San Jose Airport Visitor Guide 2024: Everything you need to know
San Jose Airport or the Norman Y. Mineta International Airport is the main aviation hub for the city of San Jose in California. Operating since the late 1930s, although on a much smaller scale, the installation was expanded in the 1960s and then again in the 1980s to accommodate increases in aircraft traffic.
San Jose Airport’s twin terminals are used by around five million passengers a year and its two parallel runways see the take-offs and landings of around five hundred aircraft every day. Those planes could be arriving from or headed for destinations as far afield as London, Beijing, Tokyo, or Mexico City as well as states such as Colorado, Texas, or Utah.
The proximity of San Jose Airport to Silicon Valley means it's always abuzz with techies and nerds flying in to do business or go to work at the multiple tech-related companies there. The airport and its transport links are too busy to be humping your bags around with you. Leave your bags in a luggage locker facility at San Jose Airport and you'll be able to visit places like the Tech Museum of Innovation unencumbered.
Bag policy at San Jose Airport
The last thing you'll want to do at San Jose Airport is leave your bags unattended, especially if you're carrying a laptop or other similar equipment with you. Not only will someone probably lay claim to your belongings, the airport security staff will be obliged to remove them.
SJC maintains the same rigid regulations as all other airports where carrying liquids in your carry-on bags is concerned, so pack the three-ounce containers separately in a see-through bag. No bag bigger than a cabin-sized holdall can be taken past the security checkpoints, so ensure yours has the correct measurements before traveling.
Food policy at San Jose Airport
There are food and drink concessions in both Terminal A and Terminal B at San Jose Airport. Although considering the size of the installation and its annual passenger movement, you may find them sadly lacking if you're looking for something more than a snack. What you will find are big-name coffee shops, burger bars, tapas, grab-and-go sandwich outlets plus some sushi. Forget gourmet and Michelin-starred restaurants at SJC. Most cafeterias and eateries open in the early hours of the morning but close before ten in the evening so if you’re hungry or thirsty after that, you could be left wanting.
Camera policy at San Jose Airport
It is permitted to take photographs inside San Jose Airport as well as of the planes on the runways as long as they are for personal use only. Before taking photographs or filming for commercial purposes, permission must be obtained from the airport authorities. When you're snapping your shots you should always take care not to focus on airport or security staff, points where there might be security cameras, at the check-in desks, or any other sensitive area. Taking photos of strangers is also off-limits unless you ask for their consent first.
Rules at San Jose Airport
San Jose Airport is a public space so a certain level of behavior is expected from all its users. Being drunk and disorderly while in the airport will quickly grab the attention of security staff and quite likely see you removed from the terminal buildings.
The entire airport facility is a no-smoking zone, so wait until you're well outside or in a designated spot before lighting up. Only pets that are traveling are allowed in the airport unless they are a working service dog. Meeting and greeting is restricted to the baggage claim area or the Hourly Lot 2 in the express parking zone.
Lockers at San Jose Airport
There are no lockers or any baggage storage facilities at San Jose Airport so it's impossible to leave your bags there. If you need to deposit your bags somewhere for any reason, you'll need to do it off-site.
Bounce has over twenty luggage storage sights in San Jose. They are in the city itself as well as close to the airport. You may find any one of them convenient for storing your suitcase before heading to the airport if you have a business meeting or want to go sightseeing before your flight.
One of the great advantages of using a Bounce luggage locker in San Jose is their inexpensive cost. All you pay for the service is a small daily per bag fee. That's a charge that has you covered on insurance too as there's a policy included as well as a security seal for your bag.
