Holiday travel season off to a good start at San Jose airport

SAN JOSE, Calif. - In the South Bay, there was some heavier traffic as people arrived and departed from San Jose Mineta International Airport. Last holiday season, technical glitches and severe weather across the country caused major delays in San Jose.  

Things seem to be running smoothly in San Jose. There was some traffic as people were being dropped off and picked up, but most people told KTVU they had no problems while flying.  

At San Jose Mineta International Airport, dozens of vehicles lined up outside both terminals Wednesday night. The Transportation Security Administration says this holiday season is expected to be the busiest travel period on record.  

"It was really easy. It was only a quick flight, about an hour and a half flight overall. So I mean it was a full flight though, and it was pretty crowded in the Phoenix Airport," said Nathan Weiler, of Gilroy. 

TSA says it’ll screen 30 million passengers during this Thanksgiving travel season and so far in San Jose, passengers flying Alaska Airlines think it’s getting off to a pretty good start.  

"I thought it was going to be a bit stressful, and it was a piece of cake. I think I just got really lucky," said Dennis Brody, of Alamo. 

"We’ve never been first. There was nobody. We kept saying to everyone, ‘Isn’t this Thanksgiving? Did we make a mistake?’ No traffic, nothing. It was fantastic," said Paula McHenry, of Portland.     

Last year during the Christmas travel period, Southwest Airlines faced heavy criticism after canceling flights for nearly a week. Southwest blamed severe weather and technical issues with its operating system for the delays. This week, the Southwest Airlines Pilot Association said it opened up a strike center in Dallas.  

"I know there’s a lot of politics involved and whatnot, but it’s sad that they have to go to that extreme to be able to get what they want," said Sophia Sanchez, of San Jose.   

American Airlines flight attendants also say they haven’t had raises since 2019 and have asked federal officials for the right to strike before the end of this holiday travel season. 

In the meantime, airline passengers seem to be thrilled that their flights have been on time.  

"I was really surprised. Everything went super smooth," Brody said.   

It’s highly unlikely that Southwest pilots or American flight attendants will actually strike before the end of the year because of federal regulations. 

Most people are just hopeful that we can all get through this busy travel season without any extensive delays.