Silicon Valley’s Airport: Passenger traffic soars in 2019

Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) passenger traffic continued to soar in 2019, with nearly 15.7 million departing and arriving passengers – a 9.3% increase with 1.3 million more customers choosing Silicon Valley’s airport compared to 2018. Over the past four years, SJC has continued to be America’s fastest-growing major airport.

“This marks the second consecutive year of record-breaking passenger totals for Silicon Valley’s airport. This growth is due to our airlines being responsive to our travelers’ needs by providing more flight options around the globe, the airport’s close proximity to Fortune 500 companies, and SJC’s convenience, efficiency and on-time reliability,” said John Aitken, SJC Director of Aviation.

SJC travelers in 2019 enjoyed more nonstop destinations; the opening of six more gates to accommodate continued growth; the opening of a second common-use lounge; and new and exciting food, beverage and retail concessions. In addition, SJC became the first U.S. airport to offer all-digital, in-terminal advertising.

In 2020, SJC customers can expect even more nonstop destinations, more connections to a broader global network and more choices to eat.

“With the strength of our local economy and commitments from our airline partners to provide more flight choices for Silicon Valley travelers, we are excited for the opportunities in 2020 and beyond,” added Aitken.

2019 Year in Review
In 2019, Mineta San Jose International Airport marked another milestone by serving a record-breaking 1.3 million more passengers. Here’s a look back at new flights we added that contributed to this growth:

ROUTE TYPE	NONSTOP DESTINATION	AIRLINE
Domestic	Everett (Seattle area) El Paso Honolulu, Oahu Kahului, Maui Long Beach Nashville	Alaska Southwest Southwest Southwest Southwest Southwest

SJC opened a variety of passenger amenities to provide more food and beverage choices and retail:

Terminal A	Terminal B
Beer Union San Jose Hudson News The Club SJC (Airport Dimensions Lounge) Hudson Grab & Go	Tumi Rip Curl Chick-Fil-A Great American Bagel Hudson Grab & Go Island Brews Cafe X (robotic coffee bar service )

More 2019 Accomplishments:

• Six new gates opened in Terminal B to support current and near-term passenger growth.
• Construction began on a new multi-level garage to expand Economy Lot 1 (long-term parking) adding 900 spaces and expected to open in early-2021.
• Commissioning a fleet of 10 battery-electric, zero-emission buses to transport passengers and their luggage between SJC’s parking lots, rental car center and terminals. SJC’s deployment is a first for a California airport and among the largest deployments for a U.S. airport.
• In partnership with Clear Channel Airports, SJC was the first U.S. airport to launch an all-digital, in-terminal advertising program.
• Reached a new 10-year agreement with airlines serving SJC that reinforces their commitment to the Silicon Valley market.

2020 Look Ahead
SJC travelers will enjoy new global connections already announced to begin in 2020:

ROUTE TYPE	NONSTOP DESTINATION	AIRLINE – Start Date in 2020
Domestic	Lihue, Kauai Kona, Hawaii Austin (new 2x daily service) Boston (adding daytime service) Detroit (additional daily service)	Southwest – 1/19 Southwest – 1/21 American – 4/7 JetBlue – 6/11 Delta – 7/6
International	Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Toronto, Canada	Alaska – 3/19 Air Canada – 5/4

Additionally, All Nippon Airways (ANA) will shift its daily San Jose -Tokyo service from Narita International Airport to Haneda International Airport, closer to central Tokyo.

Exciting food and beverage concessions planned for SJC in 2020:

TERMINAL A	TERMINAL B
Starbucks (expansion) Gordon Biersch (expansion) Shake Shack	SJ Mac+Cheese Dish Dash Trader Vic’s (full-service restaurant) Trader Vic’s Outpost (to-go)