I only fly to PHX once or twice a year & I just return from a trip ( for hiking forays around Sedona/Flagstaff ). Sky Harbor strikes me as a pleasant but busy airport. It seems well maintained, though it does feel a little dark or tired inside in the check-in area which can feel very confusing as you step off of the shuttle bus into the terminal. Likewise baggage reclaim is usually timely ( 15 to 20 minutes ) though our belt was # 7 which turns out to be all the way at the end of the room and runs contrary to the order of the other 6 belts. It takes a few minutes to figure this out.

The counter folks are always helpful and friendly. Likewise security, which can back up at times, is efficiently managed and user friendly as these TSA things go ( though PBI TSA folks remain my favorite ). Coming from PHL, the gate areas here, while crowded are much more spacious than PHL, and the eating choices on the concourses seem more varied. The Club lounges are on the small side for an airport this size IMO.

The new change ( for me ) was the new rental car center. The system works very well as the rental car buses were numerous and frequent and the new rental center sleek and easy to navigate, especially if you're an express renter who goes straight to their car. The rental garage is itself spacious ( quite a contrast with the airport at AGP in which one requires a shoe horn to squeeze in and out and there's a 180 turn up an exit ramp to get out -- the scrapes on the wall attest to those renters who don't get off to a good start ).

My only problem at PHX was the confusing signage exiting the rental garage which put me in the wrong direction heading east on I-10 instead of towards Flagstaff and I-17. But being the wise old guy from the east who knew that the sun should not be shining straight in his eyes at 10:30 in the morning, I quickly correct that mistake and get turned around after only a few miles.

Bottom line is that aside from the confusing Interstate road array around the airport, Sky Harbor is a decent airport to fly from. Of course it helps that it's located in such a beautiful region.

Barry

Barry,
Don't feel bad. I've lived here 20 years and I still hate those confusing signs exiting the airport

They really need to fix the signage for carousel #7. It's almost impossible to find if you don't know where it is already.

I live in Phoenix and I have yet to figure out the ticket counter configuration in Terminal 4. I just walk around until I find the correct counter! I flew ATA to HNL last week and wondered around for about 10 minutes until I found their small counter.

As for the luggage claim area, it's not so bad except that I become directionally challenged when leaving the terminal. Inevitably, I turn toward the South when I need to go to the North Curb and vice versa.

It takes a while to get used to the configuration, however they just added a new luggage carousel. Unfortunately the new carousel 7 is next to 1 and on the oppposite end of the baggage claim area from #6.

They still have these huge signs for the other carousels and #7 has a small thing that looks like is a wet floor/piso mojado sign in a fomer life. :D

Its no wonder were people look around at first for what looks like a non existent carousel. :rolleyes:

So, is it safe to assume that the many kinks have been ironed out of the rental car shuttle situation from Terminal 4? I was in PHX several times last winter when the new facility just opened and it was chaotic trying to get a bus out there to the point that we just took cabs. It was a great facility - if you could get there.

I only fly to PHX once or twice a year & I just return from a trip ( for hiking forays around Sedona/Flagstaff ).

So the important question is, where did you hike in Sedona/Flagstaff?

For what it's worth, the road signage in PHX wa actually improved a while back after a big deal was made about how confusing it is a few years ago. It's still very hard to follow. I'm in and out of the airport often and still have to closely study the signs everytime I go!

jim

I do like the PHX airport, clubs are ok since they give out decent snack options like cheeses and pepridge farm crackers though I like the spicy crunchy crap as a DL pax once called the stuff in some CLT club. But the club sizes are tiny. The A21 club is a joke with just 3 sofa's and a tiny bar area. Then again, like someone else stated HP is not used to dealing w/ Elites and Club members since they had so little of them.

I guess I'm bucking the tide here as PHX is on my list of most hated airports not named PHL. :)

The walk if you have to move to an RJ gate is quite lenghty and the connection times often short. I have had few positive experiences over the years. HP forever changes gates and still does, proving to me that they are operationally unsound.

. . . So, is it safe to assume that the many kinks have been ironed out of the rental car shuttle situation from Terminal 4?. . .

Yes they seem to have worked out the kinks with the new car rental system. As soon as I got curbside, I find pods of shuttle busses running one after the other to take you to the rental center. Same thing coming back as there are folks grabbing your bags & loading them onto waiting busses. The entire process was smooth and without hitches. I have to admit that I really like this setup.

. . . For what it's worth, the road signage in PHX was actually improved a while back after a big deal was made about how confusing it is a few years ago. It's still very hard to follow. . . .

I'm just glad that I come back on a Sunday morning without the rush hour traffic -- I can only imagine how that feels. Everything was fine coming down I-17 to exit 200A onto I-10 east. But the rental exit ( clearly sign posted as rental exit ) is at exit 148 which is to the far right as you pop out from beneath the overpass for exit 147 which has merging traffic coming at you. I almost fail to get over to the ramp and miss the turn.

Barry

. . . So the important question is, where did you hike in Sedona/Flagstaff? . . .

Oh yes, the good part! :) Thanks for asking Jim.

I stay up in Flaggstaff ( at the Marriott Residence Inn -- a good place BTW ). This trip, I drive down to Sedona each day and do a different trail. Being an amateur photographer and one who loves the solitude of nature, I have a good old time as the weather was perfect save for Saturday which is a little windy and cloudy when a low pressure system pushes through.

I arrived Tuesday morning in PHX and drive up to Sedona. It's a fantastic drive up I-17 as the saguaro cacti dot the landscape and disappear as you gain altitude. It was such a brilliant afternoon that I head straight to the Sedona airport and latch onto a biplane ride over the red rocks where I caputure some great photos. A spectacular late afternoon flight with an open cockpit, and the pilot does some close fly-bys of the rocks -- doesn't compare to US Air at all ;) .

There's still fall foilage down Sedona way, though it seems that rain a couple of weeks before takes down some of the leaves compared to the year before. I do the West Fork Trail, Secret Canyon Trail, Fay Canyon Trail, and the Bear Mountain Trail. That Bear Mtn. Trail kicks my butt as I'm not altitude adjusted, but I make it to the top. View on the way up is breathtaking. The key is the solitude on the way down watching the sun fall to the horizon.

I can't say enough about how wonderful northern Arizona is. It gave me good karma that should last a few weeks no matter how bad things get at work ( or in some of these forums ).

Barry

PHX is not one of my favorite airports. When I went through security the lines were long and the TSA agents nasty. Also don't think the food selections are very good.

. . . So the important question is, where did you hike in Sedona/Flagstaff? . . .

That Bear Mtn. Trail kicks my butt as I'm not altitude adjusted, but I make it to the top. View on the way up is breathtaking.
Barry

We went on vacation to SanFran last month. Did a 1000 ft elevation gain hike at Muir woods and hiked like rock stars! It's pretty cool when you're used to living at 7000 feet. We still get winded hiking up here though - Sedona is a bit easier since it's lower.

Sometimes it's pretty cheap to fly into Flag as well. You'll have to ride on a Dash-8, but the airport here is a dream - no lines, bags in 5 minutes, etc...

. . . Sometimes it's pretty cheap to fly into Flag as well. You'll have to ride on a Dash-8, but the airport here is a dream - no lines, bags in 5 minutes, etc...

You know, I never think of that option, but given the beautiful landscape, I should consider it -- certainly cheaper than the 30 minute biplane ride I do. Most important would be the low altitude flight over some stunning landscape.

Being an ecclectic sort of guy, I've studied a little geology among other things, and I always love gazing out of the window on trips across the southwest and pondering the processes shaping the land below . On this most recent trip we come in north of Gallup/ I-40 and turn near Petrified Forest/Holbrook on the way to PHX. Some fantastic sights even from altitude.

Thanks for the suggestion. I might try that on a future trip.

Barry