San Jose International Airport

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San Jose International Airport

IATA: SJC – ICAO: KSJC – FAA: SJC
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner The City of San Jose Airport Commission
Location San Jose, California
Elevation AMSL 62 ft / 18.9 m
Coordinates 37°21′46″N 121°55′45″W / 37.36278, -121.92917
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12L/30R 11,000 3,353 Concrete
12R/30L 11,000 3,353 Concrete
11/29 4,599 1,402 Asphalt
Statistics (2006)
Passengers 10.9 million
Commercial flights/day 358

Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (IATA: SJC, ICAO: KSJC, FAA LID: SJC) is a medium-sized airport in San Jose, California. It is located at the north end of the city, near the intersections of three major freeways, Highway 101, Interstate 880, and Highway 87.


Contents

Despite San Jose's position as the most populous city in the San Francisco 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 Airport (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. It also serves as a "reliever" airport, providing access to the Bay Area market for discount carriers that are unwilling to deal with the delays due to weather, especially fog, that plague SFO.

In 1939, Ernie Renzel, a wholesale grocer and future mayor of San Jose, led a group negotiated an option to purchase of 483 acres 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 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.[1][2]

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.[3]

American Airlines 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. American never re-established its hub; however, it is still the airport's second busiest scheduled airline after Southwest Airlines.

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. During this peak, United Express operated regional air service to its SFO hub every thirty minutes.

In November 2001, the airport was renamed after Norman Yoshio Mineta, who is a native of San Jose, its former mayor and congressman, and former United States Secretary of Transportation. In December 2003, the airfield was named after former mayor Ernie Renzel. [4]

After the dot-com bubble burst, 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 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 and American Airlines discontinued its San Jose - San Luis Obispo and San Jose - Boston Logan links. 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.

In April 2004, the city government, in its plan to revive the local economy, called for a restored international flight to Taipei and new international routes from San Jose to United Kingdom, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam via Taiwan, and India.

Gate and waiting area in Terminal A
Gate and waiting area in Terminal A

In August 2004, the city broke ground on 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 VTA 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.

On November 16, 2005, a scaled-back airport improvement plan was approved and announced. The new two-phase plan called for a North Concourse, which is expected to be completed in 2010, and a simplified Terminal B, rather than the initially proposed James Nissen Central Terminal, to replace the aging Terminal C. In addition, Terminal A will be expanded for additional check-in counters, security checkpoints, and drop-off/pick-up curbside space. The new plan is projected to cost $1.3 billion, less than half of the original plan's cost of $3 billion.

Walkway that connects parking garage (left) to Terminal A proper (right).
Walkway that connects parking garage (left) to Terminal A proper (right).

There are two terminals at the airport. Terminal C, the original terminal, was built in 1965 and Terminal A was built in 1990. Both terminals are relatively small in comparison to the number of people that flow through them, which can result in crowds and long lines during peak traveling times. Under the current airport expansion plan, Terminal A will be expanded, and Terminal C will be torn down and replaced by a new Terminal B.

Terminal A has 18 gates: A1A-1B A2-A15, A16-A16A

  • American Airlines (Austin, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Orange County)
  • Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu)
  • Mexicana (Guadalajara, leon, Mexico City, Morelia)
  • Southwest Airlines (Burbank, Chicago-Midway, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Ontario (CA), Orange County, Phoenix, Portland (OR), Reno/Tahoe, San Diego, Seattle/Tacoma)

Under construction; the North Concourse is scheduled to be completed in 2008 and Terminal B in 2010.

The new Terminal B was designed by Fentress Bradburn Architects. Construction management is being provided by Hensel Phelps Construction Co.

This terminal was built in 1965. Instead of using jetways (elevated tunnels that connect planes to the terminal), Terminal C mostly uses airstairs. Terminal C will be torn down and replaced by a new Terminal B in 2010.

Terminal C has 14 gates: C1-C14

Private and corporate aircraft are based on the opposite side of the runway from Terminals A and C, on Coleman Avenue.

Caltrain passengers can reach the airport by connecting to VTA Route 10 Airport Flyer at the Santa Clara Station. Riders of VTA's light rail service can also use VTA Route 10 by transferring at the Metro/Airport Light Rail Station.

  1. ^ Proposed Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport Public Art Master Plan, Rome Group and City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, November 16, 2004.
  2. ^ Airport Report, Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, 2(8), January 2004
  3. ^ C. Michael Hogan and Ballard George, Design of Acoustical Insulation for Existing Residences in the Vicinity of San Jose Municipal Airport, Issues in Transportation Related Environmental Quality, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Transportation Research Record 1033, Washington D.C. (1985)
  4. ^ Airport Report, Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, 4(3), August 2005

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Jose_International_Airport"
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