Boring Company tunnel from Downtown San Jose to SJC

Last month there was a surprise announcement that Sam Liccardo has been in talks with The Boring Company for the past 18 months about a project that would connect Diridon to the airport via a 4-mile tunnel. The Boring Company is a disruptor in the tunneling space using hybrid-electric boring machines and several other innovations to reduce the cost of tunneling by a factor of 10. A two-way tunnel to the airport could cost less than $100 million versus the $800+ million a traditional people-mover would cost to build.

Now is really the perfect opportunity to start looking at next generation transportation options. As we have witnessed with California High-Speed Rail, paying for something that is both the most expensive and slowest high-speed train in the world makes little sense. Same goes for spending almost a billion dollars for a 4 mile people mover shuttling people at 25-35 MPH. If we can lay the foundation for a network that will reduce traffic and move people faster and do it at a far lower cost, that is worth exploring. Kudos for Sam for taking the initiative so long ago. Silicon Valley deserve a transit system that makes our innovative heritage proud.

Source: Teslarati, SVBJ

SJC had its best year ever in 2018

Even with Lufthansa leaving SJC, the airport still posted a 10.7% year-over-year passenger growth in November. Overall passenger counts for 2018 were up a staggering 15%, making it by far the fastest growing airport in the region. San Jose now has 16.6% of the Bay Area air travel market while Oakland is at 15.9% (keep in mind Oakland was ahead of SJC until 2018).

In December, SJC broke their all-time passenger travel record. The previous record was 14,300,000 passengers and was set way back in the year 2000.

There are no signs of San Jose International slowing down. Several new flights are coming this year as well as six temporary gates that will serve as an introduction to a much larger expansion. I'm hoping we will get several new international routes this year.

Source: SVBJ, SVBJ (2)

More routes and flight capacity coming to SJC

San Jose International is getting two brand new routes next year around June. Southwest is launching daily nonstop service between San Jose and Nashville, Tennessee as well as a weekly nonstop between San Jose and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. The latter is a major tech hub, so building out this route is a no-brainer. Southwest flights to Hawaii will likely also start sometime in 2019.

Delta, our third most popular carrier, is also adding 72% more capacity on the popular San Jose <> Seattle route. It is doing this by adding two more flights in a larger, more comfortable plane (Airbus A220-100, photo below). The extra capacity will also be serviced by Delta Airlines proper and not Compass (aka Delta Connection). A couple weeks ago they also started nonstop service to Detroit.

Alaska Airlines, which is based in Seattle, will be launching a nonstop route on February 12th to a brand new Seattle airport in Everett, just North of Seattle.

As busy as SJC has become today, it looks like the airport is only getting started. They extra six gates they are working on can't come soon enough.

Source: SVBJ, SVBJ (2)

SJC International expansion taps the brakes

We have become accustomed to a steady stream of positive news regarding San Jose International Airport. Over the past couple years, ridership and new routes have ballooned. In fact, we have overtaken Oakland as the Bay Area's #2 airport.

However, there has been a recent contraction in International routes. Perhaps we grew too quickly and have to adjust the pace.

Aeromexico is stopping service to Guadalajara (it is also pulling out of four other airports). Earlier in the summer, Air China also stopped the twice weekly flight to Shanghai and Lufthansa cancelled their flight to Frankfurt Germany. Guadalajara is still serviced by both Volaris and Alaska Airlines (it's also a really cool city with amazing food and culture worthy of a visit). Here is the updated list of international routes out of SJC:

• Asia
• Tokyo (ANA)
• Beijing (Hainan)
• Shanghai (Air China)
• Europe
• London (British Airways)
• Frankfurt (Luftansa)
• North America
• Vancouver (Air Canada)
• Guadalajara (Volaris, Alaska Airlines, Aeromexico)
• Cabo San Lucas (Alaska Airlines)
• Mexico City (Volaris)
• Morelia (Volaris)
• Zacatecas (Volaris)
• Leon (Volaris)

While unfortunate, perhaps this gives us the opportunity to consider more popular routes between tech centers. Seoul, Bangalore, Tel Aviv, and Dubai would bring a ton of value to San Jose and Silicon Valley.

Source: SVBJ

SJC adding even more gates and flights than expected, including a new international route

Just as San Jose International received approval to build an extra four temporary gates at the end of terminal B, a new proposal comes up to extend that to six. Nine new flights have recently been added and several more are coming before the end of the year. The goal is to keep each airline's gates together as much as possible, which is especially helpful when you have connecting flights.

The revised proposal would still be completed June 2019, but would add two additional parking spots for planes, one of which would have a jet bridge while the other would require using stairs or an elevator (just like the old terminal C days). The passenger waiting room for the new gates would also grow from 8,300 SQFT to 12,500 SQFT. The new plan would still cost around $50 million (and 500 parking spots). Eventually there will be a 10 gate permanent expansion in the same area.

Can SJC justify an extra 6 gates? The answer is absolutely. Not only is it the fastest growing international airport in the country right now based on passenger growth, but new flights are being added left and right. For example...

A new airline called California Pacific is launching a new twice-daily San Jose to Carlsbad route (airport north of San Diego). This will use a 50-seat Embraer ERJ145. This is the first time San Jose would have a direct route to this airport from the commercial terminal.

Volaris is adding their fourth nonstop international destination--to the beautiful city of Leon. The flight starts on November 17th and will use a 174-seat Airbus A320 (all economy). For those counting this is our 12th international route:

• Asia
• Tokyo
• Beijing
• Shanghai
• Europe
• London
• Frankfurt
• North America
• Vancouver
• Guadalajara (served by three different airlines)
• Cabo San Lucas
• Mexico City
• Morelia
• Zacatecas
• Leon

Delta is also adding Detroit (a Delta hub) as a nonstop destination from SJC starting on November 15th. The flight will use a Boeing 737 with 160 seats (16 in first class).

At this rate, we will need a lot more than six new gates in the near future.

Sources: SVBJ, SVBJ (2), SVBJ (3), SVBJ (4),

San Jose International overtakes Oakland as the Bay Area's 2nd busiest airport

After 17 years trailing Oakland International in terms of passenger numbers, SJC's incredible growth rate has brought the airport back to 2nd place. SFO still retains 68.3% of the passenger market while SJC's slice of the pie is 15.9% and Oakland is now at 15.8%.

San Jose International had by far the highest growth rate year-over-year among Bay Area airports. Between May 2017 to May 2018, passenger growth was up 17.1%. SFO was up 7% and Oakland was up 4.1%. This means all three airports are doing better than 2017, but ours is fairing particularly well.

The growth creates both direct and indirect benefits to San Joseans. The most obvious benefit is more flights and routes, which also tend to drive prices down as competition increases. Since the airport is owned by the city of San Jose, this increases tax dollars going into our coffers. Spending from visitors also bolsters our economy and is especially significant on international routes--which now make up over 8% of passenger traffic.

Source: SVBJ

SJC is the fastest growing airport in the Bay Area

There is good reason why San Jose continues to get additional flight routes month after month. The airport has grown passenger traffic an astounding 18.5% year-over-year. It will only be a matter of time before SJC passes Oakland as the 2nd largest airport by passenger volume. In February, San Jose's year-over-year passenger growth was an even more impressive 20.8% while it was 11.5% at SFO and 5.3% at Oakland. That puts SJC and OAK neck-and-neck for 2nd place.

In March, international travel was up by 23% year-over-year. This is the most lucrative market for the airport and city, as international trips tend to bring the largest economic impact and taxes to the city. It also helps support San Jose companies while giving residents more travel options.

With a major $1 billion expansion in the works, the future looks bright!

Source: SVBJ

Southwest launching new flights from SJC to Hawaii

The good news continues to roll in for our airport. Southwest announced last week that they are going to add flights from San Jose to Hawaii. This is already one of the most popular destinations from SJC and is currently serviced by both Hawaiian airlines and Alaska Airlines. Competition means more departure options, lower fares, and more tax dollars for San Jose (both directly and indirectly). Southwest already implied that they will have the lowest rates for the route, great news for us.

Southwest is planning to fly to four different islands, Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii-"The Big Island" (Kona). Tickets sales will begin later this year and service could begin as soon as this winter using long-range versions of Boeing 737s.

As an added bonus, Southwest is also planning to add inter-island flights. That means lower fares for those that want to travel to multiple islands on one trip.

Source: SVBJ

Alaska Air offering a new San Jose >> New York flight

In an effort to keep Southwest at bay, Alaska Airlines is continuing to add new flights at San Jose international. The latest is a new nonstop from SJC to JFK that starts on July 6th.

JetBlue already has a redeye to JFK and Delta will start a new redeye on June 8th. Both Alaka and United have flights to Newark International as well.

One major convenience the new Alaska flight offers is that it's not a red eye. The flight leaves at 7:05am from SJC and arrives at JFK's Terminal 7 at 3:43pm. The return flight leaves JFK at 4:45pm and arrives back home at SJC at 8:23pm. The route will be served by an Airbus A320 (twin-jet, single-aisle).

San Jose went from having one direct flights to New York to five nonstops within a few years. It feels like there is still a lot more to come.

Source: SVBJ

SJC getting a new nonstop to Everett

If you haven't heard of an airport in Everett, Washington we can't blame you. This is a brand new 2-gate airport that is 24 miles north of downtown Seattle. Paine Field is adjacent to the Boeing factory and is currently used for corporate and private aviation (as well as delivery of brand new Boeing planes). When the commercial terminal opens, San Jose will be one of the inaugural routes Alaska Airlines will offer. Southwest is also coming to the airport, so it will be interesting to see if they will offer the route as well.

The San Jose <> Everett flight will be available towards the end of the year.

Source: SVBJ

SJC might be getting direct service to India

This tidbit is deep in the rumor-mill, but there was a special surprise embedded in an Air India announcement for new flights at SFO. The airline already has a direct flight to New Delhi that flies six times per week and this summer they are launching a new Mumbai route with three flights per week out of San Francisco. However, check out this portion of the announcement:

"...This has prompted to us to connect Mumbai directly with San Francisco and we plan to launch a flight service to the Silicon Valley from the coming summers,"the official said."

The only airport they could be referring to is San Jose International. A direct flight to India from San Jose would make perfect sense given the large South Asian population in Silicon Valley and the business relationships between local companies and those in Mumbai, Bangalore, and other Indian tech centers. The bigger question is what does the "coming summers" mean? 2019? 2020? It's not clear from the article, but hopefully more details will be released soon.

Source: India Times, hat-tip to Daniel Martinez for sending this in!

SJC is planning a $1 billion Expansion!

San Jose International has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past five years and has finally hit a point where a major expansion is feasible. Three additional gates were recently added, bringing the airport to a total of 31 gates. The new expansion being planned would add at least 9 more at the end of Terminal B, bringing the total to 40 gates or more.

This would mean more flights, destinations, and tax dollars for the city (San Jose owns the airport). While still in the early planning stages, it would be interesting to use some of the new gates as a dedicated international terminal given all of the new overseas routes.

The target cost of the expansion is $1 billion (for context Terminal B was $1.3 billion) and the goal would be to open all of the new gates by 2024.

Source: SVBJ

SJC is getting a new nonstop flight to JFK!

Delta airlines is delivering on our #1 most requested domestic route. Starting Jun 8, 2018, you will be able to fly Delta nonstop from San Jose to JFK International in New York. The flight will leave San Jose at 10:35pm and arrive at JFK at 7:15am (yup, it's a redeye). The return flight will leave JFK at 8:15am and arrive back at SJC at 11:45am. The timing on that return flight is highly desirable, especially for business travelers.

JetBlue also operates a pair of nonstops between San Jose and JFK, but with less desirable times, no first class option, and fewer "in-network" connecting flights.

The flights will use Boeing 737-800 planes with 16 first class seats, 36 Comfort+ seats, and 108 economy seats. This is yet another big win for our airport and for travelers.

 Source: Hat-tip to Daniel Martinez, SVBJ

Volaris adding two more international flights at SJC!

SJC is about to get two more nonstop routes to Mexico. Volaris is launching flights to Morelia and Zacatecas. Service to Morelia starts on December 15th with flights leaving at 1:54pm and arriving at 7:46pm. The return flight leaves Morelia at 9:59am and arrives at SJC at 12:24pm. This route was previously served by Mexicana.

Service to Zacatecas starts on December 18th, with the flight leaving SJC at 1:33pm and arriving at 6:59pm. The return flight leaves at 10:05am and arrives back home at 12:03pm. This is a brand new route for San Jose.

Both routes will use an Airbus 319 or Airbus 320.

These two will respectively be San Jose's 10th and 11th nonstop international routes. Here is the full list by continent:

• Asia
• Tokyo
• Beijing
• Shanghai
• Europe
• London
• Frankfurt
• North America
• Vancouver
• Guadalajara (served by three different airlines)
• Cabo San Lucas
• Mexico City
• Morelia
• Zacatecas

We are yet again surpassing the all-time high for international destinations from San Jose, and there are more to come.

Source: SVBJ (subscription required)

As an aside, here are a few photos of the new international baggage area and welcome lounge. F2 is the second baggage carousel. On my last trip it took exactly 15 minutes to get from the plane, through customs, get my suitcase, and be out the door. This has to be the most efficient customs processing center in the country.

Saturday Stats: SJC is the 4th fastest growing airport in terms of international travel

We went from a couple to nine international routes in what seems like no time at all. Based on international passengers, San Jose had the 4th fastest growing airport in the country between 2012 and 2016.

I would actually argue that we led the country in international growth. Reno, Austin, and Columbus were the top three and all of them had almost 0 international travel in 2012. When you take a number close to 0 and add anything to it, you are going to get a very large percentage. San Jose went from 84,000 international passengers in 2012 to 330,400 in 2016. That growth of quarter million passengers is not only far more than any other airport on the top 10, but it is greater than the rest of the top 5 combined.

SJC also had more passengers in 2012 than any other airport on the list--the larger you are the more difficult it is to grow. This makes the growth SJC has shown even more impressive.

Source: SVBJ (requires subscription)

International Passengers

Aeromexico adding direct flights from SJC to Mexico City

SJC is now one of the fastest growing airports in the country when it comes to international travel (see second image below). Aeromexico already has a nonstop to Guadalajara and starting next June it will have a new nonstop to Mexico City. The flight will leave Mexico City at 9:35am and arrive in San Jose at 11am our time (three and a half hour flight, two hour time difference) and the return flight from San Jose to Mexico City is scheduled for 1:40pm. The last time San Jose had this route was a decade ago.

Mexico City will be San Jose's 9th international route (Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, London, Frankfurt, Vancouver, Guadalajara, and Cabo San Lucas are the others). This is an all-time high for international destinations from San Jose, and I have a feeling the number is going to become a lot higher in the near future.

Source: SVBJ

Frontier Airlines adds 3 more nonstop flights to San Jose roster

The news about new flights for San Jose keeps on pouring in. Earlier this year, Frontier Airlines announced their return to SJC with four routes:

• Denver (daily service starting Oct. 5th)
• Las Vegas (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat service starting Nov. 1st)
• Cincinnati (Tue, Thu, Sun service starting Apr 8th)
• San Antonio (Tue, Thu, Sun service starting Apr 8th)

Service has yet to begin on any of the routes, yet the airline has just announced three additional nonstops:

• Atlanta (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat service starting Apr 9th)
• Austin (Mon, Wed, Sat service starting Apr 9th)
• Colorado Springs (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat starting Apr 9th)

All three are significant. Atlanta is a highly desirable nonstop that is only serviced by Delta today. Austin flights are critical for tech companies (they call this route the nerd bird). Colorado Springs is a brand new route--I think it might be our first direct flight ever to this destination. It is a smaller city, but there are some neat touristy things to do there like Pike's Peak. Oh, and it also brings the number of San Jose's nonstop destinations to 50, an all-time high.

It looks like the fastest growing airport in the country is still picking up speed!

Source: SVBJ

Southwest is adding more flights at SJC

Southwest Airlines recently announced 25% increase in San Jose departures and a 50% increase in nonstop destinations by Spring. This will help keep Alaska Airlines at bay, who have also been steadily increasing their San Jose flights.

The new daily nonstops include Orlando, St. Louis, Houston's Hobby Airport, Spokane, and Boise. Southwest is also adding Sunday-only flights to New Orleans and Albuquerque. The new flights begin May 6th except for Orlando, which starts on April 8th. If those weren't enough new flights for you, on March 10th they are also launching their first international flight--San Jose to Cabo San Lucas (Alaska Airlines is the only other carrier with a direct flight to Cabo from SJC).

Southwest will be increasing the frequency of their Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, and Dallas flights as well. After all of the changes, the airline will have 80 new flights each week and feature a total of 24 nonstop destinations.

Source: SVBJ

Frontier is the latest airline to come to SJC

Frontier is San Jose International's 7th new airline in just the last two years. The airline is a low-cost carrier that competes with Southwest, which should help keep fares as low as possible at SJC.

Their initial route will be a daily nonstop to Denver starting October 5th, which is also Frontier's base and largest hub. They are going to follow that with four weekly flights to Las Vegas beginning on November 1st. Up next will be a nonstop to Austin (this route used to be called the Nerd Bird as it connects two tech hubs). Lastly, they are planning to add a nonstop to San Antonio next spring. I'm most excited about the San Antonio flight since that will be a brand new route for San Jose.

Frontier typically charges half of what their competitors charge, but they have a multitude of fees for things you usually get for free such as seat assignments, sodas, and even carry-on bags. If you travel light and plan ahead, you can get fares as low as $29 each way.

More flights are routes are always a welcome addition to SJC!

Source: SVBJ

Photo by Chris Heaton (flickr)

New "all-you-can-fly" airline comes to San Jose

A new type of airline called Surf Air is about to launch several routes to San Jose. Instead of booking individual tickets, you subscribe to a membership that starts at $1,950/mo that gives you access to unlimited flights. This is aimed directly at executives and people who travel constantly within California.

Initial routes from San Jose will include Seattle, San Diego, and Las Vegas. It may also launch a route to Sun Valley, Idaho. Presumably they will fly out of the private aviation side of SJC, but that was not confirmed in the source article. Technically they could use any regional airport as the planes are Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprops.

Perks also include streamlined booking and the ability to arrive just 15 minutes before scheduled flight take-off.

This might be a very niche service, but I am sure it will be appreciated by the tech elite that are wealthy, yet not wealthy enough to own a private jet. It will be interesting to see how successful Surf Air becomes in the Bay Area.

Source: SVBJ