SJC-Spot1
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)/KSJC) – named after former politician and San Jose mayor Norman Yoshio Mineta – is the second largest airport serving the bay area behind SFO. In 2018, it surpassed OAK and also crossed the 14 million passengers mark for the first time. Despite being in the shadow of its big brother up north, it does get quite a variety of traffic, including a handful of international flights.
Alaska Airlines (incl. subsidary Horizon Air) and Southwest Airlines dominate the pitch, but mainline carriers Delta, United and American are regulars as well. JetBlue and Hawaiian (A321neo) complete the domestic menu, but are less frequent visitors.
International connections: Offering services to several destinations in Mexico, Volaris is the most present international carrier and ZIP Air to NRT respectively. FedEx and UPS are the only cargo carriers serving SJC. Their flights are usually operated by a mix of A300 and 767. Additionally, the airport sees a lot of business and corporate jets. The GAT is located on the west side, adjacent to runway 12R/30L.
Written by Thomas Okaty and Gao Andrew. Last Update: March 2024 (Spot 2 updated)
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations |  |
| Weather | |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 12L/30R | 3353 m (11,000 ft) |
| 12R/30L | 3353 m (11,000 ft) |
| Terminals | Terminal A, which also accommodates international arrivals, and Terminal B. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not required and not recommended. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car required to get to spots #2 and #3. Spots #1 and #4 are in walking distance from the terminal. |
| Restrooms | In the terminal (spot #1). Gas stations and restaurants in walking distance from spot #2 and #3. |
| Drinks/Food | In the terminal (spot #1). Gas stations and restaurants in walking distance from spot #2 and #3. |
| Hotels | Various hotels are available between the terminal and highway 101. |
| Season | Year round, but best from October until April to avoid heat haze. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 12L/30R | Mainly used for departures, in rare cases also for arrivals. |
| 12R/30L | Mainly used for arrivals. Also used by business and private jets for departure. |
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Spot #1 – Hourly Lot 2 – Both runways and adjacent taxiways |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From the terminal just walk over to the Hourly Lot 2 garage and take the elevator to the highest level. If you arrive by car, then just follow the signs to “Hourly Lot 2”. For parking rates check the FlySanJose website. |
| WHAT | All arrivals and departures. |
| TIME | From Sunrise until around 11am in the summer. In the winter it’s only a very short window from sunrise until it becomes backlit. |
| MISC. | Food, drinks and restrooms can be found in the Terminal. Heat haze can be an issue. Some lamp posts disturb the view, but the gaps are wide enough. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150-300mm for traffic on 12R/30L 100-200mm for traffic on 12L/30R 50-150mm for traffic on parallel taxiways between terminal and runway 12L/30R |
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Spot #2 – Viewing Area Coleman Ave – Arrivals 30L & 30R |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This location is an official viewing park. Coming from the airport, follow signs to “880 / Coleman Ave”. The road (Airport Blvd) will take you along and around the southern end of the airport. UPDATE MARCH 2024: The area has been completely fenced off but potting is possible from the airport sign (see photo below). |
| WHAT | All arrivals on runway 30L and also 30R. |
| TIME | From around noon until sunset. |
| MISC. | There are various restaurants and fast food places as well as a gas station across the street. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-200mm (70mm for 787-9 on 30L) |
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Spot #3 – Martin Ave Parking Lot – Departures 30L/30R |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is located on the westside of the airport and can be best reached by car. From the airport, follow signs towards “101 North” and “101 North San Francisco”, then take exit “Trimble Road / De La Cruz Blvd”. Keep to the left and at the light turn left onto De La Cruz Blvd. Follow the road for about a mile / 1.5 km and make a left onto Martin Ave. Once on Martin Ave you will see the entrance to the parking lot coming up on your left. This lot isn’t explicitly marked as public parking, therefore, we do not recommend to park there. Alternatively, parking is available along Martin Ave. All sample pictures were taken from near the open gate (see overview picture). Mind the cars exiting or entering the parking lot! |
| WHAT | Departures from runway 30L/30R in climb. |
| TIME | From around noon until sunset. |
| MISC. | There is a gas station on the corner of Martin Ave and De La Cruz Blvd. Some lamp posts force proper timing during early climb phase. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200-400mm |
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Spot #4 – Hourly Lot 5 – Both runways and adjacent taxiways |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is at the southern end of Hourly Lot 5. To get to this spot, follow the signs for “Hourly Lot 5” by car or by foot easily from the terminal. There is a fence at this spot, but you can shoot through it with a telephoto lens or bypass it with a small enough lens. |
| WHAT | 30L and 30R, arrivals and departures, planes on the taxiway/ramp |
| TIME | Runway: sunrise to 11am during summer, sunrise to 9am during winter. Ramp: sunrise until afternoon |
| MISC. | Ground crew vehicles do pass by on the other side of the fence often, depending on timing this could impact shots. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 35-150mm for taxiing aircraft 150-350mm for arrivals and departures |
Just to let you know, for spot 3, I recommend parking at the nearby In-N-Out, or the parking lot near there, THEN walking to spot 3.
British Airways no longer serves San Jose. Frontier Airlines also no longer serves San Jose. Spirit Airlines is the newcomer offering routes to San Diego (SAN), Las Vegas (LAS), and Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW)
Went spotting at SJC on March 9, 2024. Spot#2 is now completely fenced off. One can only spot behind the airport sign
All right, thanks for the hint. Guide has been updated.
-Julian
A few updates as of 2023.
Fixed it, thanks for the hint.
-Julian
Location 3 is not open to the public. This parking lot is closed and regularly patrolled by security personnel. Anyone found in the area without authorization will be asked to leave.
Location 2 is permanently closed to the public, as has been somewhat noted. Additional future facilities in this area will result in the complete redevelopment of the existing parking lot into an employee/visitors only parking area.
Air Canada and British Airways have suspended service to SJC since the pandemic began in March 2020 and we don’t know when they will be back currently. ANA and Hainan have permanently suspended service.
There is a new additional location at the top floor of the Economy Lot 1 parking garage (opened in July). It is farther from the runways, but still a potential option. I recommend scouting it the next time you come through.
Hi Adam,
Thanks for your feedback.
Location 3: It’s pointed out in the guide that the parking lot is not public, and that the sample photos were not taken from that parking lot but near the gate a few feet from the public road. Is that road still accessible?
Location 2: Correct, but per my understanding it is still possible to spot from the corner of the major intersection next to the former viewing area (see last overview picture, where the big airport sign is located). Can you confirm that?
Regarding the airlines serving the airport, we decided to not update the website with the “COVID based schedules” as things kept and still keep changing quickly and often, and instead to wait it out until international traffic has somewhat normalized again.
Thanks,
Thomas
Can location 1 be used for later in the day in winter?
Location 1 is open 24/7/365. I assume the hours listed on this page were the page author’s recommended best times to go.
Hi John,
Better late than never – for photography this location is only good in the summer and only for a couple of hours from sunrise until it becomes backlit. In the winter, the window is much shorter. I have made that more clear in the guide now.
Of course – as user Adam pointed it out in his comment – you can go there 24/7 if you just want to watch the planes – or if you want to set up a tripod and take night shots.
Thanks,
Thomas
– spotterguide.net crew –
Thanks, I will delete it from my plans when SFO in December now.