Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

By far the worst airport security experience I've had with a 45+ minute wait time and the lineup snaking far out into the terminal. All because the TSA officers were checking re- checking re-re-checking (ad nauseum) people for the slightest infractions; for things like going through their machine with (gasp) a $5 bill in their pocket. No coins just a slip of paper. There was an elderly couple in front of me who got re-checked by the scanner three times because they had little bits of paper in various pockets. This was going on in every single lineup not just mine and it wasn't because something unusual had happened on the worldwide scene that day. Near as I could tell the TSA was just doing it for kicks. I rarely get angry at service personnel because most people are just doing their jobs as best they can but especially the way an elderly couple got treated really had me seething by the time I finally got through that agonizingly long lineup.

It's a small airport that is very efficient. The check-in was quick with hardly any line up's. I can say the same for the security check. Once you are in the secure area you have the choice of checking out a few gift shops or some bars and smaller restaurants. Personally I liked the large panorama window overlooking one of the runways with nice scenery in the background. As it is a small airport traffic delays aren't common.

PHX is my primary airport so here about 2-3 times a month. Easy to use good signage but distances can be long to get from one area to another. Shuttle to parking lots have gotten more crowded (less buses running?). They are adding a people mover system so construction is everywhere.

I travel through PHX about 25 times a year and perhaps familiarity breeds contempt but their slogan "the Friendliest Airport in America" is completely ridiculous given that I can usually get through the entire travel process there without so much as a kind word or a smile from anybody dealing with the public. It's become a personal challenge to see how friendly and polite I can be and still get a surly response! This last trip I flew on Delta through Terminal Three which is showing its age with filthy worn carpet broken seats at the gates and broken fixtures in the bathrooms. The ticket counter agents were surly the TSA personnel were yelling at passengers the bartender at the Taverna restaurant was carding everybody including a surprised white haired old man in his seventies who proceeded to drop all his stuff on the floor while trying to find his ID and all the time the bartender was loudly slagging her managers. Wendy's had a long line that didn't seem to be moving the Delta/Sky West gate agent was curt to the point of rudeness and the flight was almost an hour late with no announcements. I should mention that in both Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 most of the shops and eateries close very early sometimes as early as 4:30 PM well before the evening flights leave. I can't count the number of times I've been stuck behind security with literally more than a thousand passengers who have no place to eat or drink. Sorry while all of that may be typical of the pathetic state of air travel in the USA these days none of it says "friendly" to me. To top it off the drunken-sounding automated announcer mangles names to the point of unintelligibility. On the return it is common to wait forty-five minutes or more for a checked bag. On the good side the free Internet usually works the taxi stands are very convenient to the baggage claim and economy parking is cheap at $8 a day. Sky Harbor tip; park on the roof of the Terminal 2 parking garage. It's as cheap as the outlying economy lots but is directly adjacent to Terminal 2 and is just a short walk or bus ride from Terminal 3.

Efficient transportation. Check-in activities vary by airline and terminal but with the exception of the Spring Break week all of them move along quickly. The only hitch is the TSA bag checking procedures where after checking in passengers with checked luggage must submit them to the TSA for security checks and pilfering. All of the terminals have several options for dining and T4 has numerous very good opportunities to eat for an airport. The TSA Security Theater lines for passenger entry to the secure area move quickly and in T4 if you see that the TSA has decided to go crazy at one checkpoint you can just walk across or over to another line that is actually permitting travel to occur. Checked in luggage usually arrives in a reasonable amount of time. The restrooms are plentiful and clean. PHX employs sufficient numbers of airport employees and volunteers to give help and guidance to all the visitors. The rental car facility is off site but the rental car shuttle bus system works smoothly. The airport has a free wifi system in all terminals. The freeways and surface roads to the airport are all well marked and the PHX highway system is well-designed and flows smoothly.

Well run and busy. Phoenix surprised me on a few counts. It is pretty big very busy and handles volumes astonishingly well. It is not an international destination really so is mostly all about domestic and as no-one wants to drive to Phoenix it's domestic travel is large. Good airport pretty well figured out

PHX has undergone extensive improvements as of late. Curiously I noticed a rather dramatic increase in the cost of car rentals. When I arrived I was taken by shuttle to a brand new common rental car facility built atop the garage where the rentals are kept. Apparently the drastic increase in rental rates (before gas price increases) is due to an outrageous assessment levied against the rental companies those fees are then charged through to arriving passengers renting vehicles. Weather is seldom a problem in PHX and the signage and traffic patterns of the airport roads make navigating around fairly easy. The terminals are equipped with moving walkways making it easy to get from one part of the terminal to another if needed.

Terminal 4 at PHX is aesthetically pleasing once past the scrums at the check in counters (signage is poor but that may be the fault of a certain airline rather than the airport itself). It's a shame the aesthetics don't carry over into the airside areas as seating at the gates is crowded with uncomfortable chairs. Baggage delivery from plane to belt always very slow taking at least 15 minutes after arrival for the first bags to appear. Worryingly some over-attention to details: there was a fellow at the stop for buses to the hire car centre to remind pax of the 'rules for riding the buses' for a five minute journey. The man told me bags had to be placed on the buses in a certain way 'to comply with federal regulations' - a bit overly judicious in my view. Too many irritants and not enough pluses during the Sky Harbor experience to give PHX more than two and a half stars which I will grudgingly change to three.

Pretty decent airport overall. Check-in lines were practically nonexistent security took only a few minutes to get through and the ground staff from the airline agents to security to the baggage handlers were all remarkably friendly efficient and helpful. I also liked the "simulated desert" decorations while moving between the check-in/baggage claim area and the security area on the second level. Unlike ORD expected delays were well-publicized and the monitors were constantly kept up-to-date. The baggage claim area is a bit drab though at least this time my bags didn't take too long to come through.

PHX is an excellent airport on many fronts with just a few negative aspects. If you plan to transfer at PHX and want to switch airlines you will need to change terminals. This is not obvious but this is because very few people would want to do this since both Southwest and America West/USAirways have their hubs in T4. If you check luggage do not expect to find it waiting for you when you get down to baggage claim. Since PHX is a hub the volume of bags they process is enormous and the speed that passengers can make from the plane to the carousel will always result in a wait for bags. (Hint: Do not check bags!). T2 is very old and it is not attractive to look at. T2 is fast; from the car park to the airplane in fifteen minutes on some occasions including ticketing security and the walk. The T2 parking garage is right next to the terminal and the terminal is an older one full of airlines like TED so you can move right through it. And you will want to as there is no real reason to linger. T3 is fast; from the car park to the aircraft is again quick and easy. T3 is a vintage 1980's terminal but it has some very attractive artwork on the departures level and because of the hub in T4 for Southwest and America West/USAirways the remaining mainline airlines are usually on time and heading for their own hubs. T3 is also clean with plenty of seating although most of the airline clubs are now closed since 9/11. T4 is new clean and efficient. Lines in the ticketing level can be enormous but they move quickly. Security is usually pretty fast in T4 and the lines on the departures level move quickly there also exept on Spring Break. T4 has numerous dining options shoeshine and even art galleries. Passengers can walk from the Southwest side to the America West side without leaving the secure area. The travelators make a transit in T4 fairly painless. Sky Harbor has moved all the rental cars to an off-site condo facility to the southwest of the airport. The busses run very efficiently and they are not operated by the self-important Transit Police like at SJC but rather by helpful folks who want to transport you. The facility itself is huge but easy to navigate. Roads and Signage: The traffic flow around the three terminals is complex but the signs are very clear and accurate. Drivers new to Sky Harbor should be aware that the Rental Car facility is not AT the airport and that the traffic flow at T2 is different from T3 and T4 because it has a different orientation to the runways.