Parts of Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport were shut down early Monday morning after a water main pipe burst and flooded portions of Terminal A.
At 5:30 a.m., crews were still busy sucking up 2 to 3 inches of water on the floor with wet vacs and push brooms. The flooding affected the Terminal A skyway, baggage claim and security checkpoint, and part of the ticketing areas. Carpets were soaked and floors were slick with water. Just before 9 a.m., one checkpoint lane at Terminal A was reopened, but screening was still sluggish, officials reported.
Airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said there were "several flight delays and a few cancellations as a result of this emergency."
The "emergency" was a pipe that burst about 2:15 a.m. for an unknown reason.
Passengers could still fly, but needed to make some logistical changes about how they navigated the airport. Barnes advised all passengers flying out on Monday should arrive at least two hours earlier because of all the commotion.
Specifically, she said, passengers with boarding passes and carry-on bags only, should go directly to Terminal B checkpoint for screening. Shuttle buses will be provided outside Terminal A to transport passengers, and passengers with checked bags should check in with their airline at Terminal A.
The terminal serves carriers, including American, Delta, JetBlue, United, U.S. Airways, Virgin American and Volaris.
All arriving passengers, Barnes said, should pick up their luggage in Terminal B baggage claim.
The aging water main burst overhead in the ceiling, and then there was extra water that flooded the terminal because of the fire sprinklers that went off. The water was running for two hours before airport crews could arrive to shut off the valves.
Crews said it could take a couple of days to fully dry out.
