We are pleased to announce that we are the recipient of an award in the IDC Government Insights’ sixth annual Smart Cities North America Awards (SCNAA) in the category of Digital Equity and Accessibility. The airport was recognized for several innovative initiatives to help those who are visually and hearing impaired. Learn more about the award.
With the celebration of Earth Day this month, we couldn’t think of a better time to share some current facts from recent projects that show our commitment to sustainability.
Learn more about our extensive sustainability efforts by visiting our Sustainability page.
Frontier Airlines is launching seasonal nonstop service from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Houston and Tampa. Daily flights between Phoenix and Tampa International Airport will begin May 11. Service to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport will start June 18 and run three times a week.
Canada’s Flair Airlines announced that it will be moving its operations to Phoenix Sky Harbor starting on Oct. 30. Flair will be offering flights from Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton into Phoenix.
To see a list of all the places you can fly from PHX, visit our Where We Fly page.
On March 7, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport welcomed China Airlines’ seventh charter from Taipei, Taiwan to Phoenix. The flights are part of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s (TSMC) process of bringing employees to its new Arizona campus as well as flying home U.S. residents who have been in Taiwan for training.
TSMC’s $40 billion investment in the region is one of the largest foreign direct investments ever for the U.S. and the largest in Arizona. Intel is also expanding its Chandler footprint and investing $20 billion. Both investments have brought hundreds of suppliers to Phoenix from Asia and Europe.
The flight between Taipei and Phoenix is 11 hours and 35 minutes and operated by an Airbus A350.
Have you ever called our switchboard to ask for help or to help you page and track down a loved one? Our dispatchers work around the clock to provide exceptional customer service to our passengers, work alongside employees to communicate information to various areas of airport operations, and more.
Our phone lines are open 24/7, seven days a week so when you need assistance, our dispatchers are just one call away. They are the eyes, ears, and voices that keep our airport operations running smoothly.
National Public Safety Telecommunications Week was held this month. We are celebrating our dispatchers for all that they do to assist our customers and employees and help us live up to the America’s Friendliest Airport® name.
Meet some of our airport dispatchers.
Rafaela Galvan started her career at Phoenix Sky Harbor almost two decades ago. She joined the Command Center as a temporary airport paging employee in 2005. Staying in the aviation industry was not in her plans but that changed in 2006 when she became a Communications Dispatcher and 2014, a supervisor.
She found a passion for aviation when she learned how fascinating the airport’s operations are and that no two days are ever the same. She enjoys helping passengers resolve their concerns and providing them with solutions.
As the friendly voice on the other side of the call, Rafaela feels good about her work and really enjoys helping Spanish speakers who may feel confused when arriving at our airport. During one of her graveyard shifts, a family called in stating they had missed their flight and were very scared because they weren’t locals. Not only did Rafaela keep them calm, but she also helped them find food nearby and book their next flight after connecting calls with relatives and airlines.
From the Empire State to the Grand Canyon State, Todd Hall moved from New York specifically to work for the City of Phoenix. He was eager to work for Phoenix Sky Harbor and jumped on the opportunity when it presented itself. After driving 2,800 miles over four days, Todd started his career as a dispatcher on Feb. 24, 2020. He loves interacting with people and has a strong admiration for aviation and how it all functions.
In his three years at the airport, his most memorable call was regarding a missing bag. A passenger called looking for his son’s bag which he initially believed to have left behind at a restaurant in the terminals. Todd contacted multiple departments in hopes of finding it. After hours of searching, he was able to track the bag that turned out to be on a plane in California. He made arrangements with the airline and was able to reunite the passenger with his belongings.
Sheena Calvert started working at our airport in 2011. She was first with ACE parking, then moved to terminal operations as a security guard. During her role in terminal operations, she answered passengers’ general questions, performed crowd control, assisted in lost and found efforts and more.
Her experience carried over to the dispatcher role, where she works now. She enjoys customer service because she is a “talker,” and feels good about helping others. Her favorite story is about a little girl who lost her Build-a-Bear on a Frontier flight. Sheena was working the Lost and Found counter when a father was desperately looking for his little girl’s missing bear. She walked to the Frontier counter to get more information regarding the missing item but had no luck that night and stated she would return in the morning.
The next day, she showed up to the Frontier gate and tracked down the teddy bear. The customer was so thankful for Sheena as this was his daughter’s first bear ever and had been attached to it her whole life.
On Saturday, April 1, the Support Sky Harbor Coalition held a community clean-up. Teams from various local businesses came together early on a Saturday morning to clean up areas around Maurice C. Cash Elementary School. Volunteers were hard at work picking up trash, removing furniture, raking up debris. and removing weeds. In the end, more than 150 volunteers from 10 companies and community organizations removed nearly 20 tons of trash and debris from the area. Way to go volunteers!
For the first time, the Phoenix Airport Museum hosted a Night at the Museum event to celebrate the current exhibition in the Terminal 4, level 3 gallery. Inspired by science, the Artist + Researcher exhibition features artistic collaborations between local artists and researchers at Phoenix Bioscience Core downtown. More than 50 airport visitors enjoyed viewing art, engaging in activities and meeting the artists and researchers involved in the exhibition. Highlights included interactive artwork such as an augmented reality brain scan “sculpture” and a participatory neon mirror installation. Phoenix Airport Museum staff was on-site with custom cookies and a fun art activity inspired by the history of medical illustration. Travelers and community members alike enjoyed the event and were reminded that Phoenix Sky Harbor is a world-class location for art.
If you thought you’d only see planes at Sky Harbor you’re in for a surprise! Check out these brand-new Apache helicopters from the British military, being picked up and transported by a C-5 Galaxy! Photo courtesy Wilbur Barnes.
As the summer sneaks up on us, so does the end of the April terminal parking promotion.
Save 20% off Terminal Garage general parking when you book your reservation online. But don't wait too long. This special rate ends April 30 this month and only a limited number of spaces are available.
Simply go to skyharbor.com/parkPHX and book a minimum three-day stay using promo code Spring23. While you’re there, register for our Loyalty Program (it’s free to enroll) and start earning points for free parking on your next trip.
Springtime is busy in Arizona with the perfect temperatures that brings everyone outdoors and a variety of events taking place around town. And, it’s no different at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport as not only are our terminals bustling, but our teams are busy in the community supporting events to show our appreciation to our neighbors.
Our team does a lot of work supporting STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) programs and working with school partners across the Valley to ensure future generations of Aviation enthusiasts and employees. This past month, the team took part in the Phoenix Elementary School District’s Education Showcase Event at Margaret T. Hance Park. Aviation staffed one of the several community booths and engaged attendees about aviation services, jobs, airport tours and speakers and provided giveaways. The event included various community organizations and representatives from all 15 schools in the central Phoenix district highlighting the broad range of school programs offered, including STEAM curriculum and band.
The team also shared the world of STEAM at Zaharis Elementary School's Showcase. The interactive event included demonstrations, creative projects, and hands-on activities. Aviation staff enjoyed connecting and sharing aviation career related opportunities.
Our busy Aviation Department’s Community Outreach team also hosts tours at the airport for community groups, schools and other interested in visiting and learning more about the Airport. The Glendale Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Director and several board members visited the Rental Car Center, rode the PHX Sky Train®, enjoyed the art displays in the Airport Museum Gallery in Terminal 4, interacted with Navigator volunteers and toured the USO, where staff was provided a first-hand overview of the welcoming facility. The team has also lined up several sustainability and overview presentations on Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for area high schools and Valley retirement communities in the spring and summer.
Learn more about our Community Outreach team and tour program.
Work with us! Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the country, and we have several exciting opportunities.
The City of Phoenix Aviation Department has 13 divisions that have an array of positions. Visit Phoenix.gov/jobs to see the latest openings with the city.
Additionally, each month, we host a PHX Job Fair with our airport partners. Join us on Tuesday, May. 2 for our next PHX Job Fair 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 a transit pass will be offered to attendees. Parking is also available.
No preregistration is required to attend.
Contractors, vendors and airlines that serve America’s Friendliest Airport® are trying to fill hundreds of available positions from cooks and baristas to security officers and drivers, and everything in between. Managers, staff members, part-time and fulltime…if you want a job, we have a gig for you!
To learn more and to see positions being recruited by the airport and their partners, visit our job fair page, which is updated monthly before each job fair. Check back often.
Ghassan K. works with the City of Phoenix Aviation Department’s Operations team as an Aviation Supervisor. During the week before the Big Game in February, the Operations team was increasingly busy as fans descended on the Valley for the festivities.
Ghassan encountered a foreign student that did not speak English. The student has asked for help and was able to indicate he needed to find a ride. Ghassan jumped into action and found a translation app to help him communicate with the Japanese student. The student was heading to the University of Arizona in Tucson and did not know how to arrange a ride to the school from the airport.
Ghassan was able to work with the student and secure a ride through a transportation service and then walked the student to the pick-up location at Terminal 3 since he could not read the signage.
To say thank you to Ghassan, our Customer Service team presented him with an On the FLY team (F = Friendly. L = Let me help. Y = You) award.
Do you have a story about a Sky Harbor employee and a random act of awesome? Send details to us at skyharbor@phoenix.gov so we can recognize him or her.
The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division released a new driver license and ID card. The new design includes several new security features that help prevent counterfeit reproductions or fraudulent use, including:
100% polycarbonate material that consists of multiple layers of plastic, fused together without adhesives, to form a solid structure impervious to tampering. The high durability of polycarbonate also provides the longest lifespan of any card, allowing for extended card life without compromise.
Laser-engraved information and black and white photo.
“Dynaprint,” with two high-resolution images that appear based on the angle of the card, provides front-line authenticators with assurance that the card is genuine and strong protection against duplication or reproduction efforts.
Saguaro cactus and ponderosa pine tree images were selected to represent the diversity of Arizona terrain and communities.
“Secure Surface” is another security feature that incorporates a slightly raised surface and provides a subtle feel to part of the card. This is another quick authenticator for law enforcement and other authorities. It also helps reduce potential alterations or fraudulent cards.
Visit azdot.gov for more information about the new card design.