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July 01--On its first day of regular service, San Jose airport's new Terminal B drew rave reviews from travelers impressed with its high tech features, sleek design and friendly staff.
There were small hiccups. Some frequent travelers showed up at the old terminal instead of the new one, and there were small glitches with the computerized arrival and departure board.
But for the most part, on its debut workday opening, passengers at Norm Mineta San Jose International Airport's new $1.3 billion building were pretty much complaint-free.
"It's absolutely great," said Jim Rose, who was traveling with his wife and four children to Montana on a Delta flight. "I fly out of here all the time. What a transition!"
Brightly colored balloons and a festive atmosphere permeated the new terminal, which has been home to gala gatherings over the last week or so, but opened for real use Wednesday. Extra employees seemed to be everywhere, from the Transportation Security Administration to Peet's coffee barristas to information volunteers to Hertz rental car agents.
Southwest, Alaska/Horizon and Delta airlines now operate out of Terminal B. All other airlines operate from Terminal A.
"I'm not confused at all," said Judy Rivera of Fremont, heading to Seattle at 6:30 a.m. with her teenagers. "People keep showing us the way."
Among Terminal B's already popular features are the electrical outlets built into the armrests of special "Air
Chairs" for computer use and cell phone charging. But perhaps the biggest perk for high-tech passengers using the new terminal is the free Wi-Fi service that spokesman David Vossbrink says "makes us distinctive" from most other airports.
"We need to be Silicon Valley's airport, our travelers expect it," he said.
The laptop-friendly chairs were a big hit with Andy Pease, who travels often for business in the semiconductor industry and was waiting for a flight to San Diego.
"This is a huge help," Pease said, as he happily worked on his laptop, plugged into a chair armrest. "It's nice to get a charge and sit comfortably here instead of balancing it on your knees, sitting against a wall, always searching for an outlet." The 59-year-old Sunnyvale resident said "it's the only airport I've ever been in that has this. It's a huge deal."
But Kevin Grundy, 52, of Fremont was on the floor using his laptop. Humans are creatures of habit, he explained, saying that he didn't have the "extra 10 minutes to figure out the chairs." He quickly added, though, that next time he'll be sure to make use of the new comforts and technology.
"It's the road warriors who fly regularly and are hard wired to do what they always do who are going to be the passengers with the most initial confusion," Vossbrink said. "The infrequent fliers, who double check everything anyway, will be fine."
There were minor complaints and glitches in the morning.
When Vossbrink arrived to work at 4 a.m., the computerized arrival and departure screens were down. But that was quickly fixed. Not all the restaurants and stores were open for business this morning, as they have been waiting for all the construction to have been completed before opening up shop.
Overnight there were the usual last-minute finishing touches by construction crews. Airline personnel had to move their furniture and equipment from and C to their new home in Terminals B and A. And Michael Mason, who was renting a car this morning from the new area directly across the new terminal, loved how close the rental spot was, but was a tad confused on which floor he should get dropped off at. Answer: ground level.
Southwest pilot Henning Mueller, who was waiting in line to board a flight, gave Terminal B a rating of 8 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Mueller said he'd give the seven-tenths-of-a-mile-long terminal a perfect score if it had just one more feature: a people mover.
Passengers have been complaining it's a long walk to fetch their bags and get to transportation.
But Vossbrink said that was a temporary problem that ended Wednesday when Terminal B fully opened. Passengers arriving in Terminal B will no longer have to walk to Terminal A for baggage claims and reach their parked cars or other transportation. The can also enter and exit through the main Terminal B entrance.
Contact Lisa Fernandez at 408-920-5002.
