PHX Perspective

Crews Continue to Work to Upgrade Baggage Carousels

If you’ve traveled through Terminal 3 over the past couple of months, you may have noticed a big, white wall surrounding something in the baggage claim area. If you are a frequent traveler, you may have noticed that this big, white wall is now in a different location than it was a few months ago.

Wonder what’s going on behind that wall? The mystery is the replacement of the baggage carousels. In fact, PHX Sky Harbor is currently in the midst of a project that is replacing all carousels in Terminal 3. Why?

David Rutledge, Project Manager, says it is because all the current carousels are original equipment from when the terminal was built in the 1970s. “We are replacing the aging mechanical system because it is becoming more difficult to get parts and to make repairs,” he said.

GNS Conveyor is the contractor, and crews have been working diligently to install the new equipment. The refit is occurring to the complete conveyer system from the second level to the shoots that bring the bags down to the baggage claim area. This includes replacing the electronic equipment, belts, security monitors, and more, according to Rutledge.

The first upgrade was completed on the first baggage carousel in late November. Work began in January on Carousel 3, and crews are working their way down the line to complete them all. Each carousel upgrade takes about 10 weeks. They are being completed one at a time in order to not affect or delay baggage during the construction.

Above and to the right, see pictures of the baggage carousel refit.