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Philadelphia Airport review by Bill Atkins
23 April 2008 Customer Rating : 
Sad to say after my experience on April 13, Philadelphia still merits a negative review. Came in on
international - very quick immigration as no other plane being processed at the time. Had only hand
baggage - PHL does a lousy job of luggage so I always try to travel without check-ins. As always,
security was like the descent into hell - rude, lazy employees yelling at everyone and basically
making the whole process much harder than it needs to be - which is about the same story as every
other airport in the US. For an airport so recently modernized everything looks dirty and run-down.
Clearly very badly managed and no pride on the part of the employees.
Philadelphia Airport review by L Becque
19 March 2008 Customer Rating : 
The worst airport in the USA for losing your baggage or bags not making your connecting flight.
Baggage problems are especially bad if you are connecting through a commuter / small plane out of
Terminal F. I fly almost every week and Philadelphia is the only airport where I have had this
problem. Last year they lost my bag at least twice, once for 3-4 days. The other issue is that the
Terminal F flights can experience much worse flight delays than the big planes. I've experienced
2-4 hour delays due to incoming flight delays stacking up on top of outgoing delays. This last
Friday I told them to put me in a hotel overnight rather than waiting 3 hours to leave and arriving
at my destination at 3am. They couldn't divert my bag but I said that was OK - my bag didn't arrive
till the next morning anyway so if I had taken the late flight the previous night I would have been
missing my bag anyway!
Philadelphia Airport review by Bill Atkins
21 February 2008 Customer Rating : 
What is it about the TSA in PHL? They are hard to deal with in most US airports, but in Philly it
seems their aim in life is to slow the airport experience as much as possible and enhance it with a
generous dose of rudeness. All the shouting and marshalling of passengers makes it feel like animals
in a slaughterhouse.
Philadelphia Airport review by William Kelly
18 October 2007 Customer Rating : 
Living in the Detroit area, my business and family trips to Philadelphia are always via Northwest
Airlines, which practically has a monopoly in Detroit. In PHL, the terminal that Northwest uses is
narrow, horribly crowded, sorely in need of serious upgrades. Worse still, the TSA area is very
narrow, crowded and obviously temporary, consisting of painted plywood walls and serpentine cattle
chute lines. Lines at this terminal's TSA almost always back up down the long corridor connecting the
terminal with baggage claim and the parking garage. On my last trip (early Oct 2007), I had to wait
in line 35 minutes to clear security. At this location, TSA personnel like to shout directions at
passengers, all of which is totally unnecessary and adds to passenger stress and confusion, mainly
because most passengers can't hear what is being said amid the background noise. While connected to
the other terminals, for some reason PHL doesn't permit passengers to move around. If you arrive
early and want a better selection of restaurants than the terrible ones on offer at the terminal used
by Northwest, PHL forces you to go through TSA twice! A major construction project is now underway
and, when completed in 2008, may cause me to redo my review. For now, there isn't a lot to recommend.
Philadelphia Airport review by Edgar Fedorkao
28 August 2007 Customer Rating : 
PHL can be a pleasant to travel through but not always. Traffic on the taxiways can lead to long
delays on the ground when your waiting to depart the runway. The facilities are updated yet cramped
and there are plenty of food and shopping selections. Using Atlantic City, BWI, or Newark may fair
better in the future but for now, I'm sticking with PHL.
Philadelphia Airport review by Steve Maier
9 August 2007 Customer Rating : 
Philly has improved a lot. It is still the most crowded of all airports, but security waiting time was
improved since I flew last. What I liked most is the new Business Lounge of US Airways in Terminal 1A.
Large and open, nice seating and good food. If only the planes would be half as good as the lounge, US
Air would be a nice choice. What I like also about Philly is the nice shopping and food court in the C
concourse.
Philadelphia Airport review by A Johnson
9 August 2007 Customer Rating : 
During peak times, the narrow concourses and insufficient seating areas become clogged with
passengers. Walking between concourses takes a while. Not all concourses are connected both airside
and landside, which often requires you to walk outdoors to go to another terminal. Queues for TSA
grow quite long at peak times, and since there isn't much room for people to wait near the
checkpoints, the queues snake back down the corridors toward the ticket counters. PHL has only two
parallel runways, which are insufficient for a major domestic hub and increasingly popular low fare
destination, especially when bad weather hits. Even when the weather is perfect though, delays can
quickly stack up.
Philadelphia Airport review by Olivier Fernandez
27 July 2007 Customer Rating : 
All the US Airways flight must be landing within a 2 hour window not
counting AF, LH and BA flights. Therefore, the passport control took
over 2 hours if you landed between 02:30PM to 04:30PM A nightmare... add
another 45 minutes to 60 minutes for security check. Please do allow 3
hours in between your connecting flights.
Philadelphia Airport review by Peter Roozemaal
23 July 2007 Customer Rating : 
Used PHL yesterday for a BA flight PHL-LHR-AMS. Facilities on the land
side of terminal A-west checkin could be better. I went to international
arrivals for a seat and a cup of tea to pass the time till BA counters
would open. Facilities in the A (international) terminal are good,
sufficient seating, selection of restaurants and shops. TSA check was
certainly not worse than at other US airports (they say "please"
nowadays). I like the Philly "one terminal" concept.
Philadelphia Airport review by David Guenthner
30 June 2007 Customer Rating : 
The ticketing and baggage claim areas were cramped and outdated, and the
baggage claim for my airline (Southwest) was in a different terminal
than where my flight arrived. The line for security extended back into
the skybridge connecting the terminal to the parking garage. Terminal
food selections were mediocre although not too horribly overpriced by
airport standards. Passenger lounges mediocre. There is a train that
connects the airport to downtown, but its primary passengers appeared to
be airport employees. On my train to downtown, the air conditioning
unit was soaking the first three rows. The worst part about
Philadelphia is that, despite its status as a major low-fare hub and
international entry point, it only has two runways for commercial
service. If there is any kind of bad weather - as happened the morning
I flew home - the flight delays just compound. When I left for the
airport three hours before my scheduled departure, my flight was
supposed to leave 30 minutes late. When I got to the airport, the delay
had increased to 70 minutes. Once the delay got bumped to three hours -
- meaning that I would be stuck in Nashville overnight if I got out of
Philly - they re-routed me through Chicago. However, that meant
switching concourses - and having to go through another clogged TSA
checkpoint. I didn't even have time to re-tie my shoes before having to
run onto the jetbridge of my new flight. The next time I have to go to
Philadelphia on business, I'm flying to Baltimore and taking a train.
Philadelphia Airport review by David Thornton
29 March 2007 Customer Rating : n/a
Flew into PHL from MAN (US Airways) then connected to RSW. Have to
disagree with previous comments. One of the most efficient American
airports I have visited. Through immigration, baggage and customs in 15
minutes. Easy connection (on foot rather than train or bus) to Terminal
C. Return just as easy. Good food and shopping options. Significantly
better experience than ATL, LAX or JFK - would travel via PHL again.
Philadelphia Airport review by Bill Atkins
20 March 2007
A third world country could be proud of this airport. Every aspect is
wrong and reflects apalling managment. Arrived from overseas - only one
INS agent for all US citizens - at least this delay meant that we were
not waiting in the baggage hall as long - an hour in PHL is not unusual.
Toilets all disgusting. Employess surly and inactive - mostly standing
around in groups talking, which is presumable why the bags take so long
and the toilets are dirty - no-one seems in any way accountable for what
they are paid to do. The city of Philadelphia should be ashamed of this
place as the first aspect of their city many people see.
Philadelphia Airport review by Kuhan Kandiah
26 January 2007
Although there was a terrible delay on my flight out of this airport
while on transit, I managed to study a little of Terminal F and I think
it was a great terminal with several bookshops, cafes and toilets.
However, it lacked internet facilities such as an internet kiosk which
can be handy when on delay such as my flight.
Philadelphia Airport review by David Stein
18 July 2006
Having flown out of Philadelphia International Airport for many years to
both domestic and international destinations, I have noticed many
improvements. If you arrive up to2 hours early, check in is painless
and takes all of 10 minutes. I found security no more or less crowded
than in other airports. Access to the airport by train is a wonderful
convenience. There is room for improvement The baggage areas can use
substantial upgrading and sections of the airport seem like they are
under construction. PHL is not a beautiful ultra modern airport but is
very practical and user friendly.
Philadelphia Airport review by Mark Arnold
8 July 2006
I've used PHL several times now, on flights to and from MAN with US
Airways. I could not disagree more with the previous correspondents. The
route from the gate to the Homeland Security desks was very swift, as
they all are from A West. The Security was very swift; no stupid
questions or anything silly. On my return to MAN the folks at check in
were very polite and very, very quick. The TSA were, well, TSA, but they
could have been a lot worse (have you flown international into SEA or
DFW lately?) . The US Airways exec lounge was a cash bar though which
was a shock and a major downer.
Philadelphia Airport review by Dorothy Tonks
3 February 2006
Having been a resident of NJ for 30+ years and traveling all over the
country using both Newark Airport and Philadelphia airport, I always
wondered why everything was always so much more difficult dealing with
the employees at Philadelphia airport. Now having moved away but still
flying in to Philadelphia because of the convenience to where I am
going, I find everything remains the same. The nickname City of
Brotherly Love sure didn't come going and coming through the airport.
Security employees both inside and the police outside are horrible.
What's the saying about a give someone a little power and it goes to
their head? I now have the opportunity to travel quite a bit and there
is nothing that can compare with the utter disregard for decent
treatment of the people that use the airport in Philadelphia to the
many airport facilities within the US lumped all together.
I have no problem going through the security checks, taking off my
shoes, my coat and following the rules, but for someone to go through
that because some big strong man has a power complex or a bad day!
Whoever is responsible for these employees should be ashamed.
I know the public can be rude, but do employees have to take their
frustrations out on those who are not.
Philadelphia Airport review by Richard Walder
5 December 2005
I have to say, that using PHL for the first time, it was appallling.
We arrived on a US aIr flight from LGW and had a connecting US Air
flight to SFO later in the afternoon. Arrival after a 9+ flight was on
time, but chaos ensued from the moment we left the aircraft. Poor
signs, cramped walkways and little info. Immigration was, I must say
painless and efficiently handled by a friendly officer, and only a short
queue, but as to getting our luggage & the changeover to internal flight
was painful. After depositing our luggage, we then found we had to go
through another security check, why, we had already been through two
very good checks at LGW. The line was about half a mile long, moving
slowly and even the staff trying to administer this chaos admitted it
was ridiculous. We were lucky we had nearly three hours connection, but
other poor people stood no chance to get through this connection and
security. Why have only two or three machines working and being
ridiculous about shoes off, belts off and then a full slow personal body
search by a very unfriendly security guard, while all your property is
just left lying around unattended at the end of the conveyor belt.
This needs to be improved for international passengers who have already
been through proven efficient security checks in Europe. Getting
between terminals might be good if you want, or indeed need the shops,
but after a 9+ hours transatlantic flight a mile walk seems very hard
work. More moving walkways would help or a "buggy shuttle service".
Returning to LGW, from SFO via PHL was even more painful. The US AIr
flight landed on time, but was held for over 40 minutes on the taxiway,
due to terminal congestion and when we eventually got off the flight we
only had minutes to make the long, long trek to the international gate.
No help from US Air ground staff, not interested in advising the other
gate staff we were on our way, despite asking specifically. After
walking quickly about half way to our gate, I managed to stop an empty buggie and asked the friendly woman driver if there was a chance in
getting dropped at our gate as we were rushing to make the connection.
She willingly obliged and we made our connection, just, as last
passengers boarding. Our luggage did not make it, but followed us to
England 24 hours later. Having rushed to board, we then left the gate
on time, to sit in traffic on the taxiways and waste nearly an hour
before finally taking off. I would not make plans to use PHL again for
any trips to the USA where connections were concerned based on these two
experiences, preferring other hubs who seem from our experience to
handle transatlantic and domestic flights much more efficiently. Shame
as it looks a pleasant modern airport, what we did see of it.
Philadelphia Airport review by Doug Mitchell
29 October 2005
The previous comments deserve an "amen." Why can't this attitude be
changed? It's such a pervasive, enduring thread throughout 2 years of
passengers' commentaries. Specifically, we arrived from Paris via
USAirways about 5:00 PM Monday, Oct 24, along with many other flights -
hundreds of incoming passengers coming through customs. Beautiful
Terminal A had a large walkway toward all other terminals, but
inexplicably it was blocked off. NO signs, instructions or personnel to
direct anyone to any other terminal! The only available path was to 3
elevators which opened to the multi-level parking lot. We trekked about
3 blocks distance to the far end, to entry to TSA security, as if we had
come in from outside the airport. Once we recleared TSA (with attitudes
displayed just as described in other commentaries), we gained access to
Terminals B-F. If I had not previously visited this airport, especially
if a non-US person, I would have been completely disoriented, without a
clue. What is wrong with this the management of this place, that
permits the only pathway to other gates to be closed without an
identified alternative?!
Philadelphia Airport review by M Bolivar
24 October 2005
Really clean airport. Easy to move through the different terminals.
Horrible lines waiting for customs, specially when a few flights arrive
at the same time. I was not lucky at all with the officer, and despite
of being european and student, I had to wait in line for a long time,
and then go through a really unnecessary questionnaire with an
immigration officer in his office, specially taking into account that I
was in transit to Canada. Obsessive security, so much that they could
even open your luggage, and if you have christmas presents in it, you
will find them opened at home when you will arrive, without the
envelope, nice surprise, thanks to the National Security Agency.
Pretty fast baggage claim. Terminal A is really clear and full of
services, what it doesn't happen at all in Terminal F, used by US
Airways Shuttle. Small terminal, uncomfortable seats, dark and total
lack of anything interesting in it.
Philadelphia
Airport by P Walker
29
August 2005
The 100% no-smoking policy may sound like a great idea, but what it really gets you
is irritated passengers (especially if there's a long delay) and toilets that smell
like ashtrays. Where's the harm in ventilated smoke rooms? Every other airport I've
been to has them.
Philadelphia
Airport by Sue Mattingly
22
August 2005
I live near PHL and agree completely with everyone here who said that PHL employees
are the worst in the universe. I can deal with delayed flights and lost baggage
fairly well, but the rude staff just takes the cake. There is nobody around to help
if you have a problem - and if you fly out of or into philly, you'll have a problem.
The staff act like they're on some kind of a power trip, they purposely withhold
information; they are intentionally vague and they are consistently rude with
customers. This airport is always understaffed. It is as if they are scraping the
bottom of the barrel in order to get people to work there and the worse the employees
get, the worse the employees they attract. Employees driving those stupid carts
practically run people down and they act like people are stupid for not hearing their
dumb little cart bell in a crowded airport with people speaking over a loud speaker.
Employees at the "special services" ticket counter are more interested in gossip and
personal affairs than dealing with the customers who have had their flights
cancelled. You go to the counter and get ignored until the clerk is "good and ready"
to deal with you. And don't for a minute speak up and start asking a question before
you're addressed or you can count on a solid, "I'll get to you in a second" every
time along with futher lollygagging until they're good and ready to deal with you.
And they don't even deal with the problem correctly. They'll put you on a flight and
forget to put your luggage on the same flight. Or they'll say they put you on a
flight, only to find out that they have it overbooked or something. At this airport,
everybody from security to the parking attendants are rude - there's just no getting
around it. This airport really needs to clean up it's act with respect to the people
they hire and how they manage and train their employees. There is no excuse for
rudeness like that.
Philadelphia
Airport by Gareth Bronkhorst
8
August 2005
I have travelled through PHL about 4 times now, and to be honest, I have to admit
that is a very nice airport. Unfortunately the Immigration, Customs and Security officials are the
rudest human beings I have ever met in my entire life, but apart from that I really like airport.
It has a very good range of shops and a good food hall.
Philadelphia
Airport by Mike Rennie
5
July 2005
My first time ever in the US and first impressions left a very sour taste. First of
all we were referred to as aliens and directed to the red section then we were
confronted by this obnoxious clerk who obviously thought himself a superior being -
looked down his nose at us like we were scum of the earth. I honestly felt I'd done
something criminal at first - until I realised he was just an arrogant ******. I was
still afraid to say anything uncomplementary to him as he seemed the sort of chap who
would make life even harder for us "just because he could!" All in all a horrible
experience and will try to avoid the airport in future.
Philadelphia
Airport by Mark Foster
23
April 2005
As a regular user of PHL for long haul to LHR, I have to agree with some of the comments below.
Check-in for BA at PHL is normally pretty good, but the "fun" begins at the first TSA checkpoint.
Long lines are the norm here, but I actually enjoy the ability to walk from terminal to terminal
(not possible at LHR). The shops in terminal A are poor, so walking to the other terminals once
through security is worth the walk.
Coming into PHL is a pretty poor hello to the USA. BA are pretty much the only international carrier
on this particular arm of terminal A, and the homeland security officers are not always pleasant.
They often look straight through you, and barely look you in the eye when asking the normal
questions. Not a fantastic hello to Philadelphia. Then you'll have to wait an age for your package
to arrive.
Philadelphia
Airport by Julia Goricki
21
April 2005
My husband and I flew into Philadelphia Airport on April 6, 2005. Imagine my surprise to be greeted
into the country with the rudest security employees I have ever encountered. I felt
embarassed for
our country to be welcoming visitors to the USA in such a rude manner. The employees were shouting
at the guests to get in line, do not cross that line on the floor and on and on. Most of these
employees english was so bad, even I could hardly understand them, english guests were saying "what
did he/she say". Besides being rude the employees acted bored and had condescending looks on their
faces if the guests did not jump to their demands. My husband came back to the country sick and was
faced with not only rude employees but also a long walk to another terminal. We saw employees who
should have been offering customers rides sitting on the carts in groups having loud conversations
and ignoring the guests. We also saw ground personnel with pants hanging to the knees, knit caps
pulled down sauntering around with no urgency of any kind to do a job. Once at the next terminal we
had US Airways employees smacking loudly on gum, eating lunch in wheelchairs and having a great time
amusing each other and barely being civil to the paying customers. I say shame on this country for
not training the security personnel to be polite to new 'visitors, what a first impression to make
on our country's guests.
Philadelphia
Airport by Steve Kroll
6
April 2005
I won't fly into this airport for an international flight again. Although customs
handling was actually quite good and we were in and out in less than 30 minutes, catching our
connecting flight was a nightmare since we had to go from Terminal A to Terminal F. Each of the
gates at terminal F has seating for no more than a dozen people, so most everyone is either forced
to sit on the dirty floor or wrangle a table at the small cafeteria. One other comment is that this
terminal has some of the rudest employees. They were constantly screaming at the
arriving international passengers. I saw one large woman berate some poor foreigner for
ten minutes because he didn't understand the confusing signs (written only in English of course).
Welcome to America!
Philadelphia
Airport by Eric Belkoff
15
February 2005
PHL is a great airport overall. Concourse/Terminal A-Easts Baggage Carousels were really quick and
my baggage got there when we got there. It is kind of far to walk to baggage though. A-East has
great security checkpoints and very fast ticket counters. The B/C Mall is great ! Avoid the
Continental/America West Ticket Counters and Gates. The Departure/Arrivals screens for them are
always very snowy, the ticket counters are slow and understaffed, and the gates are dimly lit,
dirty, and understaffed.
Philadelphia
Airport by Christopher Sawyer
8
January 2005
This airport is hit and miss. If you're booking in or out, you want to show up or leave
this airport in the dead of night or very early in the morning to ensure a quick exit out of PHL.
During any normal day, the airport is at maximum capacity by 7:30 in the morning. There are oh so
frequent delays and not enough security screeners in Terminal A, so if you are on an international
flight or using American you are doomed (why is American even in this terminal?).
The recent fiasco with USAirways and the baggage handlers over the Christmas holidays illustrates
the problems with the lack of manpower at the airport. And it's not just the baggage screeners,
either. You'll find most of the ticket service desks undermanned, fewer porters than you would
expect at a major airport, and not enough security screening. I have been in waiting
lines so long at Terminal A that I literally started the line just a few feet away from the SEPTA
train. I was lucky to have an electronic boarding pass then or I would have
really had a bad day!
If you live in Philadelphia, your best bet is to use Southwest/Continental/Delta or United to get
quickly in and out of this airport for domestic flights. I still use American, but I leave PHL very
early in the morning or dead of night and when possible, Never check any bags if you can avoid it!
Philadelphia
Airport by Victor Carreno
23
November 2004
I don't know if the decision to force international passengers arriving at Philadelphia to go
through security again to make connection flights is a conscious and deliberate decision or just
poor planning. I arrived at PHL last night from Paris in hopes of making my connection to Virginia.
With two other flights arriving at the same time from Madrid and Germany, there were about 900
passengers trying to go through security at the same time. What madness! To top this, I did not get
a boarding pass for my connecting flight when I checked-in in Paris. So I could not go through
security because naturally they were asking for boarding passes and identification. Had to exit the
building through a service staircase, run to terminal B, get a boarding pass, run to terminal F, go
through security and made the flight with 9 minutes to spare. Not a memorable experience.
Philadelphia
Airport by Tamra Fine
4
October 2004
I will never again fly into Philadelphia airport from an international destination, with a
connection to elsewhere in the US. The baggage took forever to come, and then there was the long
queue to clear Customs with it, not enough Customs staff and no organization at all, just masses of
people all pushing to get through. Then the long walk with all my bags to the Transfer point (WHY
didn't they set this up just on the other side of Customs???), with two more bottlenecks along the
way. Another huge queue at the point where the bags were rechecked (by rude men screaming at the
exhausted and jet lagged passengers), and then the long walk to the connecting terminals, where yet
another bottleneck awaited me, because I had to go through Security again! WHY would they design
an arrivals & transfer center that required passengers who'd already been screened at their original
point of departure to undergo this again? From the time I disembarked from my plane until I cleared
Immigration, Customs, and Security and arrived at my connecting gate, it took nearly 90 minutes. 90
minutes of frustration following a long flight. Welcome to Philadelphia! My 3-hour connection
turned out to be a good thing, after all.
Philadelphia
Airport by Michael Hubbard
23
August 2004
I've flown out of PHL many times now and can honestly say it's not that
bad of an airport. The new international gate (Terminal A East) is
beautiful, however, shopping is not as plentiful as one would expect.
Security has been tough but I have never encountered overly rude agents.
A word of caution: The distance from Terminal A to Terminal F is long,
so allow plenty of time between plane changes if you need to go that
route. The shopping in Terminals B and C is good with a wide variety of
items and there are plenty of places to eat anywhere.
Philadelphia
Airport by Michael Hubbard
1
August 2004
This airport has the rudest airline staff, the least trained TSA staff and more than anything, the
worst management. The airport is overbooked, overworked, and operates at something over maximum
capacity every minute of every day. If something goes wrong, which inevitably will, this airport
can't recover. Late flights, long waits for a gate incoming, impossible scheduling in any kind of
inclement weather create logistical nightmares leaving travelers to enjoy the dingy hallways, dirty
carpeting and rude staff who in fact are the Philadelphia International Airport.
My advice, steer clear of this place unless you absolutely have no other choice. If you must
connect through Philly, don't count on it working.
Philadelphia
Airport by D Burke
18
June 2004
This is one of my favorite destinations. I only wish the Airport near me could be just as half as
good as PHL. These people have always been helpful and just down right nice. I have had curbside
handlers just come out to the car and check me in because it was cold out. I had arrived too early
for my flight back home and the gate person got me on the earlier flight. That was DELTA. I even
had a upgrade on the last flight out because there was room in first class. Again DELTA.
Philadelphia
Airport by Robert Moran
18
May 2004
I live in the Philly area and use PHL often for both domestic and international flights. Overall,
PHL is a very good airport. If you avoid the rush hours, it is easy to get in and out. Terminals B&C
served by US Airways have very good shops and restaurants. Terminal D has recently been expanded, so
is Terminal A (West) with a new international hall. Terminal A (East) is primarily served by
American, British, Lufthansa, and is under-equipped as far as facilities are concerned. There is a
direct rail service to center city Philadelphia. The baggage claim at Terminal A could benefit from
some upgrading. However, overall, the airport is improving.
Philadelphia
Airport by Steven Thorp
26
April 2004
PHL is a good airport. The baggage pickup is very fast and checkin is wonderful. There are many
places to eat and shop, even if its a little out of your way. But then, parking is almost always
crowded if not full. There is rail/bus service to in town Philly. It serves as the local airport for
most of Southeast PA, most of all of DE, and some of NJ. So it serves to cater a lot of people.
Philadelphia
Airport by Denise Cardarelli
4
April 2004
I am a frequent traveler in and out of PHL, and I've watched it change and improve over the years.
The new terminal A West for US Airways Int'l departures is brilliant. It is still under a year old,
and there are kinks still being worked out. I've encountered plenty of rude gate agents, however,
this is the case in so many other US airports. Recently in Augusta, GA, I witnessed an extremely
rude ticket agent rolling eyes and yelling at a passenger, and I thought I was suppose to be in the
friendly south! It's really a matter of timing on issues such as these. Peak hours are good to
avoid if possible in PHL: 0700-0930 and 1630-2000. FAA and NTSB control most of these scheduling
decisions, so no use bi***ing to your airline. The baggage system has it's highs and lows - mostly
due to the lack of TSA inspectors screening checked baggage. It's not uncommon to not get your bags
that you checked in at the counter 2 hours early with no connection. Darn government intervention.
Overall, I think we're going to see PHL flourish (I hope). Oh, and about the restaurants: gorgeous
sit-down places in A-West, salads and pizza in A-East, at least 2-3 each in B and C (not to mention
a convenient food court between the two), and another terrific sit-down at the D terminal check-
point. Good idea if you are departing out of D and a guest wants to see you off - you can hang out
together in the cafe without needing a boarding pass.
Philadelphia
Airport by Peter Overbagh
15
February 2004
I flew DCA-DUB via PHL last summer and everything in Philadelphia was awful.
The terminals are VERY crowded and the international terminal is so far away it's almost in
Deleware. On the way to Dublin, the gate agent repeatedly announced boarding to London Gatwick for
the Dublin flight, confusing everyone. The return trip was hellish. We landed in Philadelphia on
time only to sit at the gate for 45 minutes due to customs not letting us off the plane. Keep in
mind that we had ALREADY cleared US customs in Dublin. Once released from the plane, we were herded
into the international baggage claim to pick up our bags and transfer them to our connecting flight.
The personnel handling the transfer baggage were very rude and were throwing the bags onto a belt
without a care. We then had to trek all the way to the other terminals for our connecting flight
only to find that we had to go through security again. The TSA agents were the rudest and least
helpful I have ever seen. They were yelling and screaming at people who for the most part had just
gotten off of 7-10 hour flights. Past security, I sat down at a restaurant and even the staff there
was rude. As my plane took off, I thought it was all over, until i reached Washington and went to
pick up my luggage. The luggage handlers in Philadelphia failed to load ANY luggage on to the
plane. This left an entire plane-load of passengers crammed into the lost-luggage office trying to
make claims. The lost-luggage personnel told me that this same situation happens almost every day.
Philadelphia
Airport by Alan Chick
4
December 2003
It must be my lucky year for clearing US immigration, no queues at all and was through in 2 minutes.
The US Airways lounges are excellent.
A word of warning - changing from an international Terminal A arrival to a domestic departure in
Terminal F is a nightmare with huge amounts of walking and a coach service for part of the route.
Allow at least 30 minutes. Shopping is good but the airport is sprawling.
Avoid the security at Terminals B and C if possible.
Philadelphia
Airport by Jan Ket
27
October 2003
With the recent opening of the new Terminal A-West in PHL (International Arrivals in May 2003 and
International Departures in Sept. 2003) things have been improved considerably. No long lines at
Immigration anymore nor at Customs. Signposting is not always logical and consistent. Baggage claim
can be boring and requires some patience as the new conveying systems are sometimes prone for
failures.
For US standards the design of the new Int'l Bldg. extension is quite exceptional: in particular the
Oval shaped Int'l Arrivals Hall. The next challenge is the run-way constraints as there is hardly
any room left to expand or to reshuffle. As the overall quality of US airports remain to lag behind in comparison to principal Europe and
Asian counterparts (none of the USA airports would ever surpass AMS, HKG, SIN) it is a modest step
in the right direction. But the atmosphere and attitude of "red-tape" is still noticeable as the
Airport is owned by the City of Philadelphia. Another draw-back at PHL is the US Airways hegemony:
it is their main (Int'l) hub. But dealing with the "US-Airways" behemoth is a different story.
Philadelphia
Airport by M Woods
8
October 2003
I have used Philly quite a few times and it seems the much needed refurbishment is working out well,
however there is still a curious mix of the new and old.
In terms of efficiency I would take it over JFK any day - shopping leaves a bit to be desired
though the italian restaurant is good.
I would add that they should re-jig the LCD displays in the arrivals hall - they whizz by at great
speed - the effect of one is not so bad but the cumulative effects of 20 in a row give you motion
sickness.
Philadelphia
Airport by Joe Metheny
22
August 2003
I flew in on a flight from Holland in 2001 and 2002
and both experiences were terrible. In 2002 we got stuck in a customs line for 3 hours but without
an problem with customs only to stand in a ticket line for another 4 hours. The whole area was
corded off. You couldn't go to the restroom, you couldn't even get something to drink, and of course
you couldn't catch your flight (I have some nice photos). So then they set us up with a hotel that
their driver couldn't find. So we had to drive around Phili for another 3 hours. Then after a nice
rest at the Hotel the next morning we thought we would arrive early for our flight but of course
everyone else also needed to book in so not only was everyone else there from the night before but
also the normal passengers for that day. My parents live 6 hours from
Philadelphia so instead of
putting up with the Philadelphia nightmare we begged and got a rental car to drive home. I refuse to
fly into Philadelphia again. By the way Im Married and have a 2 year old son. So just imagine what
we had to go through.
Philadelphia
Airport by Karan Jain
6
August 2003
Though it is not terribly big by international standards, poor signage (especially to passenger
pick-up) can sometimes lead to confusion. I can personally attest for Mr. Norman's comments on
grumpy gate/check-in agents. And on numerous occasions I have seen confused passengers (myself
included) being yelled at by police officers posted in passenger pick-up areas. The airport
administration is trying to physically upgrade the airport, to make it appear more modern and
friendly. But in my opinion, rude personnel and artificially high ticket prices are not the best way
to win the hearts of travellers.
Philadelphia
Airport by Norman Clark
28
July 2003
Convenient location to the city. When it operates there is an express train to Center City. It
costs $5 and stops at each terminal. Recently, however, service has been shut down at night or on
weekends for track maintenance elsewhere in the SEPTA system. You then have to find the bus.
Interesting variety of shops at reasonable prices. Avoid the vendors' carts.
Good alternative point of departure/arrival for flights to/from UK and Europe.
Commuter terminal (F) is one of the nicest ones anywhere, but it's a hike from the rest of the
airport. An on-site airport hotel that is clean, well-maintained, and reasonably priced (if you reserve
in advance). PHL is a major hub for US Airways. Many of the bad experiences, such as horribly slow baggage
delivery and long lines, are due to US Airways management problems. You can avoid most, if not
all, of PHL's worst problems by avoiding US Airways.
Parking is always a big problem. The garage is usually full by 7:00 a.m. Long-term airport
parking is almost always available, but add at least 30 minutes to get there, find a space, wait for
the bus, and get to your terminal. Privately owned off-site parking can be even more remote and is
not significantly cheaper than parking at the airport garage.
PHL appears to have been continuously under construction since 1975. (I am not making this up.)
The current construction of the addition to Terminal A makes driving to/from the terminal a
different experience every time you attempt it. The temporary routes are not well marked. Don't
try to fake it by following everyone else. They are probably lost, too.
US Airways dominates the PHL market which means that fares on U.S. Airways are often
substantially higher than from Baltimore (BWI), which is about 2 hours south of PHL, and where U.S.
Airways is in a much more competitive market. BWI ihas none of the negative factors associated with
PHL. Even when factoring in the 2 hour drive, the overall time might be less if you use BWI. The
fare savings can be substantially different, even on US Airways.
PHL is controlled by New York ATC. It is not unusual to sit on the ground for an hour or more
before take off. Do not attempt a close connection from a flight from Philadelphia.
The terminal itself lacks a good restaurant - actually, any restaurant at all other than a
scaled down TGI Fridays with a limited menu. Fast food and bars are the norm. Food and drink are
overpriced and mediocre. If you are hungry and have time, walk over to the airport hotel (located
in the parking garage complex)and eat there. Even though the service is usually slow, the food is
more reasonably priced and the quality is much better. PHL is not a place for the early morning or late evening traveler. All those great shops open
late and close early. Although they are a distinct minority, PHL has some of the rudest, most unhelpful gate agents,
check-in clerks, skycaps, and police of any airport in the United States. One encounter with one of
these customer service Neanderthals can ruin the whole experience.
The decor (dirty concrete gray and muddy maroon) makes the narrow, crowded concourses seem even
worse. Once away from the shopping areas, the airport has all the charm of a bus station.
Philadelphia
Airport by Becky Warner
27
July 2003
PHL was nice. Although, I'd have liked a better variety of things in the gift shops. I was
disappointed that there were no mail drop boxes to be found ANYWHERE. The way the rental car set-up
is is different, but actually works for the location.
Philadelphia
Airport by Ken Johnson
2
June 2003
Very convenient in terms of physical location. The inside looks more like a
shopping mall and most goods aren't overpriced. Unfortunately, the police in the passenger pick-up
and drop-off are extremely rude, as are security personnel within the airport. Also, there need to
be more signs to direct passengers to pick-up locations (ones for Terminal E are
non-existent). With
the opening of the beautiful, new International Terminal, the airport has finally joined the big
leagues. Its layout does a superb job combining functionality and aesthetics.
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