Phoenix Airport
- Sky Harbor -
Lasting Impressions....
"As I fell asleep on a couch outside the terminal, WITH my laptop bag strap around me, I awoke to NO LAPTOP BAG." (?)
"I was fined $53.00 and spent a night in jail for sleeping, sitting up, in a plastic chair." (AH)
Quick Reference Airport Guide
Here is some information that we've picked out of from your reviews. Be sure to read the review pages for the most up-to-date info:
- pay showers
- uncomfortable hard bucket seats
- cold
- noisy
A few airport reviews from the archives
by transientgradstudent, 10/6/2009
'America's Friendliest Airport' will not arrest you for sleeping in the airport as long as you have a boarding pass -- despite the previous report by someone else. I called the airport and asked several security folks, and they all said it was ok.
I also didn't try the family bathroom reported in terminal 2, since I felt guilty claiming a public place that someone might legitimately need.
I started my day in Terminal 4, which was where I was dropped off. It is connected to other terminals only by a shuttle. It has a large mall for food (other terminals are much more limited), but a quick search didn't unveil any out-of-the-way sleeping places. I took the shuttle to T3, which has a walkway to T2. T3 is pretty small and has some quiet corners, but T2 is the best of the three for sleeping even without using the family bathroom. There's a balcony above the security check-in that has a nice railing. I was there from 10pm to 5:30 am, and only two people wandered up the stairs. There's nothing much up there to draw people, so it's nice and secluded and it has outlets so you can charge your computer while using the free wifi. The downside is that you're on the floor, and it's carpet on concrete. I never saw any good chairs for sleeping in Phoenix (all have metal armrests, and benches are unpadded).
They shut off the PA system from 11pm-4am, so it was nice and quiet.
Also, it is warmer than most North American airports. Comfortable temp for sleeping.
by ?
"My travel was from PHL to ONT (Ontario, California) with a stop-over in PHX. Due to a weather delay at PHL, the flight left 3.5 hours late; by the time I got into PHX I had missed the last flight out to CA and had to wait until 7AM the next morning.
Deciding to sleep in the airport was a big mistake. As I fell asleep on a couch outside the terminal, WITH my laptop bag strap around me, I awoke to NO LAPTOP BAG. I immediatly knew what had happened. Just a strap left. Obviously, one or several professionals work this airport. In my bag was everything I didn't trust to check-in to the airline (ie. Laptop, PDA, Prescriptions, Check book, some extra credit cards, Passport, and some hard copy files).
To top it off, everytime I asked someone working in the airport where I could find Airport Police, all I got was "uh I think it's downstairs somewhere." Finally the 4th person I asked was kind enough to get on his walkie-talkie and radio for someone, within a minute the PHX Police were there to make a report...of course I'm never going to see my stuff again.
Now I try to avoid going thru PHX all together. Never again!"
