the end of an era....
In the summertime, I try NOT to get on the 101 until 6:30 pm at the earliest, or I will face a 45 minute commute. Today, I left around 7 pm. When i turned on KLIV 1590 (better traffic reports for Santa Clara County) I ended up getting the weekly Rotary Club broadcast.
It was the person in charge of the San Jose Airport rebuild. The podcast is on KLIV's website.. What I've heard of it thus far (with my 20 minute commute) piqued my interest. I was happy to hear that it was under budget and the amenities (Sonoma Chicken BETTER serve the butterscotch pudding!) are solid choices for Silicon Valley.
For those who have flown into San Jose on any airline other than American or Southwest, you've seen Terminal C. It goes back to the pre-jet era (or for SoCal folks, think Burbank). You walk onto the tarmac. You have jet walkways with STAIRS (that are slippery in the rain) and you get some interesting jet aroma at times. Your baggage just might show up before your next birthday, but don't bet on it. There was a Starbucks, Senor Jalapeno, and a Burger King for food options outside TSA, a bagel joint and a bar inside TSA. Seating? Hard plastic chairs.
There were some advantages to Terminal C and SJC in general. When it's not raining, it's NICE to be able to leave the plane early because you can exit/enter at both the front and rear of the aircraft. Power plug placement HAS improved. Even with the higher taxi fees, it's less than $20 one way from SJC to Casa de MLD. Out of the 3 airports in the region, it's the most durable for weather incidents.
Terminal C operations will cease on June 29th. As of June 30th, all flights will go out of the new terminal, and as you can tell, I have mixed feelings about this...
The historian in me hates seeing a slice of history demolished and turned into a parking lot. It was also where I sat waiting for my first flight ten 1/2 years ago. (I still have my plastic wings---thanks to my co-workers who took care of me on the plane!).
But, nothing lasts forever. Things must change and grow....
I would also like to have more SJC based choices. (AirTran, Delta, are you LISTENING????...guess not) When I first flew to Atlanta in 2005 for business, there were 4 Delta daily nonstops out of SJC. Now, you're lucky if there is one and you can guarantee, it's a sardine special. Or, you have one stops out of Dallas, Phoenix, or Las Vegas. Phoenix is not bad. Dallas and Vegas...well...
So, have resorted to flying more often out of SFO (and will be for AC), and always check Oakland options before booking (since they're about the same distance and Park N Fly services both). SFO is one of the least weather durable airports on the planet. I've gotten into SFO at 2 am (3 hours late). After about 5 minutes in my car, I knew I wasn't going to make it home and made it to hotel row instead.
Onward and upward, and it's been a long day (started at 5 am).
MLD
It was the person in charge of the San Jose Airport rebuild. The podcast is on KLIV's website.. What I've heard of it thus far (with my 20 minute commute) piqued my interest. I was happy to hear that it was under budget and the amenities (Sonoma Chicken BETTER serve the butterscotch pudding!) are solid choices for Silicon Valley.
For those who have flown into San Jose on any airline other than American or Southwest, you've seen Terminal C. It goes back to the pre-jet era (or for SoCal folks, think Burbank). You walk onto the tarmac. You have jet walkways with STAIRS (that are slippery in the rain) and you get some interesting jet aroma at times. Your baggage just might show up before your next birthday, but don't bet on it. There was a Starbucks, Senor Jalapeno, and a Burger King for food options outside TSA, a bagel joint and a bar inside TSA. Seating? Hard plastic chairs.
There were some advantages to Terminal C and SJC in general. When it's not raining, it's NICE to be able to leave the plane early because you can exit/enter at both the front and rear of the aircraft. Power plug placement HAS improved. Even with the higher taxi fees, it's less than $20 one way from SJC to Casa de MLD. Out of the 3 airports in the region, it's the most durable for weather incidents.
Terminal C operations will cease on June 29th. As of June 30th, all flights will go out of the new terminal, and as you can tell, I have mixed feelings about this...
The historian in me hates seeing a slice of history demolished and turned into a parking lot. It was also where I sat waiting for my first flight ten 1/2 years ago. (I still have my plastic wings---thanks to my co-workers who took care of me on the plane!).
But, nothing lasts forever. Things must change and grow....
I would also like to have more SJC based choices. (AirTran, Delta, are you LISTENING????...guess not) When I first flew to Atlanta in 2005 for business, there were 4 Delta daily nonstops out of SJC. Now, you're lucky if there is one and you can guarantee, it's a sardine special. Or, you have one stops out of Dallas, Phoenix, or Las Vegas. Phoenix is not bad. Dallas and Vegas...well...
So, have resorted to flying more often out of SFO (and will be for AC), and always check Oakland options before booking (since they're about the same distance and Park N Fly services both). SFO is one of the least weather durable airports on the planet. I've gotten into SFO at 2 am (3 hours late). After about 5 minutes in my car, I knew I wasn't going to make it home and made it to hotel row instead.
Onward and upward, and it's been a long day (started at 5 am).
MLD