Tier Point Run to Palm Springs in Dec 2023: Day 2 – Phoenix PHX to Palm Springs PSP

I had already worked out where all of the key places were at Sky Harbor before I left the aircraft.

My flight to Palm Springs was due to leave from Gate B12, the AA lounge I normally use at Phoenix was located around Gate B5 and Starbucks was located at Gate B17.

There are two piers at Sky Harbor for each concourse (A, B, C, D etc) split low gate numbers and high gate numbers, which meant that Starbucks was on a different pier to the AA lounge.

On the basis that we arrived into Phoenix early, I dumped my bag in the AA lounge and jogged over to Starbucks at Gate B17. It was good to stretch my legs!

Surprisingly, Starbucks was not busy, so I was back in the lounge 10 mins later.

It must be at least 5 years since my last visit to Sky Harbor. I think its a great airport and it’s got some fab views of the sunrise first thing in the morning.

I was only in the lounge for 20 mins. Enough time to recharge my phone and change into my shorts. It was pretty warm in Phoenix.

Down to Gate B12, and I wasn’t surprised to see a fair proportion of oldies heading to the desert to get some sunshine.

On into seat 01A and I easily secured locker space.

Then I was distracted by a very bizarre sight: I was looking out of the window and I noticed a coffee cup lid appear from under the front of the aircraft and roll away (on its side) down the side of the aircraft! It rolled under the wing and just kept going.

It wiggled and wiggled. It was so close to falling over onto its back, but somehow it managed to right itself. Its momentum must have been due to the warm winds blowing it along.

There were loads of aircraft waiting for a runway slot. Consequently, taxiing took a fair time.

It was only a short hop to Palm Springs and with it being the end of my outbound trip, I was less concerned about potential holdups.

Service was basic due to the short flight. So that comprised a glass of water and a bag of nuts.

On final approach into Palm Springs it was amazing to see (from the air) how many developments were based around golf courses! There were also some very nice properties in the hills with their own tennis courts. It’s ok for some!

We arrived into Gate 12A. Bit of an odd arrangement with the steps, which were pushed to the aircraft by two burly guys. And even they struggled!

Eventually, the steps were in place to allow passengers to deplane. A short walk from the aircraft and I entered into a very busy departures area, followed by an outdoor walkway to the main terminal building.

It was very much I’m the style of a warm, almost tropical place. A bit like Grand Cayman.

Follow the whole story here: Tier Point Run to Palm Springs in Dec 2023