By Craig J. Cantoni

Written by Craig J. Cantoni

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

TUCSON – According to AI (not verified by my own research), 3.7 million passengers pass through Tucson International Airport every year.  That’s noteworthy.

By contrast, 51.6 million go through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.  That’s astonishing.

Fifty years ago, about 4.4 million passengers went through Sky Harbor every year, or slightly more than the 3.7 million that go through Tucson International today.  Back then, Phoenix was not the economic dynamo it is today and resembled Tucson in many respects.

An economic development textbook could be written about Phoenix’s growth.  Sky Harbor is a major reason that the Phoenix metropolis became a boomtown and now has nearly five times the population of the Tucson metropolis.  The airport resulted from good government, keen foresight, and commendable long-range planning.

Naturally, Sky Harbor offers far more direct flights than Tucson International.  That explains why many Tucsonans fly out of Sky Harbor, even though it takes 90 minutes to two hours to drive there, depending on where they live in metro Tucson and what time of day they leave.  With a direct flight, they don’t have to worry about missing a connection or being stranded for a day if a flight is canceled.

When I moved to Phoenix from Chicago in 1979, Terminal 3 had just opened.  Two other terminals were already in existence at Sky Harbor.  The small Terminal 1 had been built in 1952 for prop planes.  Terminal 2 was built in 1962.  It was larger than Terminal 1 but small by today’s standards.  Both were later torn down.

After Terminal 3 opened, passenger traffic jumped from 4.4 million to 7 million and would grow to 11.6 million by 1985.

Terminal 3 set a new standard when it opened.  It was 880,000 square feet and had 23 gates on two concourses. A multi-story parking garage was attached.  In 2022, as part of Sky Harbor’s updated 20-year plan, approval was given to add a third concourse.

As a frequent business flyer out of the miserable Chicago O’Hare Airport for ten years, I felt transported to airport paradise when I began flying out of Sky Harbor in 1979.  Weather delays were rare, deicing was never necessary, and Terminal 3 was modern, spotless, and underutilized.  The terminal was a short walk from the attached garage.  No sloshing through dirty snow.

Tucson International is kind of like that but on a smaller scale.  The parking garage isn’t attached to the terminal but is a short walk.  It’s an easy airport, but again, the tradeoff is that there aren’t many direct flights.

Sky Harbor’s central location in metro Phoenix made for a short drive from my workplace and neighborhood, especially compared to the torture of getting to O’Hare from the Chicago Loop or getting to newer airports built in the boonies of other metropolises, such as Denver’s airport, which is 25 miles from downtown Denver.

Tucson International is an easy drive to and from most of Tucson, but, unfortunately, much of the drive is shabby and leaves a bad impression with visitors.  They should be cautioned to stay alert, especially late at night.  Unbeknownst to them, it’s common for deranged people to walk in front of cars or lie down in the middle of the road.

The short drive from Sky Harbor to downtown Phoenix also used to be an embarrassment.  The route went through a tawdry and dangerous red-light district marked by seedy motels that rented rooms by the hour.  It has since been redeveloped, and a light-rail line runs down it.

Sky Harbor’s Terminal 4 was opened in 1990.  Costing $248 million, it was Phoenix’s largest capital improvement project for a structure.  When opened, it encompassed five concourses and 44 gates.

Parking is no longer as easy or inexpensive as it was in 1979, but the Sky Train, which began service in 2013, makes getting around easier.  It’s an automated train that connects to the nearby Valley Metro light rail system, the immense East Economy Parking lot and garage, the terminals, the 24th Street Economy Parking lot, and the Rental Car Center.

A new terminal, the West Terminal, is planned to be opened in 2033.  It will be at the former site of Terminal 2.  When it opens, American Airlines will move from Terminal 4 to the new terminal.  American is the largest carrier at Sky Harbor, accounting for more than 20 million passengers.

Things have come full circle.  America West, which was founded in 1981, had its hub at Sky Harbor and was headquartered in Tempe.  It grew into the eighth-largest carrier in the US before merging with US Airways and then American Airlines, which is headquartered in Dallas.  Key personnel from America West relocated to DFW Airport.  No doubt, some of them subsequently moved back to Phoenix to staff American’s growing operations there.

The new terminal probably means even more Tucsonans will fly out of Sky Harbor and generate even more revenue for Phoenix.

Phoenicians are ingrates.  They don’t reciprocate by flying out of Tucson.

-Craig Cantoni

Mr. Cantoni is an author, freelance writer, and retired executive.

Sourced from PRICKLY PEAR