Phoenix Sky Harbor looses revenue especially with Covid-19

By Gianna Abdallah
Revenue statements from Phoenix Sky Harbor airport show a loss of millions of dollars due to COVID-19, after a majority of stores and establishments shuttered inside terminals in 2020.
Reports and officials at the international airport cite more than 70% of terminal 3 and 4 stores closed, while restaurants report a loss of $16 million in the same time.
As everything opens back up in 2021, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was never fully closed. During COVID-19’s peak many stores closed and many airlines minimized the amount of departures and arrivals they had.
“Seventy-four percent closed in Terminal 3, which is 25 stores closed and 78% closed in Terminal 4, which is 77 stores closed,” said Eric Everts, a public information officer.
Some of the stores closed have still not reopened.
Arizona Highways is a gift shop located in Terminal 4 and was a store that never closed. They did have a hard time during COVID-19, yet they never closed shop.
When COVID-19 first arose in March 2020, the airport was still open fully until President Donald Trump stated that the United States was under a national emergency.
When less sales were coming through, a good number of stores closed.
Specifically Johnston and Murphy, which is located in Terminal 4, they specialize in selling shoes, classic accessories and apparel.
“Due to COVID-19 we had to temporarily close our Phoenix Sky Harbor location until it was okay to open back up again. We sadly lost too much money due to COVID,” said Lisa Buchanan, the regional Manager of Johnston and Murphy.
From the recent information on how many stores closed, 22 stores in Terminal 3 and 72 stores in Terminal 4 are opened today.
In 2017, for food and beverages the airport made a total revenue of $78 million and in 2021 it has decreased to $56 million dollars. In that five-year time period, 2019 had the highest revenue with $89 million.
Though due to COVID-19, in 2020 Phoenix Sky Harbor lost $45 million in total revenue.
In specialty retailers, Phoenix Sky Harbor rang in a total revenue of $28 million in 2017. Within that five-year period once again 2019 brought in the most amount of revenue with $41 million.
It then decreased to $25 million in 2020. As more shops are opening back up, the total revenue for this year is up to $35 million.

Sky Harbor does not keep track of ticket sales, but the airline that brings them the most customers is American Airlines. The airport does receive Passenger Facility Charges per ticket at $4.50.
The prices and ticket sales are from the airline provider themselves, especially the reasoning on why they price their airline in that way.
In September 2021, American Airlines catered to 712,588 Phoenix Sky Harbor customers. In September a total of 1,653,164 customers came through Terminal 3.
The airline that brings Phoenix Sky Harbor the least amount of customers is Boutique Air. They operate a modern fleet of Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. In September 2021, they brought in 600 flyers.