Travelers should plan ahead and allow time to get through security and find their gate.
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer travel season. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport can be busy during vacation travel periods like summer break and holidays, and travelers can get a head start on preparations for that fun family trip.
Travel tips always come in handy to ensure that summer getaways start off great:
• Plan ahead for parking. If you plan to park at the airport, reserve your parking in advance at skyharbor.com/parking. Come early, even if you have a reservation, to give yourself enough time to enter the parking facilities and find a space. Parking availability is also available on skyharbor.com/parking. Hot take: Snap a pic of the numbered parking pillar closest to your car or the spot you’re in to find it easily when you return.
• Arrive early and check TSA Security Checkpoint wait times. If you are traveling domestically, arrive two hours before your flight; three hours if you are traveling internationally. The TSA Security Checkpoint wait times are on the front page of skyharbor.com and on the flight information screens in the airport terminals. Key tip: If you’re flying from Terminal 4, you can go through any TSA Security Checkpoint to get to your gate.
• Have REAL ID, will travel. The TSA is now enforcing REAL ID-compliant licenses, state IDs, or other acceptable forms of identification to fly within the United States. Reminder: If you don’t yet have a compliant identification, you’ll have to go through additional screening, so plan for additional time.
• You’ve planned for extra time, now plan to save time at the checkpoint. PHX Reserve allows travelers to reserve a place in line and reduce their wait. Make a reservation up to six days before your flight departs, and you’ll get a time to enter a designated checkpoint to begin the standard security process. This program is open to travelers of any airline, and it’s free at www.skyharbor.com/phxreserve. ICYMI (In Case You Missed it): Did we mention it’s free?
If you’re missing out on the travel fun because you don’t know where you should fly to, take your pick from some of the new services kicking off this summer:
• Frontier Airlines will be connecting Everett, Wash., with service three times weekly beginning June 2.
• Southwest Airlines will begin once-weekly service to Santa Barbara starting Aug. 10.
• Alaska Airlines is getting in on the San Diego love with three-times-daily service beginning Aug. 20.
Going hand-in-hand with summer travel is our Dementia Friendly Air Travel Workshop. This groundbreaking workshop is aimed at helping people who live with dementia and their care partners navigate the sometimes-stressful environment of an airport. Representatives from airlines, TSA, and the City of Phoenix Aviation Department present valuable information, and an optional tour is conducted afterwards.
The workshop takes place from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, July 16. Seating is limited. To register or request a reasonable accommodation, please email skyharbor@phoenix.gov with the subject line “Dementia-Friendly Air Travel Workshop Registration.” Please include your full name, phone number, and address and if you would like to take the optional tour.