service to Mexico City, marked the first time the route being operated by any airline. In December, Volaris began new twice weekly service to Morelia and Zacatecas, Mexico.
In spring 2018, Southwest Airlines expanded service to Albuquerque, New Orleans, Boise, Spokane, Houston-Hobby, Orlando, St. Louis, and San Jose del Cabo becoming the newest international airline to serve the airport at that time. Delta Air Lines will add service to New York-JFK in June with Boeing 737-800 equipment. Alaska Airlines in January announced service to Paine Field as part of its inaugural set of flights from that airport, beginning in fall 2018 once the terminal there has opened. In February, Frontier announced service to Tulsa which started as well in April 2018. Southwest intends for San Jose to be one of its four California gateway airports with service to Hawaii.
Public art
SJC's consolidated parking and rental facility, "CONRAC", was fitted with 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.
Facilities and aircraft
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport covers 1,050 acres (420 ha) at an elevation of 62 feet (19 m). It has two active runways: 12L/30R and 12R/30L, each 11,000 by 150 feet (3,353 m × 46 m) concrete. The runway separation is less than ideal: 700 feet between centerlines.
In 2012 the airport had 134,947 aircraft operations, average 370 per day: 60% airline, 16% air taxi, 23% general aviation and <1% military. 123 aircraft were then based at the airport: 49% single-engine, 12% multi-engine, 37% jet and 2% 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 moved to the Reid-Hillview Airport about 5 miles southeast.
Terminals
There are two terminals at the airport, Terminal A, opened in 1990 and Terminal B, opened in 2010. The terminals are connected airside. 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. The airport's first modern terminal building, Terminal C, was opened in 1965, and was closed and demolished in 2010. Its location is now a short term parking lot.
Terminal A
Terminal A has 17 gates: 1-7, 7a, and 8-16.
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 arrivals from international flights at the airport must clear customs and immigration from this building (except for flights from airports with US border preclearance). Gates 17 and 18 were converted to handle international arrivals in early 2015.
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 A now has a paid entry lounge called The Club at SJC near the international gates where passengers can wait for their flights and have access to snacks and beverages.
Terminal B
Terminal B has 14 gates: 17-30. The concourse was designed by Gensler (see inset photo) while the Terminal itself was designed by Fentress Architects. 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 armrests to charge laptops or handheld devices.
The terminal earned a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2010 in recognition of the airport's significant commitment to environmentally sustainable design and construction.
The terminal has 2 international arrival gates, Gates 17 and 18. All arrivals from international flights at the airport must clear customs and immigration from the International Arrivals building (except for flights from airports with US border preclearance). Gates 17-23 of the new concourse were opened to the public on July 15, 2009. During this time, check-in, security, and baggage claim were all in Terminal A. Gates 24-28 were opened on June 30, 2010, along with Terminal B's own pre-security facilities. Southwest Airlines is the primary tenant, along with Alaska Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Lufthansa, and British Airways. In 2017, the airport added 2 gates, Gates 29 and 30, at the south end of the terminal. Due to the airport's growth in recent years, four temporary gates will be added to the south end of the terminal. Set to open by July 2019, each gate will be able to accommodate a Boeing 737-sized aircraft. Hold room space for 400 passengers and additional concessions will also be part of the $50 million project.
In 2017, two additional gates, 29 and 30, were added to the south end of the terminal in order to accommodate demand. Additionally, in May 2018, it was announced that the airport will build an interim extension to the south of the terminal. It will house 4 gates, 31-34, along with concessions and a seating area.
Former 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 Airlines and SkyWest Airlines, used turboway ramps. In preparation for construction of Terminal B, the north end of Terminal C was closed for demolition in December 2007. This part of the terminal was home to gates C14-C16, which housed Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and Frontier Airlines. 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, 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 there 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.
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
Top destinations
1. ^ Route was not operated for the full year
Annual traffic
Accidents and incidents
- April, 1994 - A FedEx pilot attacked other crew members using a hammer and spear guns on board a FedEx plane (Flight 705) from Memphis and tried to crash the plane into FedEx headquarters at San Jose. He was subdued and restrained and the plane landed safely.
- 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 onto The Alameda, near highway 880, killing a San Jose Police Officer/pilot, Desmond Casey, and the helicopter's mechanic, who were on board. 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 was intended to be solved, worse. Pilot manuals and training for the NOTAR (no tail rotor) helicopter did not provide adequate preparation for the pilot, who was experienced in conventional helicopters, to recover from a stuck thruster condition which occurred.
General aviation
Private and corporate aircraft are based on the opposite side of the runway from Terminals A and B, off Coleman Avenue.
- TWC Aviation
- Atlantic Aviation (formerly San Jose Jet Center)
- AvBase, Inc.
- Signature Flight Support
The former General Aviation services were previously located, on the South end of what is now 30R and was, in fact, the place for plane spotters and photographers with the San Jose State University Aviation Department formerly located at the corner of Coleman Avenue and Airport Blvd, which was at a cost of only $1.00 per year, paid to the airport administration.
Ground transportation
The free VTA 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.
The airport is served by various Ridesharing and taxi companies, and is accessible from highways Interstate 880, and US 101 via State Route 87. There are six parking lots, including Economy Lot 1, Hourly Lots 2, 3, and 5 and Daily Lots 4 and 6. Rental car operations are located at the multi-story CONRAC garage across from Terminal B. A free cellphone waiting area exists across State Route 87 from the airport. Inter-terminal and Economy parking lot busing is provided by the airport at no charge.
The Silicon Valley BART extension is planned to have its terminus at an expansion of the existing Santa Clara train station, where it will serve SJC.
See also
- List of attractions in Silicon Valley
- List of airports in California
- Reid-Hillview Airport, general aviation reliever airport also in San Jose, 4 miles ESE of SJC
Notes
References
External links
- Official website
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective June 21, 2018
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KSJC
- ASN accident history for SJC
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KSJC
- FAA current SJC delay information
- OpenNav airspace and charts for KSJC
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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