PHOENIX – America’s Friendliest Airport® just became friendlier and more efficient.  On December 5, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and members of the Phoenix City Council rolled back temporary construction walls to officially open the first phase of the newly modernized Terminal 3.

The updated terminal offers spectacular views, an abundance of natural lighting and a more efficient travel experience for visitors to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with the addition of a larger, consolidated security checkpoint and new ticket counters.

“This enhanced terminal will help travelers find their way more intuitively while showcasing spectacular views of Camelback Mountain and the Phoenix skyline,” said Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton. “As the largest economic engine in Arizona, these improvements to Sky Harbor will benefit not only travelers but the entire region.”

Over the past year, Terminal 3 has undergone a dramatic transformation.  Originally opened in 1979, the terminal has been updated to reflect Arizona’s hospitality feel with modern finishes, lots of light, and an overall more inviting travel experience with impressive views of the Phoenix landscape and downtown city skyline.  For example, one new feature is a West Plaza which provides an outdoor area with native Arizona plants and an animal relief area.

“Phoenix Sky Harbor’s goal is to provide world-class customer service to each customer every day,” said Vice Mayor Kate Gallego. “We want to provide passengers with a superior travel experience in our state-of-the-art facility. Travelers will find not only the services they need, but extras they desire such as access to power at nearly every seat.”

Improvements as part of the first phase include 31 new common use ticket counters to allow for flexibility among the airlines.  Terminal 3 currently serves Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian and JetBlue airlines.  The new, larger, consolidated security checkpoint will get travelers to their gates faster, and travelers will find the pre-composure and re-composure areas before and after the security checkpoints to have ample space.  Additionally, a new Museum Gallery will be located past security so that travelers can enjoy Arizona’s cultural and artistic heritage while waiting for their flights.

The $590 million project (in 2014 dollar figures) is financed through airport revenues such as parking, concessions and tenant fees, with no local tax dollars used.  The project, which is being completed in phases to minimize impacts to customers, has two additional phases which include replacing the south concourse and adding new food and retail concessions as well as upgrading the north concourse with improved customer amenities.  The entire project is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

For more information, please visit skyharbor.com/terminalmodernization

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, America’s Friendliest Airport®, has an annual economic impact of nearly $29 billion. Every day approximately 1,200 aircraft and more than 120,000 passengers arrive and depart at Sky Harbor.  PHX Sky Harbor is funded with Airport revenue. No tax dollars are used to support the Airport.