Jul 13, 2009 7:24 pm US/Pacific
New Terminal B To Open At San Jose Int'l Airport
SAN JOSE (CBS 5) ―
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Terminal B at San Jose International Airport.
CBS
Construction crews are working down to the last minute, to make the new terminal at Mineta San Jose International Airport safe and ready for its first passengers on Wednesday.
"This is a significant milestone in our program to modernize our airport in San Jose," said David Vossbrink of the airport.
With its rolling metallic exterior, Terminal B is literally shiny and new. Inside it's a modern, comfortable space using sunlight, high ceilings and wood accents. And the terminal is packed with the kind of technologies travelers in the Silicon Valley would expect.
Travelers will have nice, comfortable club seating, and a place to plug in a laptop or mobile device with a choice of AC and USB power. Passengers and airlines will take advantage of a built-in high-tech infrastructure.
"We've heard it for years, why can't we have an airport that represents the innovative qualities of our valley? So this airport is technologically sophisticated," Vossbrink said. "We have shared use, all of our carriers use a common technology backbone... That gives us the flexibility to add carriers, change flights."
Southwest Airlines will run six of the 12 new gates in Terminal B when the first phase opens. Full completion is scheduled in June, 2010. The new terminal will double the airport's square footage and double the amount of concessions.
A new Shark's Cage restaurant, newsstand and souvenir shops will open on Wednesday, and more will gradually open. Airport officials say Mineta San Jose will have capacity for 17 million travelers a year, even though only 9 million use it now due to the weak economy.
"This is actually a great time to build, because we are getting the good bids, we have less disruption to passengers, and we'll be in a position for recovery, when the economy comes back," Vossbrink said.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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