About this desk

What this desk covers

Sky Harbor Arrival Desk is an independent editorial reference, written in American English, on the ground between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the rest of the Valley of the Sun. It covers the airport itself, the ways in and out of it, the freeways that carry the Valley's traffic, and the timing that decides whether a trip is calm or rushed.

The work sits in four sections. Arriving at Sky Harbor walks through terminals, the PHX Sky Train, baggage claim and the curb. Ground transport explains how each mode works once a traveler is outside. Across the Valley sets out the drive between the airport and Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Glendale and the west side. Trip planning covers the hours, the seasons and the details that catch people out.

Who writes it

The desk of Sky Harbor Arrival Desk writes every entry, signs them together, and answers reader mail at one address. Entries are dated, numbered inside their section, and revised when a source changes. Photographs are generated images made for each entry and captioned as such.

How an entry is made

An entry begins with one question a traveler actually asks. The desk reads the operating sources for the airport, the transit agency, the state highway department, the weather service and the federal security agency, then writes the answer in plain American English with the margins a reader needs. Every entry says when it was last checked.