Oct 10, 2013, 9:54 am
Last edit by: Prospero
Please edit or add information to this wiki as necessary.
AA in PHL
Link to downloadable PDF PHL airport map
Philadelphia International Airport
This is a snapshot of post 1 of this thread, and has been revised over time. Feel free to add/modify what is here as needed. This thread originated in the legacy US Airways Dividend Miles forum. Link to older archived posts.
General Information
The airport is located at:
8000 Essington Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19153
Note: The baggage claim for terminal F has relocated to its own building on the arrivals roadway.
Passenger Information Guide: https://www.phl.org/Documents/Passen.../InfoGuide.pdf
Main airport website: http://www.phl.org
Link to contact phone numbers and email addresses for paging, parking, airport police, etc.
Check-In Times
Last confirmed 26 June 2017 (Click for link to source)
The following are recommended by AA:
Terminals
At PHL, AA operates from five terminals:
Ticket Counter Locations, Hours, and Kiosks
Last confirmed 15 January 2018 (Click for link to source)
Ticket Counters are staffed daily:
Note: It is possible to use any AA ticket counter to check in and drop baggage, regardless of your flight's departure terminal.
Security at PHL
Last confirmed 7 October 2017 (Click for link to source)
TSA staffs checkpoints at all PHL terminals. All gates are connected airside, so it may be faster to use a checkpoint that is not associated with your gates.
PreCheck is only available at Terminal A-East, C, and D/E checkpoints.
In the evening and overnight (observed after 11 PM), not all exits may be available. Looks for the visual paging displays (located by most Flight Info Displays and throughout the terminals) for exit closing announcements! Exit B is always open.
How to Change Terminals
Shuttle: AA offers the following shuttle routes:
Walking
ATMs
Bank of America provides 17 ATMs at the airport. A current list may be found here.
Prepaid SIM cards
You can buy prepaid SIM cards in the Airport Wireless stores. Those are airside. Not sure what is available landside as the only "retail" store is a newsstand in the International Arrivals hall.
Parking at PHL
On-site parking is managed by the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA).
Link to current rates.
Estimated parking availability in the garages is available from the Airport's homepage, www.phl.org.
NEW in June 2017: AAdvantage Aviator Cardholders (Barclay's) now have access to reserved parking. See this link for more info.
For off-airport parking lot information,
see this thread...
Where to eat and drink in the airport
There are all manner of restaurants in PHL, from wine bar to bistro to Asian to fast food. In addition to the establishments in each terminal, there is a food court between terminals B and C.
Food options vary throughout the airport, but there is a wide selection. Many open as early as 5:00 am, most are closed by 11:00pm. Due to renovations, there is no longer a 24/7 restaurant behind security. Philadelphia's beverage tax must be collected in city limits, which comprises of everything except Terminal A-West. Pepsi appears to be the preferred soda vendor throughout most of the airport, including Chick-Fil-A and Smashburger in the B/C food court. Coke products are still sold in some parts of the airport, but it may take some searching.
See this link for the current directory.
Terminal B was renovated in 2017-2018 to add iPads to most seats in the gate areas to allow ordering at the gate. A similar arrangement is used in some portions of Terminal F. (link to FT thread)
Admirals Clubs and Other Lounges
Last confirmed 15 January 2018 (Click for link to source)
Admirals Club: Terminal A-East, Lower Level, between gates A4 and A6A.
Open Daily 6:30 am - 10:30 pm
Admirals Club: Terminal A-West, Mezzanine Level, between gates A15 and A16.
Currently closed for renovation. Expected to be rebranded as a Flagship Lounge
Admirals Club: Terminals B and C, Third Floor over Food Court
Open Daily 4:30 am - 10:30 pm
Admirals Club: Terminal F, Upper Level Food Court in the Central Hub
Open Daily 6:30 am - 8:30 pm
British Airways Galleries Club Lounge / First Lounge:Terminal A-West, Gate Level by A14.
Open Daily 3:15 pm to 8:20 pm
Also serves Qatar Airways customers daily from 6:30 am to 10:30 am.
Note: This lounge has been known to disallow non BA passengers, regardless of OW entry rules.
American Express Centurion Lounge: Terminal A-West, Second Level by A14 (Over the BA Club).
Open daily 5:00 am to 9:00 pm.
This is currently the only premium lounge at PHL with a shower facility. Shower is back in operation as of 25 May 2018.
The USO lounge is now (late April 2018) located in Terminal E. Showers are said to be available in this lounge as well.
Minute Suites is available airside in the A-East/B connector, and is a Priority Pass lounge. There are no showers.
First 30 minutes free for use by nursing mothers.
Open daily 24 hours.
Wireless in PHL
Airport Wifi was recently upgraded and is free for all passengers.
Where can I smoke at the airport?
Only in designated smoking areas on the pick up roadways outside baggage claim. There is no smoking airside at the airport.
Do I have time to go into Philadelphia?
If your layover is more than three hours (and I’m sure this is debatable), you may have time for a quick trip into the city.
Ground Transportation and How to Visit Philadelphia
The zones mentioned below refer to areas on either side of the baggage claims for each terminal. If you have hired a private car, or meeting with group transportation, it is common they will be waiting at the bottom of the escalators from your terminal. Zones 1-4 are typically on the Arrivals Roadway, Zones 5 through 8 are on the Commercial Roadway, adjacent to the railroad tracks.
It is against airport rules for any driver to solicit you from inside the terminal, but this is difficult to enforce.
AA in PHL
Link to downloadable PDF PHL airport map
Philadelphia International Airport
This is a snapshot of post 1 of this thread, and has been revised over time. Feel free to add/modify what is here as needed. This thread originated in the legacy US Airways Dividend Miles forum. Link to older archived posts.
General Information
The airport is located at:
8000 Essington Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19153
Note: The baggage claim for terminal F has relocated to its own building on the arrivals roadway.
Passenger Information Guide: https://www.phl.org/Documents/Passen.../InfoGuide.pdf
Main airport website: http://www.phl.org
Link to contact phone numbers and email addresses for paging, parking, airport police, etc.
Check-In Times
Last confirmed 26 June 2017 (Click for link to source)
The following are recommended by AA:
- For flights within the United States: 45 minutes before scheduled departure
- For all other flights: At least 60 minutes before scheduled departure
Terminals
At PHL, AA operates from five terminals:
- A-West for Gates A14 to A26
- A-East for Gates A2 to A13
- B for Gates B1 to B16
- C for Gates C16 to C30
- F for Gates F1 to F39
- Most flights in A-West and A-East are transatlantic (TATL) but there will be mainline domestic arrivals/departures and Republic regional flights, especially throughout the morning and early afternoon. If your flight is on an A330 or B767, it will almost certainly be at these gates.
- B and C are mainline domestic, Caribbean, and Canadian flights and also include E-170/E175 and E190 flights. Before the merger, international flights served by B757s would depart from either concourse.
- F is for regional flights (RJs with 50 seats or fewer as well as CRJ-700 and -900s and turboprops operate out of F) both domestic and Canadian.
- oneworld partners (British Airways and Qatar) check-in and gates are in A-West.
- AerLingus check-in and gate is in A-East.
- Alaska Airlines (and Virgin America) use terminal D.
Ticket Counter Locations, Hours, and Kiosks
Last confirmed 15 January 2018 (Click for link to source)
Ticket Counters are staffed daily:
- Terminal A-West: 4:30 AM - 9:00 PM
- Terminal A-East: 3:30 AM - 8:30 PM
- Terminals B and C: 3:30 AM - 9:00 PM
- Terminal F: 4:00 AM - 10:30 PM
Note: It is possible to use any AA ticket counter to check in and drop baggage, regardless of your flight's departure terminal.
Security at PHL
Last confirmed 7 October 2017 (Click for link to source)
TSA staffs checkpoints at all PHL terminals. All gates are connected airside, so it may be faster to use a checkpoint that is not associated with your gates.
PreCheck is only available at Terminal A-East, C, and D/E checkpoints.
- Terminal A West: 5:15 am - 9:25 pm
- Terminal A East: 3:30 am - 8:25 pm (PreCheck 3:30 am - 8:00 pm)
- Terminal B: Open 24 hours
- Terminal C: 4:15 am - 8:15 pm PreCheck ONLY
- Terminal D/E: 3:45 am - 9:25 pm (PreCheck 3:45 am - 8:00 pm)
- Terminal F: 4:15 am - 8:55 pm
In the evening and overnight (observed after 11 PM), not all exits may be available. Looks for the visual paging displays (located by most Flight Info Displays and throughout the terminals) for exit closing announcements! Exit B is always open.
How to Change Terminals
Shuttle: AA offers the following shuttle routes:
- Gate A1 (located between Terminal A-East and Terminal B) to Gate F10
- Gate C16 (located between Terminal C and Terminal D) to Gate F10
- Gate F10 (located in the Terminal F Food Hub) to Gate A1
- Gate F10 (located in the Terminal F Food Hub) to Gate C16
Walking
- Airside: It is possible to walk between all gates in all terminals. There are some moving walkways. "Normal" able-bodied adults can walk between almost any two gates in A, B, or C in about 15 minutes or less and between any two gates in F in about 5 minutes. Walking from F to A/B/C is longer; the distance from the furthest reaches of A-West to F is more than a mile.
- Landside: You must leave the parking garages/ticketing halls to move between terminals before security. An option is to use the SEPTA rail platforms to move between terminals, which are accessible on the walkways to each terminal from the garages, about half-way between TSA and baggage claim.
- Landside: It is also possible to use the Economy Parking Shuttle between terminals
ATMs
Bank of America provides 17 ATMs at the airport. A current list may be found here.
Prepaid SIM cards
You can buy prepaid SIM cards in the Airport Wireless stores. Those are airside. Not sure what is available landside as the only "retail" store is a newsstand in the International Arrivals hall.
Parking at PHL
On-site parking is managed by the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA).
Link to current rates.
Estimated parking availability in the garages is available from the Airport's homepage, www.phl.org.
NEW in June 2017: AAdvantage Aviator Cardholders (Barclay's) now have access to reserved parking. See this link for more info.
For off-airport parking lot information,
see this thread...
Where to eat and drink in the airport
There are all manner of restaurants in PHL, from wine bar to bistro to Asian to fast food. In addition to the establishments in each terminal, there is a food court between terminals B and C.
Food options vary throughout the airport, but there is a wide selection. Many open as early as 5:00 am, most are closed by 11:00pm. Due to renovations, there is no longer a 24/7 restaurant behind security. Philadelphia's beverage tax must be collected in city limits, which comprises of everything except Terminal A-West. Pepsi appears to be the preferred soda vendor throughout most of the airport, including Chick-Fil-A and Smashburger in the B/C food court. Coke products are still sold in some parts of the airport, but it may take some searching.
See this link for the current directory.
Terminal B was renovated in 2017-2018 to add iPads to most seats in the gate areas to allow ordering at the gate. A similar arrangement is used in some portions of Terminal F. (link to FT thread)
Admirals Clubs and Other Lounges
Last confirmed 15 January 2018 (Click for link to source)
Admirals Club: Terminal A-East, Lower Level, between gates A4 and A6A.
Open Daily 6:30 am - 10:30 pm
Admirals Club: Terminal A-West, Mezzanine Level, between gates A15 and A16.
Currently closed for renovation. Expected to be rebranded as a Flagship Lounge
Admirals Club: Terminals B and C, Third Floor over Food Court
Open Daily 4:30 am - 10:30 pm
Admirals Club: Terminal F, Upper Level Food Court in the Central Hub
Open Daily 6:30 am - 8:30 pm
British Airways Galleries Club Lounge / First Lounge:Terminal A-West, Gate Level by A14.
Open Daily 3:15 pm to 8:20 pm
Also serves Qatar Airways customers daily from 6:30 am to 10:30 am.
Note: This lounge has been known to disallow non BA passengers, regardless of OW entry rules.
American Express Centurion Lounge: Terminal A-West, Second Level by A14 (Over the BA Club).
Open daily 5:00 am to 9:00 pm.
This is currently the only premium lounge at PHL with a shower facility. Shower is back in operation as of 25 May 2018.
The USO lounge is now (late April 2018) located in Terminal E. Showers are said to be available in this lounge as well.
Minute Suites is available airside in the A-East/B connector, and is a Priority Pass lounge. There are no showers.
First 30 minutes free for use by nursing mothers.
Open daily 24 hours.
Wireless in PHL
Airport Wifi was recently upgraded and is free for all passengers.
Where can I smoke at the airport?
Only in designated smoking areas on the pick up roadways outside baggage claim. There is no smoking airside at the airport.
Do I have time to go into Philadelphia?
If your layover is more than three hours (and I’m sure this is debatable), you may have time for a quick trip into the city.
Ground Transportation and How to Visit Philadelphia
The zones mentioned below refer to areas on either side of the baggage claims for each terminal. If you have hired a private car, or meeting with group transportation, it is common they will be waiting at the bottom of the escalators from your terminal. Zones 1-4 are typically on the Arrivals Roadway, Zones 5 through 8 are on the Commercial Roadway, adjacent to the railroad tracks.
It is against airport rules for any driver to solicit you from inside the terminal, but this is difficult to enforce.
- Rental Cars: Both On- and Off-Airport agencies use company shuttle busses to their respective lots. Pickup is outside baggage claim, Zone 2.
- SEPTA Regional Rail's Airport Line travels between each of the PHL terminals, Penn Medicine (formerly University City) and three Center City stops. This train runs every half-hour (currently every hour on weekends due to pandemic related service reductions) and takes about 20 minutes to get to 30th Street Station. Train fare is $6.50 from Quick Trip machines at the airport stations or Ticket offices at Center City stations (cash or credit/debit card) or $8 cash only (change is available) on board to Center City. Fare is $8.50 from machines or ticket offices or $9 cash on board to all other Regional Rail stations. If you are traveling to one of the three Center City stops, be sure to hold on to your ticket as you now need it to exit through the kiosks at those stations.
- SEPTA Bus: Two city buses also serve the airport ($2.25 cash fare; exact change only). Bus berths are at Zone 1.
- Center City Taxi: Accessed at Zone 5. A base flat-rate $28.50 + up to $3 in passenger charges (based on number of passengers 12+) is in effect for all fares to and from the airport and the Center City area. This area encompasses: Fairmount Ave (North), South Street (South) Delaware River (East) and University City/ 38th Street (West).All cabs are supposed to accept Credit Cards, verify with your driver at the start of the trip.
- Metered Taxi: Metered rates are in effect for all destinations not in the Center City zone. Tolls and other surcharges may apply. All cabs are supposed to accept Credit Cards, verify with your driver at the start of the trip.
- Uber and Lyft both operate at the airport, follow their directions provided to request a ride.
AA Guide: PHL / Philadelphia International Airport - MCT, Connection, MCT, etc.
Nov 5, 2021, 3:19 am
#1696
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP MM, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Ti, UA Silver
Posts: 5,037
For those waiting for the reopening date for the economy parking lot at PHL - the surface lot has been closed since March 2020 - here's the news. It is closed permanently. Those 7000 parking spaces are history. The property will be repurposed for cargo operations. The message to PHL origination passengers used to parking at the airport: arrive very early and hope for the best.
PHL is not reopening the economy parking lot costing travelers thousands of spots (inquirer.com)
PHL is not reopening the economy parking lot costing travelers thousands of spots (inquirer.com)
.
Nov 5, 2021, 4:48 am
#1697
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: PHL
Programs: AA ExP, Marriott Amb, National EAE, Hilton Diamond, SPG Plat (RIP), US CP (RIP)
Posts: 2,379
Love their recommendation to use SEPTA, Uber or Lyft or for those “insisting “ on driving….
Does the airport leadership not recognize their customer base is geographically larger than Philadelphia city limits? Many of us live outside of SEPTA service area and find it near impossible to take Uber/Lyft from outer suburbs. And more expensive if you can’t use ride share and instead use an airport limo service since Uber/Lyft won’t confirm/guarantee a driver.
Does the airport leadership not recognize their customer base is geographically larger than Philadelphia city limits? Many of us live outside of SEPTA service area and find it near impossible to take Uber/Lyft from outer suburbs. And more expensive if you can’t use ride share and instead use an airport limo service since Uber/Lyft won’t confirm/guarantee a driver.
Nov 5, 2021, 5:37 am
#1698
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: PHL
Programs: AA ExP, Marriott Amb, National EAE, Hilton Diamond, SPG Plat (RIP), US CP (RIP)
Posts: 2,379
Next they’ll be complaining about increased traffic in front of the terminals because those previously dropped off by an economy lot shuttle are now being dropped off by ride share drivers.
Nov 5, 2021, 6:17 am
#1699
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Hilton HHonors Diamond
Posts: 1,204
The last trip or two we’ve struggled to find parking in the garages so this is going to continue to get worse.
I’ve enjoyed using the garages more but honestly the “new” setup in economy was pretty nice the last few years (when they switched to the small frequent busses).
Nov 5, 2021, 9:27 am
#1700
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Wherever the lounge is
Posts: 145
It already has—parking spot wanted $175 for a 4 night trip over thanksgiving. We’ve been happy with winner in the past but they’re still closed.
The last trip or two we’ve struggled to find parking in the garages so this is going to continue to get worse.
I’ve enjoyed using the garages more but honestly the “new” setup in economy was pretty nice the last few years (when they switched to the small frequent busses).
The last trip or two we’ve struggled to find parking in the garages so this is going to continue to get worse.
I’ve enjoyed using the garages more but honestly the “new” setup in economy was pretty nice the last few years (when they switched to the small frequent busses).
Nov 5, 2021, 10:12 am
#1701
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Hilton HHonors Diamond
Posts: 1,204
Parking Spot pricing is out of control and really went crazy once PreFlight closed. To be honest, at the prices they are charging it is the same or cheaper to get a limo service from the suburbs for drop off and pick up for more than a few days. If you are away for a week the car service will pay for itself. The same if you live in the city and are traveling with a lot of luggage or with family in tow.
Nov 5, 2021, 11:13 am
#1702
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,138
SEPTA isn't the greatest option when you have a lot of luggage because of the steps on the trains. You also only have hourly service from Center City once you transfer from the Airport Line on Sundays.
Nov 5, 2021, 1:24 pm
#1704
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 19
I mainly lurk around here, but this topic literally hits close to home. If air travel approaches normal next summer, finding parking near PHL is going to be insane. I can only hope that they convert the top levels of the A-F garages to "economy" and then get rid of short-term parking and convert that to a reservation-style long-term parking.
Pre-Flight was my go to for the last 10 years or so...sad to see it go this year. For now I will use the Parking Spot, but if their prices go any higher, I will certainly shop around.
Pre-Flight was my go to for the last 10 years or so...sad to see it go this year. For now I will use the Parking Spot, but if their prices go any higher, I will certainly shop around.
Nov 6, 2021, 7:17 am
#1706
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP MM, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Ti, UA Silver
Posts: 5,037
The one bright spot is that the Spot Club program is reasonably lucrative in terms of return on spend at Parking Spot.
Nov 6, 2021, 9:29 am
#1708
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP MM, HHonors Lifetime Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Ti, UA Silver
Posts: 5,037
Smart Park is typically $13.95 plus taxes and fees, so that same stay costs $144.01 all in ($111.60 base rate, $3.30 flat fee, $29.11 extortionate tax)
The difference for me is Spot Club points earnings. You earn points per base rate dollar spent depending on Spot Club status (4 points per dollar for general member, 5 for Gold, 6 for Plat). Smart Park doesn’t appear to have a frequent parking program.
I’m Gold (will reach plat in 2 weeks), so that $144 base rate stay earns me 720 club points. A free day of parking at the PHL ParkingSpot costs 320 points, so that 8 day stay earns me 2.25 free days of parking. Those 2.25 free days are equivalent to about $50 of all-in future parking cost (this varies slightly depending on the length of stay due to the flat fee), so the net cost to me of that 8 day stay is actually about $130. Once I reach Plat the earned points value will increase to about $60. On top of that, ParkingSpot just ran a two month long double points promo, so my most recent 8 day stay netted me about $100 worth of points.
A few other things I like:
-The availability of covered parking (for winter).
-The app, which is well designed, makes it easy to enter and exit their lot, and tells their shuttle driver where I am when I’m ready to be picked up at the airport.
-The large number of shuttles they have which makes wait times short.
-The ability to use and earn points at other ParkingSpot locations (I fly out of EWR occasionally).
-All of my stays are reserved in advance which means I know I'll have a spot, even during peak demand times.
ParkingSpot is more expensive than PreFlight was (after factoring points earnings for both), however, I find the overall service to be a definite step up.
Nov 6, 2021, 9:37 am
#1709
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: W29
Programs: It's Complicated...
Posts: 6,824
Why not park at the PHL garage? Isn't about $16/day if parking more than a few days? Not being critical, just wondering. I can travel out of PHL, BWI or DCA about as easy. My few trips out of PHL last year was surprisingly pleasant parking wise, used the garage parking.
Nov 6, 2021, 2:54 pm
#1710
Join Date: May 2002
Programs: WN F9 HA UA AA IHG HH MR
Posts: 3,305