| rev:text
| - Phoenix Sky Harbor is one of those airports that is growing along just like the metro region it services - a massive blob with inconsistent planning that makes no real sense. For an airport for the nation's 5th largest city, you'd expect more out of it (especially if you end up in Terminal 2), but I'll break it down for the good, the bad, and the ugly, because I'm a nice guy.
THE GOOD:
* Free Wi-Fi! Seriously, folks. It's awesome. Every other airport in the US and Europe, take note. This is how it's done. Is it my fault that US Airways had delayed my flight by 2 hours, AGAIN? No. Therefore, I should be able to surf the web aimlessly at my leisure. Who in their right mind pays $20/month for T-Mobile hotspot access anyway?
* It's close to where I live. That just happens to be coincidence. Although the 10-51-202 ministack is a nightmare to behold if you or someone you're picking up/dropping off happens to have an afternoon rush hour flight.
* Ample long-term parking on or off airport premises with plenty of shuttles taking you every which way.
* Decent food choices in Terminal 4, including Paradise Bakery and some Chinese food grill, although once you're past security and in your far flung wing for your US Airways gate, there isn't much to choose from besides Pizza Hut and a mediocre mexican cantina.
THE BAD:
* The way the roads are designed, you can easily miss where you want to go. Signs leading to freeways get confusing, especially the first time when you had no idea that there was an eastbound north side and a westbound south side. The park-n-wait areas aren't marked well enough in advance and you have a high likelihood of missing them and end up circling around in traffic anyway. This brings me up to:
* Traffic. Especially in the arrivals area of Terminal 4's north curb. SUCKS. I've now wisened up to entering on 44th Street instead and telling people to come out on the south curb. Saves me a lot of road rage. Especially when people decide the passenger loading zone is the perfect place to make out for 5 minutes. Postpone your flight and get a room at the airport hotel, people.
* Why are my gate assignments always at the farthest ones possible? Moving walkways only carry their charm the first few times. After the 15th go around, it just becomes a pain in the ass.
* Why are people in Phoenix more predisposed to carrying their little yippy purse dogs with them than anywhere else? This is a phenomenon I have yet to solve.
* Public transportation. Pretty much nonexistent to anywhere useful. You'd think out of all this light rail hoo-ha they'd have a line coming into the airport linking it to downtown and also to Tempe. But that would mean it would make sense. Never mind.
THE UGLY:
* Baggage claim. Nothing is worse than being 5 minutes from home and waiting for an hour for your bag to come out. Not once has my bag appeared on the carousel in less than 45 minutes. If Phoenix is going to continue growing in size as well as a tourist/convention destination, they're really going to need to sort this out or there will be a luggage breakdown at some point (or a mass nervous breakdown among travelers who've celebrated two rounds of birthdays before their bags finally appeared).
So, all in all, ugly baggage claim + free WiFi + everything else = 3 stars. Don't know how I came up with this star rating. Just trust me.
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