Birdwatcher’s Report
The Goldwater Air National Guard Base named the "Copperheads" seems only fitting to be forefront of this beautiful Arizona sunset.
Photo courtesy Mike O’Shaughnessy.
December 2022
Upcoming Job Fair Jan. 10
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will start the new year with more one-stop opportunities for job seekers. Sky Harbor’s job fairs offer government positions with the City of Phoenix Aviation Department and the TSA, in addition to jobs with vendors that run the dining and shopping inside the airport. People also looking for opportunities with the airlines will find open positions at the upcoming job fairs.
The next PHX Job Fair will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 10. 2023. The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the 44th Street PHX Sky Train® Station located at 44th and Washington streets.
The station is easily accessible by bus and Valley Metro Rail and transit passes will be offered to attendees. Parking is also available.
No preregistration is required to attend the event. Hundreds of available positions are looking to be filled including customer service agents, drivers, sales associates, and security.
To learn more and to see positions being recruited by the airport and its partners, visit skyharbor.com/jobs.
PHX Navigators Celebrate 22nd Anniversary
Last month, we shared that the beloved Navigators program celebrated their 22nd Anniversary. The program debuted in 2000 after studying customer service initiatives at other airports.
Volunteers show up for duty day and night, every day of the week and are briefed on any changes around the airport and assigned a station to provide travelers with advice, support and directions. Volunteers supplement airport ambassadors, who are paid workers stationed at information desks. Some Navigators have volunteered more than 10,000 hours.
To celebrate the dedication of volunteerism and all the inspiring work this great group brings, airport staff corralled together a Southwestern celebration to thank our Navigators.
Not many airport programs have the privilege of knowing so many incredible volunteers. Whether it was helping someone find a gate, find a lost loved one, find a place to eat, or anything in between, Navigators have made a difference to countless customers over the years, and we needed to celebrate. From down-home barbeque to a chance to toss the beanbag for prizes, Navigators were treated to an Arizona thank you.
Thank you, Navigators, for all you do!
Employees Receive Prestigious Awards
In November, Paradies Lagardère held its Annual Management Seminar in Atlanta. During their awards program, they recognized star performers within the company. And, two of the exceptional employees work at our airport shops.
Breanna Fairley was recognized as the recipient of the Platinum Medallion Award – Retail. Though she has only been an associate for about 11 months, Breanna’s dedication and extraordinary customer service has made her stand out. She began in one of our busiest travel essential stores – 12 News in Terminal 4. With her passion and eagerness to learn about other products within Paradies’ Phoenix platform, she was moved to work in the brand concepts with iStore and Brooks Brothers. She has taken on additional responsibilities such as becoming a member of the Training Team. In this role, she trains new members of the team. She has been thorough in her training and has trained 20 associates in the past 30 days. Her supervisors say her attitude is “contagious and she does everything with a smile.”
David Everett, who has been with Paradies for five years, was recognized as the Assistant Manager of the Year. David is responsible for Brooks Brothers, iStore and the two eSaavy locations. He works closely with the team to ensure that store standards are maintained. He actively looks for opportunities to drive sales, and also handles IT issues, including any special projects that come up. The IT work extends not just to the PHX locations, but to other Paradies store locations, such as working in their platform for a special event or managing inventory at another location. He also believes in championing other employees, and recently worked with two associates on their career development. As a result, both were promoted to Zone Managers. David is an asset to the organization helping to fix IT issues, developing employees, and rolling out new programs.
A New Year Brings New Air Service Destinations
The new year brings a lot of exciting new non-stop air service and a new airline. Delta began nonstop daily service to Boston on Dec. 17.
America’s Friendliest Airport® adds additional international air service to Mexico beginning in the new year. American Airlines will begin daily, nonstop service from Phoenix to Monterrey, Mexico on Jan. 10, 2023.
Lynx Air, an ultra low-cost Canadian start-up carrier based in Calgary, has announced nonstop service to Phoenix. The Phoenix-Calgary nonstop flight will run three times weekly beginning Feb. 7, 2023.
Last month, Frontier began new nonstop service to Baltimore, Portland, Fort Lauderdale, Orange County and Philadelphia. In January, it will add nonstop service to Nashville, Kansas City, Seattle, Minneapolis and Indianapolis.
Breeze has announced an expansion of its Phoenix flights and will begin nonstop service to Richmond, Fayetteville/Bentonville, Arkansas, Hartford, and New Orleans in February.
For more information on all the places you can travel from America’s Friendliest Airport®, please visit skyharbor.com/flights/WhereWeFly.
Airport Employees Train to Spot Human Trafficking Around the Big Game
With the Big Game just weeks away, the City of Phoenix Aviation Department is gearing up. Large sporting events means big crowds and big profits for the game’s host cities, and this year is no exception. Unfortunately, large sporting events also mean big profits for human traffickers.
As the airport system supporting the majority of the traveling traffic for the big game it is only natural that that we have an active role in stopping human trafficking at the transportation level.
Each member of the City of Phoenix Aviation staff will be trained in the Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI), led by the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The training teaches airport personnel to identify potential traffickers and human trafficking victims, and to report their suspicions to federal law enforcement. To date, more than 200,000 personnel in the aviation industry have been trained through the BLI, and actionable tips continue to be reported to law enforcement.
Additionally, signage to engage the public’s help and to tell people how to report potential human trafficking they see will displayed in all three airports.
American Airlines Adds More Flights to Phoenix in February, Welcoming More Sports Fans to the City
American Airlines, Phoenix’s hometown airline and the largest carrier serving Phoenix Sky Harbor, is adding extra flights so that sports fans have more options to get in on the game day action. The airline has added a total of 91 flights – between PHX and 22 U.S. cities – from Feb. 9 and Feb. 14 to accommodate additional traffic to and from the region, giving sports fans more travel options so that they can touch down, rally with their team, and enjoy the game (or tournament.)
“Whether you want to cheer on your favorite team as they score a touchdown or go wild as your preferred golfer hits a hole-in-one on the 16th hole, American Airlines is offering sports fans more flights and more seats to see the action in person,” said Jason Reisinger, American’s Managing Director of Global Network Planning. “We’re excited to have football and golf fans travel to our Phoenix hub and experience everything the Valley of the Sun has to offer.”
Flight additions:
| Albuquerque, NM (ABQ) | Atlanta, GA (ATL) | Austin, TX (AUS) | Boston, MA (BOS) |
| Charlotte, NC (CLT) | Denver, CO (DEN) | Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) | Dulles, VA (IAD) |
| New York, NY (JFK) | Las Vegas, NV (LAS) | Los Angeles, CA (LAX) | Miami, FL (MIA) |
| Oklahoma City, OK (OKC) | Omaha, NE (OMA) | Chicago, IL (ORD) | Philadelphia, PA (PHL) |
| Raleigh-Durham, NC (RDU) | San Diego, CA (SAN) | Seattle, WA (SEA) | San Francisco, CA (SFO) |
| Salt Lake City, UT (SLC) | Tampa, FL (TPA) |
American currently operates more than 240 daily flights to nearly 100 destinations from PHX, and last year connected more than 16 million passengers through the hub.
“The American Airlines team here at Phoenix Sky Harbor is excited to offer these additional flights and welcome sports fans from across the country,” said Managing Director of Phoenix Hub Operations Sophia Philis-Ortiz. “As Phoenix’s hometown airline, we understand the important role that air service plays in the continued success of our community.”
Exciting Art Added with New PHX Sky Train® Stations
The PHX Sky Train® features large-scale works of public art created to enhance the traveling experience for airport visitors and to act as wayfinding aids giving identity and personality to each area. The architecturally integrated works include intricate terrazzo floors at each station platform, stained-glass mural walls on pedestrian bridges and a sculptural ceiling installation. The Stage 2 extension adds two new artist-designed terrazzo floors and a colorful platform wind wall.
The PHX Sky Train® route now has 11 major artworks designed by nine artists and/or artist teams. Look for more to come on these new art works with the opening of the two newest stations on Dec. 20.
PHX Sky Train® Expansion Set to Open
Whether you're flying for the holidays or arriving at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in February for the big game, Stage 2 of the PHX Sky Train® will make your journey easier! Starting Dec. 20, the PHX Sky Train® will now connect the terminals to the 24th Street Express Pay Parking and the Rental Car Center.
The trains run continuously in both directions 24 hours a day, seven days a week and arrive as frequently as every three minutes. In total, it takes about 13 minutes for the trains to travel the five miles from the 44th Street PHX Sky Train® Station to the Rental Car Center Station.
The 24th Street Station includes 1,600 additional economy parking spaces, along with additional curbside pick-up and drop off areas for passengers. Learn more at skyharbor.com/phxskytrain.
12 Days of Gratitude Celebration
With the holiday season upon us, America’s Friendliest Airport® wanted to show gratitude for our customers. On Dec. 5, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport began a celebration of the customers and visitors to the airport with the 12 Days of Gratitude.
Over the course of the 12 days, customers participated in variety of activities taking place in the terminals at different times of the day. Events were hosted both pre-and post-security in both terminals. Travelers and visitors were able to win prizes and take photos with the airport mascot Amelia the Airplane and the Navigator Buddies. Activities also included a prize wheel, art scavenger hunt, a Museum coloring activity for children, airport staff and the Navigators handing out special chocolate coins and thank you cards and more.
Additionally, each day, members of the Terminal Operations team, surprised a customer with a bag full of Phoenix Sky Harbor airport goodies and a big thank you. This team works diligently every day to ensure the smooth operations inside the terminals and are instrumental in providing the customer with the best airport experience. The prize bags allowed them to meet and thank the customers they work so hard to serve.
“At America’s Friendliest Airport®, we’re always looking for ways to enhance the experience for our travelers,” commented Director of Aviation Services Chad Makovsky. “I’m excited that this holiday season, that we were able to acknowledge and thank our customers, while also providing them the opportunity to pay it forward by helping others.”
The 12 Days of Gratitude offered passengers a chance to express their gratitude as well. From a Gratitude Wall for people to share their thanks to an opportunity to thank members of the military with cards that the USO Arizona will send on to actively serving military. Finally, the 12 Days of Gratitude also hosted a canned food drive for our neighbors in the Herrera Elementary School community.