Mineta San Jose International Airport – Terminal B

Newer Terminal at the San Jose Airport pretty nice airport since everything is new out here. Although I always thought the barrage claim area was a little weird for such a large airport.

Nice enough for an airport terminal, but are there any that are that nice?

This is a very nice airport, easy to get around, very clean and well organized. The TSA line is very long and slow if you are not pre checked so be prepared.

We are frequent flyers. It’s a beautiful, clean and well kept terminal, but the walking! The original plan was for moving walkways, but rumor has it that the project went over budget, so they were never installed. Put on your hiking shoes, and older folks, or those with trouble walking, may want to arrange for a cart, or wheelchair

I actually really enjoy Terminal B at SJC despite it’s bad review (s). I don’t know why this is a point of contention at all because it is clearly much better than Terminal A which is old and has much less food options. I always grimace when I have to fly out of Terminal A since I already know it has almost none of the food options I want.
Terminal B also has nicer chairs, plushier connectivity to electricity and plenty of free (actually free wifi) …
It is nice, well lit, the restrooms are great and clean and overall it is just a cleaner terminal.

No complaints in the San Jose Southwest terminal B. Security line was as expected during morning rush hour but moved along quite quickly. Food options seem plentiful. Terminal B is also pretty small so you usually shouldn’t have to arrive very early to your flight. I arrived 80 minutes before my southwest flight and had plenty of time!

Seriously my favorite out of all Southwest terminals in California. Great food/​bar/​coffee selection, clean bathrooms with spacious stalls for people who overpack like I do, lots of power outlets, and I like the modern feel of it!

Chairs have built in outlets for USB AND electrical power! Most awesome! But unlike SFO, no hydration stations to refill your water bottles after going through security. Room for improvement. Bathrooms flush with recycled water which is a plus and lots of decent food concessions

2015 Unilocal 100 CHALLENGE — ⁰¹⁰⁄₁₀₀
I frequently fly back and forth between LA and San Jose, so I’ve been through this terminal a bunch of times. It looks great from the outside because it’s a new building, but inside I find it very impractical… mostly in the area with all of the gates.
The ticket kiosks are very easy and usually never have any lines. I believe it’s only Southwest and one other airline (can’t remember which one), who fly in and out of Terminal B. The rest are in the older building.
You take an escalator up to the second floor, which is where TSA security is, and all of the gates. TSA is fine… I’ve never had to wait more than 10 minutes, which is great. They’re pretty efficient and for some reason half the time I get directed to the fast lane even though I have no clue why, lol. I’ve spoken with a few of the TSA employees and they were pretty friendly, especially when I’ve flown with my cat.
Because this building is relatively new, it’s nice because it feels up to date and nothing feels old or gross or stale like how some older airports feel. They have several food options such as Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Original Joes, etc. I really have only been to the Jamba Juice, so I can’t really say much about the other eateries.
The biggest thing that I HATE HATE HATE about this terminal is that the layout in the gate area is NOT good. It’s basically a very long building, and it sucks because baggage claim is ALLLLL the way at the end of the building. If you arrive at a gate that is on the opposite side, it takes like a good 10 – 20 minutes to walk from one end to the other. I try to only use carry on luggage instead of checking bags in, and my bags can sometimes get rather heavy… and lugging them all the way across the terminal is no joke. It’s exhausting and they need those people movers or whatever for the long distance!

I guess I’m spoiled with the amazing customer service I get at OAK & SJ. The staff was very unfriendly. We are A-​List /​Business Class reward members and I guess I’m spoiled by the great customer service at other airports.
I did like the fact that terminal B has southwest and Alaska Airlines only so it was less busy than terminal A.
TSA staff was super friendly however disappointed that they only had two lines open and there was a 40 minute wait during the day on a week day .
Super clean.

If I could give this airport zero stars I would. Got here two hours before my flight and made it through security 30 min before boarding my plane. The security was extremely rude yelling at everyone and horribly disorganized. They had a no wait lane for people who paid and so it sucked for everyone else as they allowed large groups of people in before our line would move an inch. It’s okay to fly into and near the levi stadium. However I suggest flying out of San Francisco. This way you can see the city too.

Had to wait for a friend whose flight was delayed. No monitors and very little seating on the gate level, despite being new and clean. Asked an employee where I could get a bite to eat (besides Starbucks) and she informed me that everything was inside the secure area. Easier to get in and out of than other Bay Area airports, but even Monterey has a restaurant/​lounge!

Was picked for pre-​check TSA on a Monday morning. They have 3 normal lines open. Well I should have declined as it took much more time in the pre-​check TSA line to pass.

So yes, it is an airport. But Terminal B is the home of Southwest, so the cheerful attitude of the employees makes it all better :)
It’s pretty easy to get to, not confusing at all, actually, since the airport is so small. The TSA agents are ALMOST as nice as the ones in SNA in Orange County. I like this airport a little better than SFO, because it’s not as crowded.

Terminal B is very nice. There’s a Peet’s Coffee nearby which is convenient. The staff at this airport is friendly, even at 6am which is a huge plus. Unfortunately there are delays but that’s not something they can really control. Overall I give them 4 stars.

The new terminal B is really nice. Super clean, nice bathrooms, I mean it’s everything you expect from a new facility. Then again, it’s an airport and it’s everything you expect from TSA as well.
Bathrooms are a little bit far apart so when you really need to go right off of the plane and the one closest to you is out of order or being cleaned, you have to run pretty far for the next one, but as we all know, running when you need to go just makes you need to go even more.