Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport encourages travelers to prepare for normal holiday levels
Nov 19, 2021, 4:45 AM
(File photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(File photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport encourages travelers to be prepared and arrive early for any flights next week as travel during the Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be near pre-pandemic levels.
AAA anticipates 53.4 million people to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, up 13% from 2020. If it happens, it will be the highest single-year increase since 2005.
The airport expects the Tuesday and Wednesday before the Thanksgiving holiday to be the busiest, in addition to the Sunday after the holiday.
Travelers are asked to give themselves at least two hours before any domestic flights and at least three hours for any international.
Since the airport is expecting an influx of travelers and traffic in the surrounding area, travelers and their pickups or drop-offs are also asked to use the 44th Street and Washington Phoenix Sky Train Station.
“The Wednesday before the holiday we are very busy on our terminal curbs and on our roadways and you can avoid terminal curb congestion and roadway traffic by picking up your or dropping of your party at the 44th street station,” Heather Shelbrack, a spokesperson with Sky Harbor, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday.
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Another tip to try and ease your travels is to double-check your bag and make sure you are familiar with guidelines to pass through security.
Travelers can view security checkpoint wait times online or on flight information display boards in each terminal.
People can also visit the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) travel page for more tips, or receive answers to your questions directly from the agency’s Twitter page.
Most importantly, travelers are encouraged to double-check flight status with their airline before going to the airport.
“Travelers should just give themselves the extra time, they should check their flight status before coming to the airport and don’t forget that there is still a federal mask mandate in effect,” Shelbrack said.
Follow the airport on Twitter for the latest updates, additional travel tips and more information.
