PHOENIX — Things are on track for the completion of a major expansion project at Sky Harbor Airport.
The airport is a city's first impression, and for travelers at Sky Harbor it's all about perks, said a traveler named Wayne, who like many, was in too much of a rush to answer our questions.
"Coffee!," his only reply as he walked briskly past.
Others said conveniences were most important.
"Moving walkways and convenient places to eat, those are the big things that I think would make my life easier," said Mandy from Ohio.
Airport officials aim to please. A major expansion project currently under construction is adding an eighth concourse to Terminal 4.
"We'll have all new shops and restaurants as well as an airport lounge, charging stations," said Sky Harbor spokesperson, Heather Shelbrack.
"There will be some art in there as well. It'll be a great new concourse where travelers can check out views of South Mountain, while they're waiting for their flight," she said.
The expansion will also be a huge boost for one of Sky Harbor's major airline partners.
"We will be adding eight new gates, which will allow more aircraft to come in, possibly new routes," Shelbrack said. "It will be occupied by Southwest Airlines, and over the past year Southwest has added a number of new routes," she said.
Including non-stop to Hawaii she added.
As for other projects in the works, a bridge connecting gates A and D should be complete sometime later this year, and phase 2 of the PHX Sky Train will add two new stations, one at 24th Street and the other to the rental car area, scheduled for completion next year.
Shelbrack says the terminal 4 expansion should be finished sometime in the summer of 2022. The price tag: $310 million, but not to worry, "It's paid for through airport funding and airport revenue, so no local tax dollars are used."
