What do you guys think and which airlines do you want in San Jose?
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Wednesday Wishlist: Virgin Airlines
In an article about Measure B in the latest issue of the San Jose Business Journal, I noticed an interesting tidbit. It was casually mentioned that the CEO of Virgin is trying to get flights at SJC next year. What a perfect match... they hippest, most tech forward US airline in the middle of Silicon Valley. Yes, please! I think I would actually fly much more frequently if Virgin came to San Jose.
What do you guys think and which airlines do you want in San Jose?
What do you guys think and which airlines do you want in San Jose?
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Virgin America is late to the party, but hey the more the merrier.
ReplyDeleteWhat airlines do we want...any airline that'll come here, especially if they fly international routes (I don't know whether Virgin do). It's very lucrative if what I have read in the past is true.
ReplyDeleteI would one day like to see the SJC albatross closed so that we can have a real city with a real downtown. Until that happens, I'll take VA. Hopefully it will mean another daily flight to Vegas.
ReplyDeleteSJC will not be closed for at least the next 30 years. The renovation seals san jose's fate as a low rise city and Im fine with that. Not every city needs skyscrapers.I would much rather see more connected urban developments throughout san jose like that of oxford street in london.
ReplyDeleteI'm with the person above me. It's time we embrace the fact that our city, at least with SJC so close to town, will always be at most a low-mid-rise city. And that's OK!
ReplyDeleteWe need to concentrate more on creating a lively, fun, active urban scene, with denser concentrations in the downtown and midtown area, and attract more businesses to come to town.
Although, I'm always down for a sky-reaching light tower :)
Well, since we're now officially off topic: was at the new Blush lounge about a month ago, and while the scene was cool, those arriving airliners that halted conversation every 5 minutes or so SUCKED! We'd all look up and (for the most part) say "damn!" In fact, the arriving Hawaiian Airlines flight (yes, you can even identify the livery) at 11pm looked like it was going to land on top of Axis. And of course...IT WAS @#$%& LOUD!
ReplyDeleteNow, if SJC was serving 17-20 million passengers per year I'd be OK with our flat downtown skyline and loud outdoor scene. But the airport is struggling at 8 million per year, all the while keeping downtown development flat, the scene loud, and wasting 1,000 acres of centrally located SJ real estate.
I'm a realist: this airport unfortunately isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But at the least lets stop pretending it's a good thing for SJ.
Boy, you are spot on about the noise. And that's on landing. On take-off is even worse! Why can't San Jose get tough on the airlines like they do in (I think) John Wayne or one of those other SoCal airports? i.e. come in a weird angle/take off at an extreme angle like a roller-coaster. Then we might be able to have the best of both worlds. Hey, I like SJC and the convenience but Tony has a point about the noise. It does detract from the overall feel of downtown.
DeleteSome slight good news here is that the newer planes are much quieter than the ones currently in service at SJC, starting with the 787 which ANA will use on their Tokyo flights. I'm hoping these will quickly roll out to the other airlines as well. Check out this sound comparison video: http://airnation.net/2011/12/15/707-787-noise-takeoff-video/
DeleteAgree Josh; the next generation of airliners will be much quieter than the current, starting with the B787. Add to this steeper, quieter descents with the implementation of the NexGen air traffic control system, and noise issues downtown should improve. However, you'd still have the issue of vertical development and 1,000 acres of prime central SJ real estate going to waste.
DeleteThis all said, perhaps Sunnyvale/Mtn. View will be more amenable in the future to opening up Moffett Field to commercial airline service if aviation becomes a much quieter proposition.
I like airplane noise %)
ReplyDeleteMy two cents from the comments above...
ReplyDelete- Yes, SJC is broke but the airport remains a huge asset and convenient alternative to SFO/OAK to South Bay travelers.
- Yes, airplanes are loud and fly over downtown. So what? Noise is part of the 'pulse' of any urban area. Many other great downtowns in America have done just fine despite being close to a major airport.
- Yes, SJC's arrival/departure corridors will continue to limit the ultimate height of buildings in DTSJ. I'm fine with that. What makes a downtown is the culture and the selection of quality establishments rather than tall buildings. AXIS & 88 add nicely to the skyline at 88 meters in height.