| Address |
| 3400 E Sky Harbor Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85034, USA (Phoenix, Arizona)
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| Information |
Sky Harbor International Airport
Originally owned by the Acme Investment Company, Sky Harbor Airport initially had a small number of buildings on its 285 acres of land. The sparse number of structures on the large plot of land caused the airport to be nicknamed "The Farm" by locals. On July 16, 1935, the city of Phoenix, Arizona purchased the airport and kept the Sky Harbor name.
The city expanded the airport over time and it is the ninth busiest airport in the United States in terms of air traffic. It is one of the largest airports in the world with all runways running parallel, thanks to the consistency of weather in Phoenix, Arizona. The airport has not had any major aircraft accidents during its history. The airport is notable for a couple of recent news events as well as its appearance in the first book of the Twilight Saga by Arizona-native, Stephenie Meyer.
In the News
On February 23, 2007, Sky Harbor became the first airport to make use of backscatter X-ray machines to scan passengers for possible weapons. The technology is controversial due to its ability to see through clothing, providing airport security with an image that pretty much shows each passenger nude. While an effective tool against potential terrorist threat, there are many who are uncomfortable with the invasion of their privacy. Different methods of operating the system that might ease passenger distress over their privacy are being experimented with.
Sky Harbor also made national news on September 28, 2007, when Carol Anne Gotbaum died while in police custody at the airport. Gotbaum, a New York resident, had been on her way to an alcohol treatment program in Tucson, Arizona when she apparently became angry due to not being allowed to board a plane after already having been bumped from an earlier flight that had been overbooked. She began yelling at airport staff, throwing a PDA at an attendant; causing enough of a scene that airport police were called in to intervene. Security tapes recorded the incident as well as her running around and resisting arrest.
Carol was handcuffed and shackled to a chain in a holding room and left alone for roughly 5 to 10 minutes. When authorities returned to the holding room, they found the woman unresponsive with the chain and cuffs around her throat. Efforts to revive Mrs. Gotbaum were unsuccessful. A later autopsy revealed that she had been heavily under the influence of alcohol (her blood alcohol level was .24%). She also had five different prescription drugs (Citalopram, Duloxetine, Dextromethorphan, Diphenhydramine and Chlorpheniramine) in her system at the time of the unfortunate incident, of which two were antidepressants.
The coroner's report stated that in her severely inebriated condition, she most likely had accidentally strangled herself while attempting to get free from the cuffs and the chain. Another theory has been that the excitement and mix of medication may have been enough to hamper Gotbaum's breathing on its own and that the cuffs and chains may have played a more minor role in her death. The Maricopa County Attorney determined that officers involved did not break any laws and will not face prosecution.
Twilight Saga
In the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, the main character Isabella "Bella" Swan moves from her home with her mother in Phoenix, Arizona to live in Forks, Washington with her father. The airport that Bella flew out from on her journey was Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. Bella landed at William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles, Washington. It was there that she met up with her father, Charlie, who took her to her new home in Forks.
Bella's yearly visits with her father each summer, leading up to this point, would have involved these same two airports and they became familiar places to her. In Twilight , when Bella is on the run from James, the vampire out to kill her, this familiarity helped her. Her knowledge of the airport allowed her to escape from Alice and Jasper Cullen as they waited for Edward to arrive in Phoenix. Bella snuck out of the airport, hopped on a shuttle bus to the nearby Hyatt hotel and then grabbed a cab to her mother's house. It was there that she received her instructions from James to meet him at the dance studio around the corner from her mother's home, where he intended to kill her.
The Airport Today
The airport has an excellent track record with safety and passengers can rest assured that their journeys from and to Sky Harbor are likely to be safe ones. While you aren't very likely to spot the fictional Bella Swan during a visit to the airport, you might just have a sighting of shock rocker (and avid golfer) Alice Cooper. Alice is a local resident and owns a restaurant in Phoenix. |
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| Related Sites |
Wikipedia: Sky Harbor International Airport
Wikipedia entry for the Phoenix airport Bella Swan would have flown out from in Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. |
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| Similar Destinations |
| William R. Fairchild International Airport |
| Port Angeles, Washington |
| Twilight Saga: Bella Italia |
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