It won't happen in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but flying out of the Valley will get a littler easier.
Tuesday morning an ABC15 crew got a first-hand look at the new Sky Train at the 44th Street Station.
Eventually it will connect passengers to all terminals, but the first stage reaches to the East Economy parking lot and Terminal Four.
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, who gave the tour, said it will be up and running sometime early next year.
He compared the 44th Street Station to an airport terminal that's off airport property.
He said people will be able to drop off and pick up at the station, rather than driving to the airport.
Travelers using the light rail will get off at the 44th and Washington streets stop.
A sky walk will take them to the station where they can check bags and print out boarding passes.
From there, they will head up to the Sky Train.
The mayor said trains will arrive about every three minutes and will run seven days a week, all hours of the day.
He said each car will hold about 50 people.
It will take three minutes to get to the East Economy parking lot and two more minutes to get to Terminal Four.
The city expects 2.5 million travelers in the first year alone.
Stanton said the total cost comes to nearly $1.6 billion and will be paid for by airport revenues and passenger fees.
vwkaferman posted at 4:37 pm on Tue, Nov 13, 2012.
Can't wait to lug my luggage to the bus, get on the bus, get off the bus, lug my luggage up to where the train is, lug my luggage onto it, then off of it when we get to the terminal. Lug it over to check in. Seems efficient. Can't wait. For those of us that park at East economy, this is going to be a pain in the ssa
loubator posted at 12:22 pm on Thu, Nov 15, 2012.
How much luggage are you going to have? Most people manage with one carry-on and a personal item. If you're going to whine about it, just find another way to go to the airport.