Connecting at San Jose airport

Connection time calculator, immigration and security, and how to move between terminals at SJC.

How connections work at SJC

At San Jose airport, as at every airport in the United States, passengers arriving on an international flight must clear immigration (CBP) and customs, collect their checked bags and re-check them, and go through TSA security again before their connecting flight, even when both flights are on the same ticket.

The airport has 2 terminals or concourses (Terminal A (most airlines), Terminal B (mostly Southwest)). All of them are connected after security, so you do not need to clear security again to change.

Connection time calculator

Is your layover at SJC long enough? Pick your connection and get an estimate with the times of this airport.

Terminals / concourses: Terminal A (most airlines), Terminal B (mostly Southwest)

Getting between them: Walking airside between Gates 16 and 17 (2 to 3 minutes)

The two terminals sit side by side and are linked airside by a walkway between Gates 16 (Terminal A) and 17 (Terminal B), with no security rescreening.

Official transfer times:

  • Terminal A → Terminal B: up to 3 min walking
  • On one ticket, 45 minutes is comfortable for a domestic connection if the first flight is on time; on separate tickets with checked bags allow 2 hours.
  • Terminal assignments can change: check your booking.

Estimate based on typical times at this airport, not your airline's official minimum connection time. Immigration and security lines change with the time of day and season. On a single ticket, the airline must rebook you if you miss the connection; on separate tickets, it does not.

Sources: layoverindex.pages.dev.

Times are estimates: always check with your airline.

TSA security wait times

Estimated wait at the security checkpoints of SJC right now. When live data is not available, it shows historical averages.

More about SJC

Airport guide Departures Arrivals