Tucson Airport Mini Guide
What can you Tell me About Tucson?
Tucson is an interesting city located on a plateau in the Sonoran Desert. Without water it would not even exist but the Santa Cruz River waters the city for much of the year. Part of the draw of Tucson is the fabulous scenery, flora and fauna of the area and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is the best place to find out about it. Covering geography, botany, zoology and more you’ll get the whole story of life in the desert in one hit. To see nature in the raw you can drive, hike or take the tram that passes through the Sabino Canyon and on to Bear Canyon for some spectacular scenery.
How do I get to see all This?
Six miles away there’s Tucson International Airport and whilst currently not taking any international flights, it serves a host of destinations nationwide. If travelling from outside the States , a connecting flight will be required to either
Washington,
Seattle or
New York. To get into the city you may want to consider the Sun Tram bus, taxi or car hire.
What is the Airport Like?
It has a single terminal with two concourses, each having around ten gates. The terminal was improved and extended a few years back to cope with increased passenger numbers which were causing overcrowding in the original separate terminal. Today, it is a bright and modern airport with good facilities and, despite many passengers for Tucson flying into nearby Phoenix before catching a shuttle bus there, it continues to grow.
What Should I do When I get to Tucson?
The airport is well planned and after being disgorged from the plane via the jet bridge, you’ll only have a short distance to get through security and on to where you’ll be told the belt number for your luggage. To find this you’ll have to take the escalator down to the lower level. If you need help on this level, information desks are found at either end of the building in the back corners. There are cash machines in the lower level to get you some dollars but no banks or currency exchanges.
To access public transport, simply come out of the terminal doors and it’ll be straight ahead of you. For car hire, you’ll need to go down a narrow passage found on the right hand side of the lower level which will take you to the rental garage and company desks.
What are the Facilities Like for Departing Passengers?
Once you’re checked in, you’ll be looking for something to pass the time. Shops are fairly limited with only Paradies general stores, a PGA golf shop and a traditional Native American gift shop. It won’t take you long to shop but that gives you time to enjoy some good food served at the Arizona Grill followed up by some Baskin Robbins ice cream. Then, for those final few minutes before you board, open up your laptop and make use of the free Wi-Fi.