Mineta San José International Airport

Description

SJC is the closest international airport to Moffett Field/NAS ARC.  It's also an easy one to get into and out of by car.  It smaller and less busy than either SFO SFO in San Francisco or

OAK in Oakland.  All of these make it the airport of choice for most people flying into or out of ARC.  Unless of course you can manage to fly into Moffett Field itself, but at the moment that's limited to military flights and bigwigs at Google.

As always, it pays to check out your airline's web site before you fly.  If you haven't flown in a while, a lot of airlines have been tightening their baggage restrictions, and/or adding fees for checked bags.

Of course, it's probably a good idea to check up on the latest regulations from the the Transportation Safety Administration.  Heaven forbid you should endanger an aircraft by trying to bring more than 3 ounces of toothpaste with you.

Main Web Site  

http://www.sjc.org/

Location

Terminal A is at 2077 Airport Blvd., San Jose, CA.  Terminal C is at 1661 Airport Blvd., and international arrivals are at 2065 Airport Blvd.  (That may be Terminal B, but the web site doesn't say.)  It's shown on the Google Map.

Drive Time

 from Ames to Terminal A (per Google maps): 15 minutes

Public Transit

Both Caltrain and the VTA run trains that pass near SJC.  You could certainliy get a tax to them, and it's likely there's an airport shuttle to the stations.

Caltrain will drop you off in downtown Mountain View, at the north end of Castro Street.  While that's a pretty cool place, it's a very long walk from there to Moffett Field if you're carrying a suitcase and a carry-on.

There's a VTA stop just outside Gate 6 of Moffett Field.  This is extremely convenient.  Unfortunately, Gate 6 is only open during rush hours, roughly 7 to 9 AM and 4 to 6 PM, Monday through Friday.  When Gate 6 is closed, it's a mile or so from the VTA station to the Main Gate.  That's certainly doable, but again, not ideal if you're carrying luggage.

Hours

Open 24/7/365.  San Jose isn't known for blizzards or hurricanes, so weather closings aren't normally an issue.  Your flight schedule might be mangled because it's snowing in Chicago, but at least you'll be able to sit around at the airport.

Cost

Varies based on your flight.  It's free to get in, but after 9-11 you can't get into the airport bars anymore, and what else is there to do at an airport if you're not flying?