San Jose Airport (SJC) Flights & Flight Status

San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) is one of the three major airports in the San Francisco California Bay Area, along with San Francisco (SFO) and Oakland (OAK).

As a long-time Bay Area resident, I frequently chose San Jose as my airport to use due to its smaller, more manageable layout and access in comparison to SFO. I often found good flight deals and more convenient timing on travel from San Jose, making it a nice alternative choice to SFO for any travel to and from Northern California.

While SJC isn’t nearly as convenient for ground transfers to the city of San Francisco as SFO, it has good connectivity to Silicon Valley, and I would recommend it for visitors planning trips to California tourist destinations south of the Bay Area like Santa Cruz and Monterey.

How to get to and from San Jose Airport

San Jose Airport is conveniently located close to the city with easy highway access and nearby public transportation.

San Jose airport location

San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) is located just minutes from the hotels, convention centers and attractions of downtown San Jose, as well as the tourist destinations of nearby Levi’s Stadium (home of the San Francisco 49ers) and the Great America theme park.

I’d recommend San Jose Airport as the best airport to access Silicon Valley tech business hubs of Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto. The airport’s location at the southernmost tip of the San Francisco Bay means I’d say it’s the airport of choice for anyone planning a Pacific Coast Highway road trip south along Monterey Bay toward Los Angeles

For travelers considering San Jose Airport as an alternative to SFO with San Francisco as the end destination, realize SJC is about a 50-mile drive away from downtown San Francisco. With sometimes dreadful traffic, driving can take well over 90 minutes. Taxis and rideshares between SJC and San Francisco can be quite expensive, and while train service to SF is available, the transfer process can be a hassle if you’re toting a lot of luggage.

Due to its location and traffic considerations, I wouldn’t recommend San Jose as the best airport to fly into to reach the city of San Francisco unless the flight deals are really too good to pass up.

Shuttle services at SJC

Free hotel shuttle buses can be ordered to select hotels near SJC, the best option if you just have an overnight layover or business in town. On-demand shared shuttle buses and vans (like Super Shuttle) are available, but really only a good choice to save money on longer rides to San Francisco. But the downside is multiple stops will add to the commute time.

Taxis and rideshare services at SJC

Taxis can be easily found in a lineup just outside baggage claim, providing a decent choice for shorter trips into San Jose. Uber and Lyft both conveniently operate drop-offs directly at the arrivals curb, and pickups are available in a designated curbside area accessible directly across from baggage claim.

Rideshares and taxis can be prohibitively expensive if you’re planning on going all the way to San Francisco, particularly during rush hour periods. To save money on transfers to San Francisco, I’d recommend taking a rideshare to train stations with service to San Francisco: either Milpitas BART, or the Santa Clara Caltrain station.

Public Transit access to SJC

It’s possible to reach San Jose Airport via public bus (VTA bus #60), but this can be a hassle if you’re dealing with luggage. The closest train stop is the Santa Clara Caltrain station, less than 10-minute drive from SJC via taxi or rideshare. Caltrain offers timely, comfortable train service all the way to downtown San Francisco.

I’d recommend Caltrain as the most cost-efficient and even the fastest option between San Jose and San Francisco during rush hour. BART trains run from Milpitas station near SFO, (access via Caltrain or driving) with subway access throughout San Francisco. BART can become a little sketchy late at night, but I’ve used it plenty of times with luggage between Milpitas and San Francisco during the day.

Rental cars at SJC

Rental cars from 11 different companies are easily accessed in a garage just across the street from SJC’s terminal B. Passengers arriving in Terminal A can walk about 10 minutes or hop on a short ride from a rental car shuttle bus.

I’ve found picking up and returning rental cars at SJC to be a breeze, a much faster and more convenient process than at SFO or OAK. While cars are usually available to rent on the day of arrival, I’d advise advance car reservations just in case a big convention (or football game) is in town.

Navigating SJC terminal

I think San Jose is a pretty simple airport to deal with. Flight gates are split between two terminals, with Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines dominating most of Terminal B, while American, Delta and United share space with a handful of other airlines in the more compact Terminal A. International flights use gates at the intersection of Terminals A and B. Restaurants, bars and shops are spread pretty evenly across the two terminals.

In my experience, it’s usually a short, easy walk after security to reach my gate at SJC, with the exception of certain Terminal B flights. Allocate a little extra time if you’re tagged with gates 30 or above as the airport doesn’t have any people-mover walkways. And if you’re transferring between different airlines (say United and Southwest), know that you’re in for at least a 10-minute walk—but still not a bad distance compared to many mega-sized airports.

Airport security

San Jose operates a TSA security checkpoint area in both Terminals A and B. I’ve found the process generally smoother and quicker than at the larger SFO. While SJC has CLEAR, TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry, given the large number of travelers who have these services, and the usually short regular lines, I haven’t seen much of an advantage of these services at San Jose.

Airport food and drink

I’d recommend dodging the usual array of fast-food options at SJC and trying some local area favorites. I’ve enjoyed the beers, burgers and bites at Bay Area mainstay Gordon Biersch (Terminal A) for years, but maybe skip their famous garlic fries for the sake of your fellow passengers on the flight ahead.

You should try Greenlee’s Bakery, in either terminal, for tasty cinnamon rolls and pastries for the morning flights, while Jim Stump’s Taproom + Kitchen and San Jose Mac + Cheese Kitchen are both good choices for comfort food for later in the day.

Lounges at SJC

San Jose’s lounge areas are limited to two locations of The Club SJC near gates 8 and 15. Priority Pass and LoungeKey members get free access to the lounges, with paid access for the general public. Reservations are recommended, as I’ve seen lineups outside the lounges.

The Club SJCs are pleasant enough, a relaxed atmosphere with recently remodeled sitting and work areas and complimentary snacks and beverages (including alcohol). But given the currently high admission price, I’d pass on the lounge unless you have free membership access, as I feel the pretty basic snacks and drinks aren’t really worth the price.

Also note that the lounges are a long walk from many Terminal B gates, so you’ll need to leave early to catch that Southwest flight at gates in the 30’s, for example.

Airline service from San Jose Airport

With a large Alaska and Southwest Airlines presence at San Jose, the airport has great flight access to Western U.S. cities and Hawaii, with competitive pricing and schedules. I’d recommend looking at flights from SJC particularly to these areas.

San Jose airport currently has direct flights to a total of 40 cities, including six in Mexico and one flight to Japan. So SJC isn’t nearly a travel hub like SFO, but it’s still worth considering for many cross-country flights to the Bay Area - particularly given the manageable size and convenience of the airport.

International travel from SJC

San Jose Airport offers regular flights to a handful of cities in Mexico and currently has a single direct route to Japan. While these destinations represent only a small fraction of international options at SFO, travelers should keep their eyes out for new routes and deals as I’ve seen these change regularly at SJC over the years.

Parking at SJC

I’ve found airport parking to be pretty reasonable for pricing and access to SJC. Five separate parking lots, four of them in close proximity to the terminals help provide quick turnaround for drivers. Lots 3, 4 and 5 are adjacent to Terminal B, while hourly Lot 2 is across the street from Terminal A. Remote Economy Lot 1 is the budget option best used for longer trips, but with a shuttle bus required to access the terminals.

You can make parking reservations at SJC to secure a spot and pre-pay your fee, but I’ve seldom seen the lots completely full, so if you forget to make a reservation you should still be ok.