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Philadelphia International Airport

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General Information

Philadelphia International Airport is located just seven miles from downtown Philadelphia, one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the USA. The airport features seven terminal buildings organized alphabetically by letter, namely A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Terminals A, B, C, D and E are interconnected by a series of convenient travelators which makes transportation easy between them, while shuttle buses are provided to the other two terminals. The airport boasts over 110 gates within these terminals, offering a total of 130 non-stop flight destinations both domestically and internationally. Acting as a major hub for US Airways, there are several direct connections to dozens of destinations including San Francisco (SFO), Barcelona (BCN), London (LHR), Belgium (BRU) and the Netherlands (AMS). Numerous other airlines also operate out of Philadelphia International Airport including Air Canada, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Lufthansa, offering passengers a wide variety of different destinations both domestically and globally. The most popular destination currently offered by Philadelphia Airport is Atlanta (ATL), with more than 820,000 passengers choosing to fly there over a twelve month period. Frankfurt (FRA) is the most popular international destination.

The History of Philadelphia International Airport

The site over which Philadelphia International Airport located was originally developed as an airfield in 1925, when it served as a training ground for the Pennsylvania National Guard. Two years later, Charles Lindbergh took charge of the site and transformed it into the Philadelphia Municipal Airport, although it was not until 1940 when the first terminal building was built. After the new building was erected on the eastern side of the airfield, a number of domestic air carriers such as American Airlines and United started to offer flights to various destinations throughout the USA. The first runways measured less than 1,650 meters each, but have been lengthened several times over the years in order to keep up with the ever rising demand for air travel. During WWII, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces as an important training ground for missions, including the famous Pearl Harbor Attack. It was returned to civilian use in 1945, when it took on its present name Philadelphia International Airport.

A new terminal building was added in 1953 in order to accommodate the newly established flights to Europe. By the end of the 1950s, after more terminals had been built, a large number of flights were being offered each day to numerous destinations all over the world. Further expansions have taken place in the last two decades, including a large extension to the main car park in recent years. However, due to land restrictions and difficulties in obtaining planning permission, it is uncertain whether Philadelphia International Airport will be able to grow much more in the years to come.

What to do if plans go wrong

Bad weather conditions at Philadelphia International Airport are a common cause for flight delays and cancellations. In addition, the airport is the largest international airport in the world not to have an inground fuelling system, which means that fuel has to be taken to each of the airplanes via truck.

If your flight is delayed and you find that you have spare time on your hands, there are several duty free shops found in terminals A and C; while popular retail outlets and restaurants can be located throughout the airport. For passengers stuck for extended periods of time, the information desk offers free blankets, pillows, bottled water and snacks. There are several airport lounges for United, American and US Airways, but also a USO Lounge for members of the military and their families with showers, wifi, laundry, and refreshments. Free airport shuttles will take you to one of the 4 nearby hotels, and a newly opened virtual library is available to the public in the D/C airside connector. You can also use the airport’s free wifi to submit a claim for your delayed flight through our free compensation calculator. Just click below to see how much you might be able to claim for your troubles with the airlines, it will only take 2 minutes!

Delay, cancellation, overbooking or missed connection flight? You are entitled to:

Short distance up to 1500 kmMedium distance up to 3500 kmLong distance from 3500 km
e.g. London – Edinburghe.g. London – Athense.g. London – Tokyo
250€400€600€

What rights do I have?

Under EU law, you can get up to 480£ compensation in the event of a delay, cancellation or overbooking of your flight.
This is true regardless of the ticket price and up to 6 years retrospectively.

LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR RIGHTS

What to do when delayed?

  • gather information
  • Take photos
  • You are entitled to vouchers
  • Keep documents from the airline, such as letters, tickets, vouchers
250 €
3H Delay
400 €
1,500km – 3,500km
3H Delay
600 €
> 3,500km
3H Delay

I WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION

  • Useful tips if your flight is delayed
  • Checklist for printing
  • Read Reviews
Check your claim in 2 minutes

11.000.000 Over 11,000,000 passengers from more than 14 countries have already used Flightright. Thank you for your confidence in us!

Picture from customer Mirjam Bigger

I’m glad I made the decision to make a claim through you! The 843 EUR has arrived! With this money we will treat ourselves to an unplanned getaway. Thank you so much – we will drink a toast to you!

Mirjam Bigger Schweiz

STILL NOT CONVINCED? ALTERNATIVES FOR YOUR COMPENSATION

Doing it yourself

annoying and unpromising
  • cost risk: €0
  • very time-consuming (paper-warfare with the airline)
  • small chances of success
  • often no experience (complex field of law)
  • high stress factor (paperwork, phone calls)

Flightright

simple and straightfoward
  • cost risk: €0
  • takes little time (2 minutes)
  • high chances of success
  • experienced travel legal experts (enforced more than 100.000.000 €)
  • absolutely stress-free (We enforce the compensation for you.)

Lawyer

expensive and complex/effortful
  • cost risk: several hundred euros
  • very time-consuming (several hours)
  • chances of success unclear
  • experience unknown (depends on specialty)
  • high stress factor (meetings, paperwork, phone calls)

Your flight from Philadelphia International Airport did not go as planned?

Passengers may be entitled to compensation for flight delays, cancellations and overbooking under EU law. Flightright enforces your rights.

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