PHX Sky Train transports airport to another stratum
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Monday will open the PHX Sky Train, a $1.58 billion automated interterminal train.
Sky Harbor has grown from a rural airfield nicknamed “the Farm” to a three-terminal international hub. Last year, the airport served 40 million passengers. Airport officials expect that number to swell to 60 million annual passengers by 2030.
1928: Scenic Airways Inc. purchases land in the middle of the desert and builds an airport named Sky Harbor.
1929: More than 8,000 people attend a formal dedication of Sky Harbor airport on Labor Day. However, in late October, the stock-market crash causes Scenic Airways to abandon the airport and later sell it to Acme Investment Co.
1930: American Airlines brings passenger and air-mail service to Arizona.
1935: Phoenix purchases Sky Harbor from Acme Investment Co. for $100,000 and dedicates it on Nov. 11 with an aerial circus performance and dinner-dance celebration at the Westward Ho. The airport is so isolated from the rest of the city residents nickname it “the Farm.”
1937: A $40,000 two-way radio system is installed at Sky Harbor, enticing other air services to come to Phoenix.
1938: Transcontinental and Western Air Inc. begin both passenger and mail service between Phoenix and San Francisco.
1940: The U.S. Army brings headquarters to the airport, later using it as a place to refuel planes during World War II. By December, airlines at Sky Harbor include American, TWA, Carl Knier’s Sky Harbor Air Service and Southwest Airways Inc. The total number of planes based at Sky Harbor is 35.
1948: The Civil Aeronautics Administration declares Sky Harbor the busiest airport in the U.S.
1949: The Arizona National Guard leases space at Sky Harbor for 99 years.
1952: Post-World War II growth means the need for a new terminal. In September, Mardian Construction Co. finishes Terminal 1 at a cost of $835,000.
The new terminal includes a “state-of-the-art” control tower, a drastic change from when local planes would come in and park anywhere.
1962: Terminal 2 opens. The $2.7 million development includes a 1,000-car parking lot, access roads, a concrete aircraft parking ramp and a mural by Arizona artist Paul Coze.
1970s: John D. Driggs, Phoenix mayor from 1970 to 1974, chairs a campaign for a $173 million bond issue that allows for the creation of a master plan for Sky Harbor. The master plan paves the way for Terminal 3, which is completed in October 1979 for $48 million. The new terminal includes an eight-story parking garage and a new control tower. Driggs also advocates for the addition of an airport entrance from the east side.
1980s: Because of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, which meant that government no longer had control over airfares or where new airlines could fly, new airlines begin forming, creating more competition. More than a dozen airlines serve Sky Harbor, and its routes include international service with British Airways and several flights to Mexico. In October 1989, Sky Harbor has a groundbreaking for Terminal 4.
1990: Terminal 4 opens in November. It soon will handle the bulk of Sky Harbor’s traffic.
2001: The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11 lead to drastic changes in airport-security measures.
2006: Sky Harbor’s Rental Car Center opens, consolidating rental-car outlets in one space. The airport also completes renovations to Terminal 4 and brings free Wi-Fi inside all three of its terminals.
2008: Metro light-rail service begins operating across Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. Passengers can take light rail to the 44th Street station and connect to the airport via a free shuttle bus that runs about every 10 minutes.
2013: The PHX Sky Train opens in April. The $1.58 billion automated train system will connect passengers for free between the Metro light-rail station at 44th and Washington streets, Terminal 4 and the East Economy parking lot. New Sky Train stations at 44th Street and the East Economy lot also will offer free early bag-check service.