Metro Phoenix Aviation Thread - Page 13

N830MH · #**241** Posted **Sep 12, 2022, 2:02 AM**

Oh finally! PHX Skytrain will extended to Rental Car Center. Scheduled to opens by the end of 2022. You no longer ride on shuttle bus.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/phoeni..._medium=social

Obadno · #**242** Posted **Sep 12, 2022, 5:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by N830MH

Oh finally! PHX Skytrain will extended to Rental Car Center. Scheduled to opens by the end of 2022. You no longer ride on shuttle bus.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/phoeni..._medium=social

Why is it taking so long? Its been complete for months.

CrestedSaguaro · #**243** Posted **Sep 12, 2022, 9:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Obadno

Why is it taking so long? Its been complete for months.

I read that they need to complete 20,000+ checks during testing before they can be cleared for service. I'd imagine that takes a good chunk of time.

ASU Diablo · #**244** Posted **Oct 5, 2022, 3:49 PM**

https://www.azcentral.com/story/trav...ay/8140760001/

Quote:

The long waits to take off upon boarding a plane and getting off after landing could soon shorten.

That's what the future of flying to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport could look like with a new taxiway, funded in part from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Sky Harbor will receive $194 million in federal funding over five years to build a 2,000-foot taxiway connecting the north and south airfields from the west side of the terminals. Airport taxiways are paths for planes to get to and from runways.

Construction is expected to start in 2023. When Phoenix City Council approved it in April, airport staff stated they estimated construction would continue through at least 2026. White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu joined airport staff and elected leaders on Tuesday to discuss the taxiway project. It's expected to improve the flow of aircraft once completed, enhancing the customer experience and possibly translating to current and future carriers expanding their flight capacity.

Connecting the north and south airfields would help Sky Harbor operate like an airport with four runways even though it currently has three runways, said Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz. Sky Harbor is the busiest airport in the world that has only three runways.

"We've been planning for the future for a fourth runway, but this will put off the need and we can use what we have now," Stanton told The Arizona Republic.

exit2lef · #**245** Posted **Oct 5, 2022, 3:59 PM**

^In that rendering, it looks like the PHX Sky Train will go under the new taxiway (as opposed to the high bridge that currently exists over the existing taxiway on the east side of the airport). Watching the simulation on this video, I can see that the guideway already goes into a sort of trench, which was probably designed with the future taxiway in mind.

ASU Diablo · #**246** Posted **Oct 25, 2022, 4:37 PM**

I remember some plans about a potential hotel coming to where the Greyhound location currently sits...but this is the first time reading that a hotel is planned for T4

https://www.azcentral.com/story/trav...n/10524463002/

Quote:

One key project is nearly finished: Stage 2 of the PHX Sky Train, a $745 million extension that will connect Terminals 3 and 4 to the Rental Car Center. Right now, getting to the Rental Car Center from the terminals requires riding a shuttle bus.

Other upgrades are in various stages of progress. Most recently, Sky Harbor received a federal funding commitment from the infrastructure law to build a taxiway connecting the north and south airfields. Airport officials say this will reduce the time flyers spend waiting to take off and exit a plane after landing.

Other enhancements in the airport's long-range vision, like a new concourse in Terminal 3, a pedestrian bridge connecting Terminals 3 and 4 and an on-site hotel in Terminal 4, are in planning and development.

What might a new north concourse at Terminal 3 look like?

We just built eight gates (in Terminal 4's eighth concourse) and the airlines are already asking for more. So, the new Terminal 3 concourse is the first thing out of the gate. We’re looking at about six gates and maybe more. We’re in the late programming stage of this right now. We have not selected a contractor or designer yet. That procurement will hit the streets at the end of this month, possibly the first of November. The new Terminal 3 (concourse) gates will be common use gates, so they won't be assigned to any particular airline.

It was built with the future in mind. Today if you were to ride the Sky Train, we have a two-car concept, you hop on, two bays, two cars that will take you in either direction. When we activate this second phase now going to the Rental Car Center, we're going to go up to three cars. We could theoretically actually add a fourth car if we wanted to in the future, to meet growing demand.
And then it also creates a unique opportunity for us because if you think about it, we have the 44th Street Station which is connected on the northeast side of where the light rail is. We have this new West 24th Street Station (which is expected to open this year as part of the connection to the Rental Car Center) so we created two new front doors to the airport. So, if we ever have a challenge with congestion on Sky Harbor Boulevard, people can actually access our airport by stopping here on 44th Street. And then we could actually even start talking about how we divest traffic off of our curbs to the stations if we needed to at some point in the future. It creates a lot of flexibility for us as we grow to support our customers.

What about the pedestrian bridge between Terminals 3 and 4?

We're all about flexibility. There's going to come a time when American Airlines (in Terminal 4), maybe through regular operations or other reasons, may not have enough gates for the planes that are on the ground.

We have space at Terminal 3, they can park a plane at Terminal 3, they'd be able to efficiently connect to Terminal 4 as opposed to right now, where it'd be very difficult to do something like that. It just creates a lot of options for us for our airlines to do business. This is about a $500 million project between the (pedestrian bridge) and the concourse, and of course these are all approximate costs at this point. We're probably looking at 2025-26 where this project would be nearing completion. Say you've got a connecting flight on American (Airlines) and you've got to get over to Alaska (Airlines) to get where you're going. This would be a connecting bridge that you take instead of going back through security and then have to come back across to get to Terminal 3.

Obadno · #**247** Posted **Oct 25, 2022, 5:33 PM**

There was actually talk of a airport hotel a few years ago but no specifics on where it was going to be. I figured it would be down by the new west remote parking or even by the Rental Car center connected via the SkyTrain.

But being at terminal 4 is interesting.

exit2lef · #**248** Posted **Oct 25, 2022, 8:52 PM**

I hope the ground transporation center on the west side of the airport (at 24th Street) is not overbuilt like the east side one at 44th Street. Because the city put in an enormous structure with air conditioning and bathrooms at 44th Street, they've had to deal with vagrancy problems there. Try to enter the 44th Street station at ground level, and you'll see all sort of "no trespassing" signs that may be needed to keep unwelcome visitors out but are also quite hostile to actual Sky Harbor passengers.

The pedestrian bridge between T3 and T4 didn't make sense to me at first. It seems redundant with the Sky Train. Then it occured to me that maybe the bridge will be post-security, allowing easier connections from a flight at one terminal to a different fligth at the other.

I remember former councilman Nowakowski advocating for a hotel near the 24th Street station. It's surprising it might be happening over by T4.

N830MH · #**249** Posted **Oct 26, 2022, 9:24 PM**

Wow! I am so surprised! There is airport hotel on site. I didn't even know that! I knows they don't have airport hotel property. I am sure if they ever built new airport hotel. No doubt about that!

Where they will be built new on site airport hotel at entire T4? Is that East or West side of T4? Could be on the top of T4 parking garage. I don't know about that. We'll find out soon enough.

exit2lef · #**250** Posted **Nov 10, 2022, 9:17 PM**

Passenger numbers are now back to prepandemic levels:

https://www.azcentral.com/story/trav...22/8302591001/

N830MH · #**251** Posted **Dec 8, 2022, 7:03 PM**

Oh, finally!! PHX Skytrain is extending to the Rental Car Center on December 20, 2022. Rent Car shuttle bus will be eliminated. You no longer ride on shuttle bus to the rental car center.

phoenixwillrise · #**252** Posted **Dec 8, 2022, 9:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by N830MH

Oh, finally!! PHX Skytrain is extending to the Rental Car Center on December 20, 2022. Rent Car shuttle bus will be eliminated. You no longer ride on shuttle bus to the rental car center.

Finally, this was the longest testing of a vehicle system ever. Pretty sure it took less time to test the original rocket to the moon. LOL

combusean · #**253** Posted **Dec 8, 2022, 10:04 PM**

They have to test it in all weather conditions, so it's going to take a year right there. I'm sure they also have to account for everything "settling"...every construction project warps over time, but it has to be within tolerances.

Obadno · #**254** Posted **Dec 8, 2022, 10:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by combusean

They have to test it in all weather conditions, so it's going to take a year right there. I'm sure they also have to account for everything "settling"...every construction project warps over time, but it has to be within tolerances.

That’s ridiculous since when does anything get tested for a full year straight. It doesn’t even make sense to go for a whole year cause not every day has difffernt weather conditions and conversely there are weather conditions that only come about once every several or every hundred years

combusean · #**255** Posted **Dec 9, 2022, 1:01 AM**

Arizona is by far the hottest place that is a customer of the Bombardier APM200. Most transit vehicles are hand-built one offs that are vastly more complicated than a passenger automobile, that, coincidentally, are tested extensively in places like Arizona for their hot weather performance prior to the model going to market.

Nobody's going to stuff passengers on either the infrastructure or the vehicles without knowing how they perform, and heat is just one aspect.

Obadno · #**256** Posted **Dec 9, 2022, 3:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by combusean

Arizona is by far the hottest place that is a customer of the Bombardier APM200. Most transit vehicles are hand-built one offs that are vastly more complicated than a passenger automobile, that, coincidentally, are tested extensively in places like Arizona for their hot weather performance prior to the model going to market.

Nobody's going to stuff passengers on either the infrastructure or the vehicles without knowing how they perform, and heat is just one aspect.

Again, when have we ever seen train cars be tested for over a full year? Arizona may get hot but there isnt a significant difference between 112 and 118 on the iron steel and concrete that the train is built on. You dont NEED to test a whole year to get a full likely spectrum of weather conditions.

I think you are coming up with excuses in your head.

combusean · #**257** Posted **Dec 10, 2022, 5:46 PM**

The fact that you get so irritated when somebody disagrees with you is a classic indication you're not as smart as you think you are. LOL.

I'm done discussing this with you.

phoenixwillrise · #**258** Posted **Dec 10, 2022, 6:14 PM**

That the weather on the east side of the airport is different then the west side? Who knew? So if this was a weather test for the vehicles couldn't they have purchased more early and tested them on the existing east side of the airport?
Just a thought!

N830MH · #**259** Posted **Dec 20, 2022, 12:48 AM**

Tomorrow morning starting at 4am. PHX Sky Train stage 2 to set opens. Rental Car shuttle bus will be eliminated. From now on, you no longer ride on rental car shuttle bus. Hop on PHX Sky Train to 24th St station and then Rental Car Center station. Enjoy!

https://www.azcentral.com/story/trav...hNbpZ2ZC8tAKwm

• Video Link

azliam · #**260** Posted **Jan 11, 2023, 1:49 PM**

This was missed back in November - Charter flights likely for TSMC employees:

China Airlines yesterday (01NOV22) launched nonstop Taipei Taoyuan – Phoenix service, scheduled as regular charter flights. Based on schedule listing including China Airlines’ website, the A350-900XWB is scheduled to operate this route from Taipei every 14 days on Tuesdays (except first quarter of 2023) with following schedule. As of 02NOV22, at least 7 charter flights are listed.

CI036 TPE1335 – 1040PHX1200 – 1225LAX 359

From Taipei, the A350 departs on following dates:
Nov 2022 – 01, 15, 29
Dec 2022 – 13, 27
Jan 2023 – 10
Mar 2023 – 07

More: https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/221102-cinw22phx