San Jose International Airport

Suburbanites Prefer Medium-Sized San Jose International Airport

San Jose International Airport is more formally known as the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. It is a moderately-sized airport (as international airports go), which is conveniently located at the junction of the Highway 87, Interstate 880, and Highway 101 freeways which serve the San Jose, California area. Usually, passengers who choose the San Jose International Airport as a travel destination do so because they are suburban residents who consider San Francisco International Airport to be too far from where they live. San Jose International Airport also functions as a reliever airport that absorbs flights to the Bay Area served by discount carriers who want to prevent delays caused by the weather.

Expansion plans

San Jose International Airport had adopted an airport enhancement plan in 2005 which is a scaled-back version of another master plan introduced in 2004. In the new 2005 version, the airport will: build a short-term parking facility (where the existing short-term parking lot of Terminal C is to be found); construct a parking garage offering long-term parking; relocate cargo facilities to the East end of the airport; construct a sole consolidated terminal with 40 gates; increase the size of security areas; and build an international concourse. The 2004 plan would have required an influx of $3 billion - the 2005 version needs just $1.3 billion instead, a reduction of over half the original budget.

Existing facilities

At present, San Jose International Airport is served by two terminals - Terminal A and Terminal C. Because of higher demand for air travel services, these two terminals can be quite congested during the peak travel season. When the 2005 master plan goes into effect, Terminal A will end up with more space while Terminal C will be eliminated to make way for a Terminal B. Terminal A handles flights for Southwest Airlines, Mexicana, Hawaiian Airlines, American Eagle and American Airlines. Terminal B is expected to be open by 2010. A North Concourse is also in the offing, to be finished by 2008.

Transportation services

Travelers to San Jose International Airport can opt to rent a private vehicle for their own use from the car rental companies which serve this airport. Among the car rental companies known to operate here are: Thrifty, Payless, National, Hertz, Fox, Enterprise, Dollar, Budget, AVIS, and Alamo. You can select a car from the following categories: SUV, Minivan, Fullsize, Midsize, and Economy. They charge rates in US dollars, which may also include charges for car options, coverages, fees and taxes. Lodging services Unfortunately, the airport does not have an on-site hotel but there are other hotels which can be found nearby. The Double Tree Hotel, for one, is situated right beside the airport. Some hotels which are a bit further away provide courtesy shuttle service to and from San Jose International Airport - choose between Holiday Inn Express San Jose International, Extended Stay Deluxe, Hilton Garden Inn San Jose, Santa Clara Marriott, and Hyatt San Jose. If you should encounter any sort of problem, you can ask for assistance from the Information and Help Desks staff at the Arrivals area of Terminal A, and Terminal C.

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