Philadelphia International Airport (IATA: PHL, ICAO: KPHL) is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley, just minutes from the city and is served by taxis and the SEPTA R1 Regional Rail Line. Taxis offer a flat rate of $28.50 from the airport to Center City. The R1 railway line serves each terminal throughout the day until approximately midnight and takes about twenty minutes to travel between the airport and center city Philadelphia, making stops at all major commuter tunnel stations: 30th Street Station (Amtrak), Suburban Station (Penn Center, City Hall) and Market East Station (East Market Street, The Gallery, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Reading Terminal). Tickets for the R1 train can be purchased on-board the train, cash-only, for $7. Tickets purchased at ticket windows at stations in Center City cost $6. You can also buy a day pass for $11 valid on all regional rail trains after 9:30 a.m. except into New Jersey either on-board the train or at a ticket office. However, if you buy on-board the train be advised that to use your pass on SEPTA services other than Regional Rail, you will have to trade in your pass for an Independence Pass at a ticket office in the city center. A family pass is available for $25; the same restrictions apply. Alternately, the #37 SEPTA bus stops at all terminals (Directly outside baggage claim) and goes into South Philadelphia, terminating at the Broad Street Line subway station "Snyder." The trip costs $2 cash, payable to the driver.
The predominant carrier at PHL is US Airways , which offers flights to destinations throughout the U.S. and Europe, as well as a handful to Latin America. Southwest has become US Airways' main domestic competitor at PHL, and the two airlines constantly attempt to outbid each others fares on many trunk routes.
Alternatively, you can fly to Newark International Airport (IATA: EWR, ICAO: KEWR) or Baltimore-Washington International Airport (IATA: BWI, ICAO: KBWI), each of which has a more or less direct connection by Amtrak to 30th Street Station (1 hr from EWR; 80 min from BWI). Other New York and Washington-area airports are much less convenient.
Philadelphia proper also has the Northeast Philadelphia Airport (IATA: PNE, ICAO: KPNE). PNE is Pennsylvania's 6th busiest airport. It opened in 1945, which was a great relief to the city, in which PHL (then called the Philadelphia Municipal Airport) was shut down. Currently, it operates as the city's general aviation airport and does not have scheduled commercial airline service.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Philadelphia
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Philadelphia - updated May 2024
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Philadelphia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
