A Beginner’s Guide to PHL
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is the major air hub in the Greater Philadelphia area. It services 25 different airlines, and about 30 million passengers come and go through it each year – that’s over 82,000 each day! With so much frenetic activity, navigating the airport and getting your bearings can seem difficult. Here’s some need-to-know info about PHL, along with some cool facts.
The airport is located in the southern part of Philadelphia, but it is just seven miles from Center City. This means that, a quick train ride and a stop at the Jefferson or Suburban stations, you are right in the midst of world-class eating, entertainment, and lodging.
If you live in or have visited Philadelphia, you have likely made your way through PHL at least a couple of times. Here is some information about the airport.
American Airlines is just one of the carriers who fly out of the airport, and Frontier considers Philadelphia a major hub. There are seven terminals that fork out from the main building like tentacles, as seen in this interactive map of the airport.
In terms of getting to the airport, you have a few options. Catching a ride-share, such as Uber or Lyft, will run you about $50. If you don’t feel like shelling out, know that the airport does have a dropoff lane if you have someone who can give you a ride. SEPTA has its own airport shuttle running seven days a week, from 5 a.m. and 12 midnight between Center City (30th Street Station, Jefferson, Suburban, and Temple stations) and the airport, stopping at all terminals. To catch a ride, just buy a QuikTrip ticket from a kiosk at the airport train station for $6.75 ($9.95 for non-Center City stops), or buy a ticket with cash on board.
Some things you might not know about PHL: when it first opened in 1940, it was dubbed Philadelphia Municipal Airport. That all changed when its first international flights began in 1945 and it was renamed. The city made room for the airport in the 1930s by buying up 600 acres of Tinicum Township and a 1,000-acre site called Hog Island, which used to be a shipyard.
