Sky Harbor Airport A/C maintenance results in long lines at security checkpoints

A/C trouble at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

Maintenance on an air conditioning unit inside Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Wednesday morning resulted in long wait times at security checkpoints for travelers.

PHOENIX - Maintenance on an air conditioning unit inside Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Wednesday morning resulted in long wait times at security checkpoints for travelers.

What we know:

Sky Harbor officials say the planned maintenance involved deactivating an A/C unit that went over schedule, pushing temperatures into the mid-80s in some areas of the terminal.

The maintenance work was completed at about 5 a.m. However, there were rolling closures at checkpoints to give Transportation Safety Administration workers some relief from the heat.

Maintenance on an air conditioning unit inside Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Wednesday morning resulted in long wait times at security checkpoints for travelers. (KSAZ-TV)

Dig deeper:

At one point on Wednesday morning, wait times at Checkpoint A were at least 40 minutes, 25 minutes at Checkpoint C and 16 minutes at Checkpoint D.

Operations have since returned to normal. Flights were not impacted by the incident.

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Local perspective:

Meanwhile, the city is stepping in after hearing from airport employees who said working conditions are hurting their health this summer.

At a recent city council meeting, more than a dozen airport tarmac employees shared what it's like to work long shirts - up to 16 hours with overtime - under the summer sun. The workers stood before council members, and complained they weren't allowed personal water bottles. They also say their fleet of trucks didn't have working AC, and there was no place to seek shade and protection.

"The heat crisis is real. Dry heat is real," said one worker. "It is a convection oven. You breathe air, it burns your lungs, your throat, it bakes you from the inside out. No amount of water or hydration drink can satisfy the dehydration that you feel."

While the city passed a heat safety ordinance in 2024, Sky Harbor uses 1,500 different contractors, subcontractors, and vendors, making it difficult to ensure that everyone is in compliance.

"I’m gonna be taking a tour of the airport again next week, just to see what some of these conditions are like, and we’re gonna make sure that we stay on top of all of these workers that came out and spoke, and put light on the conditions that they’re working under," said Phoenix City Councilwoman Betty Guardado.

City officials also said they are opening an investigation, and that they have created a new position that will monitor contractor compliance. They also say if any employee is afraid of retaliation for speaking up, they can call the heat safety line anonymously.

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