Mineta San Jose Airport Courts Flights To Shed 'Lonely' Status
SAN JOSE (KCBS) – Mineta San Jose International Airport is pulling out all the stops to attract more flights and passengers after recently being named the loneliest airport for Thanksgiving travel.
An annual survey of Thanksgiving traffic at major airports by travel firm Orbitz gave Mineta San Jose the dubious distinction.
At an ad hoc committee meeting on airport competitiveness Monday, Mayor Chuck Reed said that he was hopeful that 2012 could see the airport soaring to new heights.
"We are hopeful of adding flights from here to Tokyo. I've been to Japan to meet with All Nipon Airways' CEO to talk about that," said Reed. "We're also looking at flights from here to London, we're talking about that with Virgin Atlantic, and of course from here to the East Coast with Virgin America."
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
Airport spokesman Dave Vossbrink said that trying to get more airlines onboard at Mineta has been an ongoing challenge.
"Airlines, understandably, want to make sure that wherever they place their equipment, they minimize their risk," said Vossbrink. "They're making big bets with expensive aircraft and employees. We're talking about investments of tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of dollars."
City officials said surveys have shown that airlines that add service in San Jose wouldn't have any problems filling seats.
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