TUS October eNews

UofA Homecoming Week Coming to TUS!

Welcome home, Wildcats! Whether you are an alumni, student, or family member joining the Homecoming festivities on campus, start the celebration at TUS when you land.

TUS and the University of Arizona are joining forces to create an interactive welcome area on the arrivals level of both the A and B terminals. Snap a selfie and tag #FlyTUS

TUS is proud to serve the University of Arizona community! Go Wildcats!

Tucson Botanical Garden x TUS

As a community partner we try to establish routes with local organizations who embrace the culture and values of Tucson, which is why TUS is continuing our partnership with the Botanical Gardens. As a source of tourism and a staple for locals, promoting each other helps enrich what makes Tucson unique, and encouraging our locals to experience the botanical world starting with TUS.

Destination Spotlight: Milwaukee

Bordering Lake Michigan rests the most populous city in Wisconsin, Milwaukee! This beautiful city is easily accessible with a single stop from TUS, Milwaukee checks all the boxes for a fall weekend away!  Known for their great food, beer, and sports – Milwaukee also has gorgeous architecture, world class museums, and a statue to everyone’s favorite duck, Gertie (trust us, the history of this duck statue is fascinating).

Autumn is a perfect time to visit Milwaukee, as they host a variety of seasonal events, including a Halloween experience called the ‘Hills Have Eyes’ haunted attraction, Oktoberfest (Although Munich is also an easy one stop connection from TUS, Milwaukee is a bit closer), and crisp autumn weather with beautiful fall foliage.

Of course, there’s one thing a lot of people associate with this city, BEER!  Milwaukee Brewing! For those looking to taste a part of history, Milwaukee has you covered with their history of brewing and craft beers, but if drinks aren’t your preference the dining opportunities make sure every meal you enjoy is unique and delicious.

Add Milwaukee to your bucket list and cross it off on flytucson.com.

Economy Parking Has Never Looked Better

TUS takes great pride in maintaining our position as the most affordable economy parking of our peer airports for both covered and uncovered lots. Affordable parking makes it even easier to fly TUS!

Did you know, economy uncovered rates are just $6 a day at TUS? By comparison a similar lot at Phoenix Sky Harbor charges $16 a day, which means a weeklong trip in economy parking is $70 cheaper at TUS than Phoenix.

Next time you fly TUS, check out our newly redesigned parking shuttles.  TUS, we make it easy to fly!

Featured Artist: Ralph Philabaum

Ralph has always had a passion for drawing since he was a young child, where his passion for art was ignited in art class. After taking an art class at Pima Community college in the 1980’s Ralph started a small silk-screening company.  The silk screening used heavy lines to help maintain registration, which proved to be a big influence on what his art looks like today.

Interestingly, Mr. Philabaum had not done any artwork after closing the screen-printing shop until 2023 when he decided to try watercolor. As a native Tucsonan; the Sonoran Desert served as an incredibly beautiful inspiration to his art. Most of his subjects are Sonoran Desert animals, with influences from Talavera pottery, Oaxacan Alebrijes, and regional mythology.

Ralph Philabaums’ beautiful art is on display at TUS through December 2026 as part of the TUS Rotating Art Exhibit, highlighting the many talented artists of Southern Arizona. For more information on his art, visit his website at www.artbyrafa.com.

Government Shutdown

As you know, Congress was unable to pass a Continuing Resolution to fund the government and the government shutdown at midnight on October 1^st.

What does this mean and what are the impacts to airports?

• The government requires aviation sector ‘essential’ workers (Air Traffic Control, Transportation Security Officers, Customs and Border Protection) to continue to work without pay. ‘Non-essential’ workers (administrative roles, some management roles, etc.) will be furloughed or a reduction-in-force may occur at the discretion of the government.
• During shutdowns, some ‘essential worker’s’ may call out sick; others may leave to find other employment.  These consequences could lead to an impact in checkpoint security processing or air traffic delays. 

Our advice is to arrive to the airport a little early and pack your patience during this period.

You Can't Spell Canada Without a "Y"

Airports don’t necessarily follow the codes you might expect them to. While airports like DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) or DEN (Denver International Airport) make some sense, why does Canada have so many that start with “Y”?

Some say it started with weather towers; if an airport started with a “Y” it meant “yes it does,” but if it started with a “W” it was “without a weather station,” but this is dubious at best.

In the 1950’s, IATA (International Air Transport Association) codes were taken from the last three digits of their ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) codes created in the 40’s. ICAO codes are four digits long, and the first letter (or sometimes letters) are taken from the ITU (International Telecommunication Union’s) codes used for radio stations in the 1910’s! Canada used CY (the United States largely used “K,” which is why our ICAO code is KTUS) as their ITU code. That meant their ICU code started with "CY", which lead to their ICAO codes starting with a "CY", and when IATA codes were developed the first letter was dropped, leaving Canada with lots of “Y” IATA codes.

Why does Canada’s ITU code start with "CY"? That’s a much longer story dating back to the telegraph, so we’ll let the curious of you uncover those mysteries.

Plane Spotting at TUS

An a-moose-ing A320neo departing TUS