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San Jose to add "Silicon Valley" to airport name, maybe
That would make it "Norman Y Mineta San Jose/Silicon Valley International Airport" a runway length name but just what city leaders think it needs."People want to go to Silicon Valley," San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said. "But they don't really know where it is."
Actually, the problem is that people want to go to San Francisco which has overshadowed San Jose for decades.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, San Jose's airport has struggled, trailing behind San Francisco then Oakland, losing lucrative routes to Paris and Taiwan. The economic slump that started in 2008 pretty much drove a stake through the beleaguered airport's heart causing a loss of a third of its scheduled flights and a quarter of it's passengers.
Gallery: The Coolest Airports in the World
A $1.3 billion upgrade last summer didn't help either and now the city is struggling to make payments on the project.
"We need to think about how we can do things differently to market our airport and our region," said City Councilman Sam Liccardo, who sits on the naming committee that came up with the idea to add on to the name. "The term 'Silicon Valley' has global cachet."
It looks like there are plenty of people living in the area too. "As 2011 begins, about 850,000, the number of jobs in the valley today is about the same as in 1995, the year Yahoo was founded and three years before Google was born. Over the same period, the population has grown by 20 percent" says SiliconValley.com.
Reaching out to the world with a new airport name? Maybe that is just what San Jose needs to kickstart traffic. Still, when we book flights, the airport will be SJC up against SFO.
Flickr photo by J-fish
"We need to think about how we can do things differently to market our airport and our region," said City Councilman Sam Liccardo, who sits on the naming committee that came up with the idea to add on to the name. "The term 'Silicon Valley' has global cachet."
It looks like there are plenty of people living in the area too. "As 2011 begins, about 850,000, the number of jobs in the valley today is about the same as in 1995, the year Yahoo was founded and three years before Google was born. Over the same period, the population has grown by 20 percent" says SiliconValley.com.
Reaching out to the world with a new airport name? Maybe that is just what San Jose needs to kickstart traffic. Still, when we book flights, the airport will be SJC up against SFO.
Flickr photo by J-fish
Filed under: Europe, North America, Taiwan, France, United States, Transportation, Airports, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lauren Harris Feb 24th 2011 2:15PM
Well, it would certainly be noticeable. I have no doubt that folks will see that name and there will be more recognition, therefore a possible increase in business in domestic flights. However, I'm still not convinced that the majority of the population would choose it over San Francisco, and without those Taiwanese and French airlines, it gets even harder. International is going to be a problem, especially considering the proximity to Asia.
San Fran is a huge draw for Asian customers, to whom the term "Silicon Valley" is not as familiar as to those who speak English as a primary language. Considering that, I'm not convinced international flight business will increase much with a name change.
Dave Kearns Feb 24th 2011 1:43PM
Having lived 10 minutes from SJC until last fall, I can tell you it isn't marketing the airport needs - it's a new airport! We would always prefer driving 40 minutes to SFO for a) better flight schedules and b)a better airport experience.
Too bad San Jose didn't persue moving the airport to Moffett Field 6 or 7 years ago when the govt. was looking for a taker..
verdegrrl Feb 24th 2011 1:50PM
San Jose has suffered from being under perpetual construction for many years. Things have been in a constant state of flux. The old layout was distinctly odd, entering through non-descript (using only a small sign) doors that looked more like a side entrance than anything, with what looked to be a small corridor that went nowhere, but had an escalator doubling back on itself out of sight from the door. Even before 9/11, the security lineups could reach through the lobby, over the bridge to the luggage claim on the other side of the street.
I have't flown through the new terminal, but reports on travel sites suggest that the TSA goons can be especially unpleasant, and lines long.
oldtimer Feb 24th 2011 4:49PM
We have San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport. Why not just have it as San Jose International Airport like it was before?
David S. Feb 24th 2011 3:56PM
Like long names for airports are unusual? I used to live in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the airport was actually across the river in Kentucky. For years, people joked that the dumb Ohioans put the airport in the wrong state. So now it is the "Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport." Just so no state feels slighted, I guess.....
Michael Feb 24th 2011 4:22PM
SFO, OAK and SJC are the three most wretched airports on the west coast. they should all get together and have one airport which is a passenger-friendly experience.
Angiebaby Feb 24th 2011 4:37PM
Isn't there a shortage of available women in the Silicon Valley? I suspect this new name is a ploy to increase the number of dumb blondes who tour the valley looking for deals on silicone! Ahh haa ha!
Craig Feb 24th 2011 5:16PM
SJ Airport has long impressed me as perhaps the most dismal and miserable airport for a major city in the entire US. The wasted money they spent over the past 10 years has just made it much worse. I hate to fly out of there. Flying in isn't so bad but leaving is bad, poor planning, poor logistics planing, poor everything. SJ should have just taken over Moffett Field from the Navy and enjoyed the longest runway in the western US with lots of nice room to do something. My 2 cents as a long time resident of SJ and a million miler.
Jan Feb 24th 2011 5:57PM
Changing the name to add the word Silicon to it makes the name bigger, but heck wasn't that what Silicon was for, to make breasts bigger?
Ken Feb 24th 2011 7:29PM
Name too long? Cut the "Norman Y. Mineta" from the name, and there's nothing long about it at all.