SO LONG, TERMINAL 2
Facility opened in 1962, will be razed in summer
Constructed for a mere $2.7 million when it opened in 1962, Terminal 2 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was the shining example of a terminal designed for the emerging jet age.
The Valley was beginning its growth, too. Phoenix’s airport had just watched the number of passengers in a year pass the 1 million mark as it opened the 330,000-square-foot terminal with 19 gates.
Now, 58 years later, Terminal 2 is ending its service as part of Sky Harbor’s 20-year plan to accommodate 45 million more passengers in the next 20 years.
The last flight arrived at Terminal 2 on Tuesday, and the terminal officially closed to the public as the airport makes final preparations to demolish it.
Why tear Terminal 2 down? The simple answer: The infrastructure simply can’t handle modern air traffic nor will it be able to handle what the airport expects in the future.
Terminal 2 is dwarfed by Terminal 3 (880,000 square feet) and Terminal 4 (3.9 million square feet). Terminal 3 recently opened a new concourse to accommodate the airlines moving from Terminal 2.
And Terminal 4 is building a new concourse that will add eight additional gates. Those will be used by Southwest Airlines when work is completed in 2020 and the project will add an additional 130,000 square feet to Terminal 4.
Looking five to 10 years down the road, Sky Harbor plans to add another concourse west of Terminal 4.
That leaves Terminal 2, last updated in 2007, unable to keep up with the demands of modern air travel.
“Terminal 2 relies on major building systems that are over 30 years old and have capacity deficiencies or operational inefficiencies,” said Heather Shelbrack, spokesperson for Sky Harbor Airport in an email.
As airlines are flying larger aircraft, Terminal 2 doesn’t have enough space to handle the number of passengers waiting for flights or queuing up to
board.
So, by Thursday, the remaining airlines in Terminal 2 will have moved to Terminal 3, which boasts modern amenities as well as flex gates that can accommodate a range of aircraft. Shelbrack said this should remedy the constraints airlines faced in Terminal 2.
“As a result of the Terminal 3 upgrades, lower facility operational costs, a higher level of service and greater system reliability rates are anticipated,” Shelbrack wrote.
Sky Harbor will begin demolishing the Terminal 2 concourse in late spring or summer. The Paul Coze mural “The
Phoenix” will move to the Rental Car Center in late 2020 and the rest of the terminal will be demolished in 2021.
Eventually, the airport will replace the terminal with bus gates. That means you’ll board a bus from Terminal 3 and ride to the aircraft. The airport hopes that having these gates available will help add flexibility in accommodating a variety of aircraft.
Will the terminals be renumbered?
Sky Harbor has terminals 2, 3 and 4, but no Terminal 1. When the airport demolished Terminal 1 in 1990 after Terminal 4 was built, it didn’t renumber the terminals.
The same will be true this time around. Shelbrack confirms there are no plans to renumber the terminals. Sky
Harbor will have Terminal 3 and Terminal 4.
Parking still available
Even though the airport plans to start demolishing the terminal in late spring or summer, you can still use its parking and it will cost you much less than other airport options.
However, you’ll have to put in some leg work for that discount. There’s no transportation, so you’ll have to walk to Terminal 3.
The airport will change the name of the Terminal 2 garage to West Economy Parking. It will offer covered parking for $12 a day — less than half of the $27 you’d pay in the Terminal 3 and 4 garages.
The East Economy garages charge $14 per day and the East Economy surface lots charge $12. People who use East Economy parking ride the PHX Sky Train to the terminals. Remember, you can book and prepay in advance online to get a little discount on the price (onlineparking.skyharbor.aero/PhoenixBooking).
Meanwhile, the West Economy Park & Walk will now simply be called Park & Walk. At $7 a day, this is your least expensive Sky Harbor parking option. Park & Walk does not accept cash.
The airport estimates it’ll take about 12 minutes to walk from the lots to Terminal 3. If you’re flying out of Terminal 4, add in some extra time because you’ll have to take the Sky Train from Terminal 3.