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Moving toward merger, American joins US Airways at Sky Harbor’s Terminal 4

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PHOENIX – In another step toward their merger, American Airlines is joining US Airways in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s Terminal 4.

The change moves American out of its longtime Sky Harbor home in Terminal 3.

“The timing is good with American Airlines vacating the three or four gates that they use in Terminal 3 now to join their new partner where there are 54 gates,” said Deborah Weissman Ostreicher, the city’s deputy aviation director.

The change was effective Tuesday night, when eight American Airlines flights were scheduled to land at Terminal 4.

The parent companies of the airlines, AMR Corp. and US Airways Group, officially merged in December 2013 to become American Airlines Group Inc.

Ostreicher said 80 percent of the airport’s 100,000 daily passengers go through Terminal 4. She said US Airways has an average of 300 flights a day, while American Airlines has 20 to 30 flights daily.

“The impact of the move today will not be significant, but what will be significant is having the world’s busiest airline located here at Phoenix Sky Harbor and the growth potential that it will bring,” she said.

Terminal 4 has seven concourses and has room to add an eighth if needed, she said.

The airport plans to remodel Terminal 3 by 2020 and is currently evaluating its options, she said.

“Terminal 3 was designed and constructed in the ’70s, and it is in great need of updating and modernization to meet the needs of today’s traveller in 2014,” she said.

Six other airlines operate out of Terminal 3: Sprint, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Frontier, Delta and Sun Country.