Report Calls For Shifting Flights From SFO To San Jose, Oakland
SAN JOSE (KCBS) – A new regional plan could bring added business to San Jose and Oakland as it call for more flights out of San Francisco International Airport to be shifted to hubs in those cities.
The report from the Regional Airport Planning Committee calls for expanding the number of flights out of Mineta San Jose International and Oakland International Airports in order to take some of the burden off of SFO, which constantly suffers from fog delays.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
Business traveler Tracy Dennis in San Jose said he thinks it's a great idea.
"If that situation were to come up, yeah, I think I would rather take the San Jose flight because of the fog delay," he said.
The goal is to increase San Jose's share of Bay Area air traffic from 14.3 percent to 20 percent and Oakland's from 15.9 to 24 percent by the year 2035.
San Francisco International Airport spokesman Mike McCarron said officials are not opposed to the idea.
"We think it's the right direction," he said. "If we have fewer flights scheduled during the day during these peak times, we will be able to accommodate the aircrafts, even in bad weather."
The question is whether airlines will buy into the plan as McCarron said it's the carriers that decide where flights go, not airports.
San Francisco is annually one of the worst airports in the country in terms of on-time performance, mainly due to fog and other weather factors.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
