Backpack prompts 2-hour evacuation of Terminal B

SAN JOSE >> An unattended backpack at Mineta San Jose International Airport prompted officials to clear out Terminal B for about two hours Tuesday while a bomb squad was called to rule out the worst-case scenario for such a discovery, officials said.

The backpack, initially described as a “suspicious package” by authorities, was spotted in a passenger lounge in Terminal B around 10 a.m., airport spokeswoman Vicki Day said.

As a precaution, the terminal was cleared out. Travelers who had already gotten past the security checkpoints were shepherded to Terminal A so that they wouldn’t have to be rescreened. Anyone before that point was either escorted outside or not allowed to enter Terminal B.

The San Jose Police Department and the San Jose Fire Department, both of which have personnel stationed at the airport, and the SJPD bomb-squad unit were dispatched to the site.

David Yeh, a 34-yearold San Jose resident, had already checked in for an 11:35 a.m. Southwest flight to Chicago but 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.”

There were no reports of damage or injuries. Just before noon, police gave an allclear on the backpack, and passengers were allowed back inside Terminal B.

Passengers flying Southwest and Alaska airlines, the airport’s high-volume carriers, were most affected, and many experienced delays of two hours or longer.

Through it all, the feeling among passengers was 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.”