The changes will affect passengers currently arriving on Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, Horizon Air, US Airways, and Frontier Airlines. Beginning Tuesday, their luggage will arrive at the new Terminal B carousels, next door to the Terminal C ticketing counters.
The use of Terminal B is temporary, lasting only until Terminal C, the airport's oldest terminal, closes this summer for demolition. The space will be cleared for a surface parking lot to serve Terminal B.
Frontier Airlines will be moved to Terminal A in March. The remainder of airlines in Terminal C will likely be relocated to Terminal A or Terminal B when it opens.
Airport officials believe this is a necessary step to complete the airport's new loop roadway that runs in front of the terminals.
Terminal B will officially open in June, with the first flight scheduled to take off June 30. In the meantime, work will continue behind temporary walls in the building.
"Using Terminal B now instead of installing temporary equipment in Terminal C helps us reduce the overall construction cost of our modernization program," airport deputy director Dave Maas said in a statement. "It will be a nice opportunity for travelers and the public to get an early peek at the inside of this beautiful new building before we open it altogether."
The changes are a part of Mineta San Jose International Airport's $1.3 billion terminal area improvement program, involving the modernization and replacement of the airport's terminal facilities, including the construction of Terminal B and Terminal B concourse that will take the place of Terminal C, originally built in 1965. The program also includes transformation of Terminal A to be completed in February.
