San Jose Warns 6 Carriers on Airport Curfew

San Jose, the biggest city in Silicon Valley, has sent letters to six major airlines threatening to sue or ban them from the airport, citing numerous violations of the city’s airport curfew.

San Jose International Airport has a curfew from 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. every day, but airlines are allowed to fly during those hours if they are delayed because of mechanical, weather or air traffic control problems.

The San Jose city attorney’s office has sent letters to Southwest Airlines Co., AMR Corp.’s Reno Air and American Airlines, UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, Northwest Airlines Corp. and Mexicana Airlines, citing “blatant violations” of the curfew.

San Jose City Atty. Joan Gallo was not immediately available for comment. City officials reportedly vowed more aggressive efforts to enforce the curfew in 1997, when the council approved a major expansion plan for the airport.

Recently, the curfew issue was in the news when a Gulfstream V jet owned by Oracle Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Larry Ellison was cited for repeated violations.

“We did get the letter; we are responding to it in the hopes that we will establish a dialogue to sort these curfew issues out,” said Matthew Triaca, a spokesman for United, which has 36 daily flights in and out of San Jose. “We would hope to come to a more reasonable solution that’s agreeable to both parties.”

The other airlines targeted by San Jose had no immediate comment.