Phoenix is served by Sky Harbor International ( PHX ) Airport. Many airlines offer commuter service from Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas, as well as direct and connecting service from cities further away. The airport is located about 10 minutes south of downtown Phoenix on Interstate 10, and is also convenient for accessing several other cities in the Phoenix metro area such as Scottsdale, Mesa and Tempe. Most local resorts and many hotels provide free shuttle service to and from the airport for their guests. Additionally, several car rental companies provide service here, and taxis and limousines are also readily available.
Sky Harbor is the first airport that is offering a whole new concept in car rental facilities. Beginning in 2006, it will offer it’s very own building that will house all car rental companies. This will be accessed by free shuttle buses that will offer service between the airport and the car rental facility. If you are renting a car at the Phoenix airport, allow a lot more time for this process than at a usual airport rental car pick-up. The ride is perhaps 10-15 minutes.
Sky Harbor also offers "Stage n’ Go." This is a parking area for persons who are picking up passengers from arriving flights. It has it’s own screen so that the drivers can see which flight has arrived and then a pickup time can be determined when and where they can pick up the passenger. [It is usually best to tell the passenger that you will pick them up on the ’North’ or the ’South’ side of the terminal. All terminal baggage departure areas are marked this way.] Sky Harbor is currently expanding and offering many new venues at the airport. It is beginning to become a destination in itself.
While most visitors from points east of Phoenix tend to fly in, it is within reasonable driving distance from several cities to the west. Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas are all within a five-hour driving radius of Phoenix. Visitors from Tucson can take Interstate 10 west for about two hours, and Flagstaff is a little over two hours north on Interstate 17. Those coming from Mexico will have about a three-hour drive north from the border. Expect to encounter highway congestion on the Interstate around downtown Phoenix during the evening rush hour between 4:30 and 6:30.
Finally, visitors should be advised that Phoenix operates under Arizona Time, which corresponds with Mountain Standard Time and does not adjust for Daylight Savings. Winter visitors will be an hour ahead of California, and summer visitors will be on the same time as California. Don’t forget to adjust your watches accordingly when arriving and departing.
