A comprehensive guide covering the background and layout of KPHL along with advanced approach and departure procedures.
KPHL is located 7 miles from downtown Philadelphia and covers 2,302 acres. The airport has four runways and 22 airlines that offer nearly 500 daily departures to more than 130 destinations worldwide.
Here are some additional facts about the airport:
- KPHL is the fifth-largest hub for American Airlines and its primary hub for the northeastern United States.
- The airport is a focus city for the ultra-low-cost airline Frontier Airlines.
- As of summer 2019, there are flights from the airport to 140 destinations, 102 domestic and 38 international.
- Much of the airport property is in Philadelphia proper, but Terminal A (the international terminal) and the western and southern ends of the airfield are in Tinicum Township, Delaware County.
Ground Transportation
SEPTA Regional Rail’s Airport Line serves stations at Terminals A, B, C, D, and E. The four stations are Airport Terminal A East/West, Airport Terminal B, Airport Terminals C & D, and Airport Terminals E & F. The stations are next to the baggage claim at each terminal with escalator and elevator access from each terminal’s skywalk. The Airport Line connects to Center City Philadelphia, other SEPTA trains, Amtrak trains, and NJ Transit trains at 30th Street Station. The Airport Line runs through Center City Philadelphia to Glenside, Pennsylvania; half of the trains continue to Warminster, Pennsylvania, on the Warminster Line while the other half of weekday trains diverge past Wayne Junction to continue to Fox Chase, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the Fox Chase Line and the other half of weekend/holiday trains terminate at Glenside. The Airport Line runs from 5:00 a.m. to midnight daily, with trains every 30 minutes on weekdays and every hour on weekends and holidays. The ride from the airport to Center City Philadelphia takes 25 minutes.
Philadelphia International Airport has six terminals and 126 gates. Non-pre-cleared international arrivals are processed in Terminal A. American Airlines Admirals Clubs are located in Terminal A, the B/C connector, and Terminal F. Terminal A also has a British Airways Galleries Lounge and an American Express Centurion Lounge. A United Club and a Delta Sky Club are located in Terminal D. A USO lounge is located in Terminal E.
Terminal A West (International)
13 Gates
| American Airlines | Domestic & International |
| British Airways | |
| Lufthansa | |
| Qatar Airways |
Terminal A East (International)
11 Gates
| Aer Lingus | |
| American Airlines | Domestic & International |
| Frontier Airlines | International |
| Spirit Airlines | International |
Terminals B & C
14 Gates & 15 Gates Respectively
| American Airlines | Gates B1-B16 |
| American Eage | Gates C17-C31 |
Terminal D
16 Gates
| Air Canada | Gate D5 |
| Alaska Airlines | Gate D6 |
| Delta Air Lines | Gates D8, D10, D12, D14, D15, & D16 |
| jetBlue | Gate D4 |
| Sun Country Airlines | Gate D6 |
| United Airlines | Gates D3, D7, D9, D11, & D13 |
| Overflow & Common Use | Gates D1 & D2 |
At 12,000 feet (3,700 meters) in length, the airport’s main runway 9R/27L (previously 10,506 feet) is the longest civil runway in Pennsylvania.
Approaches:
STARs
IAPs
Departures:
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Passenger
| Aer Lingus | Dublin |
| Air Canada Express | Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson |
| American Airlines | Amsterdam, Aruba, Atlanta, Austin, Barcelona, Boston, Cancún, Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Chicago–O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Dublin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Grand Cayman, Houston–Intercontinental, Jacksonville (FL), Kansas City, Key West, Las Vegas, Lisbon, London–Heathrow, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, Montego Bay, Nashville, Nassau, New Orleans, Orlando, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Pittsburgh, Portland (ME), Punta Cana, Raleigh/Durham, Rome–Fiumicino, St. Louis, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan, Seattle/Tacoma, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Zürich Seasonal: Athens, Bangor, Bermuda, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus–Glenn, Detroit, Halifax, Indianapolis, Myrtle Beach, Portland (OR), Providence, Providenciales, St. Lucia–Hewanorra, Salt Lake City, Savannah, Venice |
| American Eagle | Albany, Asheville, Atlanta, Bangor, Birmingham (AL), Buffalo, Burlington (VT), Charleston (SC), Charlottesville (VA), Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbia (SC), Columbus–Glenn, Dayton, Detroit, Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids, Greensboro, Greenville/Spartanburg, Harrisburg, Hartford, Houston–Intercontinental, Indianapolis, Jacksonville (FL), Kansas City, Knoxville, Lexington, Louisville, Madison, Manchester (NH), Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Montréal–Trudeau, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, Norfolk, Pensacola, Pittsburgh, Portland (ME), Providence, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Roanoke, Rochester (NY), St. Louis, Salisbury (MD), Savannah, State College, Syracuse, Toronto–Pearson, Washington–National, Watertown (NY), Wilmington (NC) Seasonal: Cozumel, Daytona Beach, Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Halifax, Hilton Head, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Panama City (FL), Nassau, Québec City, Sarasota, Traverse City |
| British Airways | London–Heathrow |
| Contour Airlines | Altoona, Ogdensburg, Plattsburgh |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City |
| Delta Connection | Boston |
| Eurowings Discover | Frankfurt |
| Frontier Airlines | Atlanta, Boston, Cancún, Charlotte, Chicago–Midway, Cincinnati, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville (FL), Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Punta Cana, Raleigh/Durham, San Juan, Sarasota, Tampa Seasonal: Charleston (SC), Cleveland, Houston–Intercontinental, Montego Bay, Myrtle Beach, West Palm Beach |
| jetBlue | Boston |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| Southwest Airlines | Atlanta, Chicago–Midway, Denver, Nashville, Orlando, St. Louis, Tampa Seasonal: Dallas–Love, Fort Lauderdale, Houston–Hobby, Las Vegas, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, West Palm Beach |
| Spirit Airlines | Atlanta, Cancún, Charleston (SC), Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston–Intercontinental, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Oakland, Orlando, San Juan Seasonal: Montego Bay, Myrtle Beach, Punta Cana, Tampa |
| United Airlines | Chicago–O’Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, San Francisco |
| United Express | Chicago–O’Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark |
Cargo
| ABX Air | Seasonal: Miami |
| Amerijet International | Ontario, Sacramento |
| DHL Aviation | Cincinnati |
| FedEx Express | Boston, Greensboro, Indianapolis, Memphis, Washington–Dulles Seasonal: Hartford |
| Kalitta Air | Seasonal: Ontario, Louisville |
| UPS Airlines | Albany, Albany (GA), Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago–O’Hare, Chicago/Rockford, Cologne/Bonn, Columbia (SC), Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, East Midlands, Harrisburg, Hartford, Hong Kong, London–Stansted, Long Beach, Louisville, Manchester (NH), Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Newark, New York–JFK, Oakland, Ontario, Orlando, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Pittsburgh, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, San Bernardino, San Jose (CA), Tampa, West Palm Beach Seasonal: Providence |
| Western Global Airlines | Seasonal: Chicago/Rockford |
Busiest Domestic Routes
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando, Florida | 907,000 | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| 2 | Atlanta, Georgia | 740,000 | American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| 3 | Chicago–O’Hare, Illinois | 534,000 | American Airlines, United Airlines |
| 4 | Miami, Florida | 505,000 | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| 5 | Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | 501,000 | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| 6 | Boston, Massachusetts | 480,000 | American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, jetBlue |
| 7 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 428,000 | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines |
| 8 | Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona | 398,000 | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines |
| 9 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 397,000 | American Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines |
| 10 | Los Angeles, California | 391,000 | American Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
Busiest International Routes
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CancĂşn, Mexico | 384,985 | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| 2 | London–Heathrow, United Kingdom | 303,739 | American Airlines, British Airways |
| 3 | Doha, Qatar | 197,122 | Qatar Airlines |
| 4 | Montego Bay, Jamaica | 176,997 | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| 5 | Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | 157,743 | American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines |
| 6 | Dublin, Ireland | 154,622 | Aer Lingus, American Airlines |
| 7 | Toronto–Pearson, Canada | 140,746 | American Airlines, Air Canada Airlines |
| 8 | Oranjestad, Aruba | 90,901 | American Airlines |
| 9 | Rome–Fiumicino, Italy | 80,507 | American Airlines |
| 10 | ZĂĽrich, Switzerland | 80,462 | American Airlines |
KPHL is one of my home airports so I felt obligated to create this resource. If you notice a mistake or something missing feel free to reach out to me via PM. Diagrams sourced from iFlightPlanner. Updated: 7/12/23.