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<\/p>\nPhoenix Sky Harbor Airport is getting ready to say goodbye to Terminal 2. Starting on Feb. 2, all the airlines in Terminal 2 will begin to relocate to Terminal 3.<\/p>\n
Boutique Airlines will move Feb. 3. United is set to move on Feb. 4. Alaska and Contour Airlines will make the move on Feb. 5. Once the airlines have relocated to Terminal 3, Terminal 2 will shut down permanently.<\/p>\n
Back in November 2018, the Phoenix City Council approved plans to demolish Terminal 2, which opened back in 1962. It is the airport\u2019s smallest and oldest terminal.<\/p>\n
Airport officials explained the multimillion-dollar demolition was necessary due to the fact that Terminal 2 is outdated and too small to accommodate bigger planes and more passengers. They also said it would be more expensive to remodel the terminal rather than tear it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cTerminal 2 was state-of-the-art in 1962 when it opened and it really did serve Phoenix well for decades, but it wasn\u2019t built for the aircraft and passengers of today,\u201d said Julie Rodriguez, Phoenix Sky Harbor spokeswoman at the time.<\/p>\n
The airport waited to close Terminal 2 until the renovations were complete at Terminal 3. The airport spent close to $6 million to modernize and revamp Terminal 3.<\/p>\n
After the ribbon cutting in January 2019, passengers got to check out the brand-new concourse which features more room, new shops, and a wide variety of restaurants<\/p>\n
The refreshed terminal is now known as the John S. McCain III Terminal 3, named after Arizona\u2019s late senator. Cindy McCain attended the terminal\u2019s grand opening. \u201cMy husband was so excited to know that he was going to be part of not only the aviation history of Arizona, but such an important part of it,\u201d said McCain. \u201cIt\u2019s very bittersweet, obviously, I wish he were here. He would have loved this more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some passengers are excited about the move. Many stated that they\u2019re looking forward to a wider variety of dining and shopping choices.<\/p>\n
Others say they will miss Terminal 2\u2019s convenience. Kamal Sodhi, whose mother just flew in from Canada said she likes Terminal 2 for its ease and accessibility. \u201cIt\u2019s convenient. You can park across the street. It\u2019s smaller,\u201d she says. \u201cBigger is not always better. Newer is not always better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another traveler, Richard Davis, agreed. \u201cSmaller, more convenient,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty accessible, really. It\u2019s perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
One piece of history that won\u2019t get demolished in Terminal 2 is the iconic Phoenix mural, which made its debut in 1962. The artwork will be housed in the Rental Car Center by 2021. It\u2019s in three sections and pays tribute to Phoenix\u2019s past, present and future. The first section shows the railroad. The middle section\u2019s focus is of the mythical Phoenix bird. The last section is the artist\u2019s interpretation of what the future of technology would look like.<\/p>\n
Gary Martelli, the airport museum curator, explained that the 16-foot-by-75-foot mural is made up of 52 different materials including gemstones, sand from different counties across the state and mosaic glass. Artist Paul Coze created the mural.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been impressed by the construction of it,\u201d said Martelli. He explained it was important for the airport to make sure it didn\u2019t get destroyed in the demolition plans. \u201cWe knew it was very beloved by the citizens of Phoenix and we received many many phone calls and letters from the general public asking about what\u2019s going to happen to the Phoenix mural,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Moving the mural will be no small feat. The structure consists of three 25-foot-wide by 16-foot-high panels and includes 52 different materials. Before the artwork can be safely moved, it must be protected and stabilized. A rigid, lightweight, truss-like structure known as a space frame will be mounted on the back of each of the three mural panels. This will reinforce the artwork allowing for transportation and installation in its new home at Sky Harbor\u2019s Rental Car Center.<\/p>\n
The airport is planning a farewell event for Terminal 2 on Tuesday, Feb. 4. from 4-8:30 p.m. The free event will give the public an opportunity to visit the terminal one last time before it closes. Attendees can drop in any time during the event to see the terminal as well as learn more about its history through a special exhibition from the Phoenix Airport Museum. Visitors will also be able to watch the last-ever flights depart from the terminal.<\/p>\n
Here is more information on the free event:<\/p>\n
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Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is getting ready to say goodbye to Terminal 2. Starting on Feb. 2, all the airlines in Terminal 2 will begin to relocate to Terminal 3. Boutique Airlines will move Feb. 3. United is set to move on Feb. 4. Alaska and Contour Airlines will make the move on Feb. 5. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[72,5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7387"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7387"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7397,"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7387\/revisions\/7397"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theumphx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}