Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
History, Facts and Overview

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - PA, USA)

The City of Philadelphia first began to implement its plans for an airport in the mid-1920s, when it purchased around 125 acres / 51 hectares on the city's southwesterly outskirts. The airfield was soon up-and-running and in 1927, Charles Lindbergh famously landed his plane here and officially inaugurated the complex, which was then known as the Philadelphia Municipal Airport.

Over the following years Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) has grown dramatically in size and is now famous for being the world's biggest airport of its kind (without an actual in-ground fueling system).


The main facilities at Philadelphia Airport are widespread and include an Airport Communications Centre offering multi-language assistance, information counters providing the latest weather updates, around 15 cashpoints, mobile vending carts, and even 150 rocking chairs.

Also onsite are postal centers and UPS drop boxes, roughly 100 workstations around the boarding gates and outlets of Ace Cash Express and America's Cash Express, where you can freely cash checks. Particular appealing to families at Philadelphia Airport is the Aviation Play Station, where children can actually clamber around a real jumbo-jet plane, while those wishing to post luggage from gift shops will find numerous 'checkpoint mailers'.

More than 140 different eateries and shops of all descriptions are onsite at the Philadelphia Marketplace. Popular stores include Airport Wireless, Barb's Harley-Davidson, Brighton Collectibles, Brookstone, CNBC Philadelphia News, International Duty Free Shoppes and Swarovski Crystal. Those in need of a quick snack will find eateries at Philadelphia Airport such as Auntie Anne's pretzels, Chick-fil-A, Independence Brew Pub, Philly Pretzels and Sbarro Italian Eatery.