April 2, 2024

PHX Sky Harbor Ready to Welcome College Basketball Visitors

Airport & TSA are offering important travel tips

PHOENIX – With the College Basketball Championship games being days away, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the TSA are looking forward to welcoming travelers from across the country in for the festivities and are offering the following important travel tips to make the customer journey as seamless as possible.

Important Travel Tips When Flying into Phoenix:

If you are planning to rent a car, make sure to reserve your car in advance. Phoenix Sky Harbor is anticipating an increase in car rentals around the College Basketball Championship and vehicles may be limited for walk-up customers.

Attending events in Downtown Phoenix?  Travel between the Airport and Downtown is easy via the free PHX Sky Train^® from all terminals to the Valley Metro Light Rail. After disembarking from the PHX Sky Train^®, make sure to purchase your pass from the Valley Metro fare vending machine. Then, take Valley Metro Rail westbound and get off at the 3rd Street/Washington Station for the Phoenix Convention Center, Footprint Center and Chase Field. For Hance Park, use the Roosevelt/Central Ave. or McDowell/Central Ave. stations. For more information on Valley Metro Rail, visit https://www.valleymetro.org/

Travelers staying with family or friends can save valuable time and avoid traffic by getting picked up at either the 24th Street or 44th Street PHX Sky Train^® Stations. Both offer a convenient alternative to driving into the airport.  https://www.skyharbor.com/ground-transportation/phx-sky-train/

Travel Tips for departing passengers, especially on Sunday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 9.

Remember 5-4-3-2-1.  5 hours before departure - Check out of your hotel; 4 hours before departure – Turn in your rental car; 3 hours before departure – Check in at the Ticket Counter; 2 hours before departure – Get in line at the TSA Security Checkpoint; and 1 hour before departure – Be at your gate.

Carry on kindly. Travelers should avoid consuming excessive amounts of alcohol prior to boarding, as flight attendants and gate agents may deny boarding to intoxicated passengers. Passengers who engage in unruly behavior at the checkpoint or inflight may face substantial penalties and possible prosecution on criminal charges.

If you have a NCAA Final Four program, please place it in your carry-on bag. For questions about carry-on and checked items, visit TSA.gov  Remember, if you are traveling with needed medications, be sure and place them in your carry-on bag.

Check your flight status at skyharbor.com. The website also provides travelers the ability to see what shops and restaurants are near their gate. Shops both pre- and post-security will be selling merchandise from the tournament.

Travelers can also view security wait times on the home page of skyharbor.com and on the flight information screens in the terminals.
Looking to save your place and reduce your wait in the TSA Security Checkpoint line?  Use the PHX RESERVE program. Schedule your time prior to arriving at the airport on our website. You can schedule your time up to six days in advance.

If you or someone you will be traveling with has a hidden disability such as dementia or autism, you can reserve a Compassion Cacti™ Lanyard in advance, which signals to employees that you may need extra time, assistance, or patience in the travel process. You can even schedule a Navigator Support Guide to accompany you through the airport.

If you have questions while in the airport, be sure to ask one of our friendly volunteer Navigators in purple. They are stationed throughout the airport to provide help to customers. NCAA volunteers will also be in the terminals to answer questions about local events.

Visit our College Basketball Championships Travel Tips page for more info.

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Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, America’s Friendliest Airport^®, has an annual economic impact of more than $38 billion. On an average day, approximately 1,200 aircraft and more than 130,000 passengers arrive at and depart from Phoenix Sky Harbor every day. PHX Sky Harbor is funded with airport revenue. No tax dollars are used to support the airport.