San Jose airport's terminal cleared, re-opened after suspicious package prompted evacuation

SAN JOSE - A report of a suspicious package at Mineta San Jose International Airport prompted officials to clear out Terminal B for about two hours Tuesday while police and other first-responders examined the scene.

The report was made around 10 a.m. when a suspicious package was located in a passenger lounge in Terminal B, according to airport spokeswoman Vicki Day. Travelers were being shepherded to Terminal A, which is sheltering in place.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Authorities did not immediately report what was inside the “suspicious package.”

Just before noon, the airport reported passengers were being allowed back inside Terminal B.

The San Jose Police Department and the San Jose Fire Department, both of which have personnel stationed at the airport, are at the scene. A bomb-squad unit has also been summoned.

By moving passengers to Terminal A instead of evacuating outside, those travelers will not have to be re-screened, Day said.

“It will allow us to resume normal operations a little quicker,” Day said.

David Yeh, a 34-year-old San Jose resident, had already checked in for an 11:35 a.m. Southwest flight to Chicago when he was turned away as he was approaching the security checkpoint.

“I took the escalator up, and everybody started filing out,” he said. “Then they told everyone to walk down to Terminal A.”

But the feeling among passengers is more of inconvenience than panic, Yeh said.

“It's calm. People are just waiting until all the fire trucks and police cars clear and move out,” he said. “There's no sense of urgency or danger of any kind.”