Sky Harbor Doing Away with White Paging Phones, Launching Fully Accessible System

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will launch a first-of-its-kind paging system Wednesday, March 30. A news conference will be held at 11 a.m. March 30, in Terminal 4, level one, on the northeast side near the escalators. Councilwoman Peggy Bilsten and Phoenix Aviation Director David Krietor will introduce this state-of-the art system.

Passengers traveling through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will be the first in the world to use this innovative system, which does away with the traditional "white paging phones." Sky Harbor visitors will send and receive messages at Paging Assistance Locations or PALs. The names of those being paged will be announced through speakers inside the terminal and displayed on monitors throughout the airport. This method will allow both visually and hearing impaired passengers to receive pages. Messages will be sent in a variety of ways, including a touch screen, Braille enhanced keyboard, a telephone handset or headset, or an EZ access device for those with limited hand mobility. Instructions will be available in English, Spanish or German. "We've gone above and beyond ADA requirements, because we believe it's so important for everyone to be well served," says Phoenix City Councilmember Peggy Bilsten.

Airports throughout the country have expressed interest in learning more about Sky Harbor's innovative paging system. Members of a steering committee, including the Phoenix Mayor's Commission on Disability Issues, worked hand in hand with the city of Phoenix Aviation Department to make sure that this system was fully accessible to all airport visitors. ARINC is the technology provider that designed the system for Sky Harbor.

Thirty PAL locations are being placed throughout Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. As part of this project, Sky Harbor is also improving flight and baggage displays, placing them in better locations and making the fonts larger and easier to read.