Palm Springs International Airport , formerly Palm Springs Municipal Airport, is an airport two miles east of downtown Palm Springs, California, United States. The airport covers 940 acres and has two runways. FAA data effective May 15, 2025. The facility operates year-round, with most flights occurring in the fall, winter, and spring.
The airport was named as number 3 in a 2011 list of "America's Most Stress-Free Airports" by Smarter Travel.
History
Military use PSP was built as a United States Army Air Corps emergency landing field in 1939 on land owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians due to its clear weather and its proximity to March Field and the Los Angeles area.}
In March 1941, the War Department certified improvements to the existing airport in Palm Springs as essential to national defense. The airport was approved to serve as a staging field by the Air Corps Ferrying Command 21st Ferrying Group in November 1941. Land was acquired to build a major airfield a half mile from the old airfield site. The new airfield, Palm Springs Army Airfield, was completed in early 1942, and the old air field was then used only as a backup.Aerial pic of the old airfield at , looking ENE
On June 1, 1944, training moved to Brownsville Army Airfield, Texas, and the airfield was used for Army and Navy transport flights until the end of April 1945. The auxiliary field or backup field was declared surplus on May 12, 1945, and the main airfield was declared excess and transferred to the War Assets Administration for disposal in 1946 and it was sold to private buyers. The City of Palm Springs purchased the land in 1961 and converted it to Palm Springs Municipal Airport.
Historical airline service Palm Springs had scheduled passenger service in 1934 operated by Palm Springs Air Lines with Ford Trimotor aircraft with flights to the Union Air Terminal (now the Hollywood Burbank Airport) in Burbank.http://www.timetableimages.com, December 20, 1934, Palm Springs Air Lines timetable Western Airlines flights began by 1943 followed by Bonanza Air Lines by 1955. Service was operated through the Thermal, California Airport. Bonanza reportedly moved to the Palm Springs Airport on December 15, 1957.Bonanza Airlines timetable December 1, 1957 In 1964, Western Lockheed L-188 Electras flew nonstop to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego.http://www.timetableimages.com, March 1, 1964, Western timetable Bonanza and successors Air West and Hughes Airwest served Palm Springs for many years with the Fairchild F-27 followed by Douglas DC-9s. American Airlines Boeing 707s appeared in winter 1967–68. By 1969, American had four Boeing 707 departures a day from the airport, two nonstops to Los Angeles and two nonstops to Phoenix and on to Chicago.http://www.departedflights.com, March 30, 1969, American timetable Trans World Airlines Boeing 707s arrived in 1978, flying to Chicago via Phoenix.
Scheduled nonstops did not reach beyond California, Las Vegas, and Phoenix until winter 1969–70, when American Airlines started a nonstop to Chicago O'Hare Airport. In the 1970s, American McDonnell Douglas DC-10s appeared, the largest aircraft ever scheduled to PSP. In 1976, American was flying the DC-10 to New York LaGuardia Airport via Chicago O'Hare Airport as well as Boeing 727-100s to Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix and Los Angeles.February 1, 1976, Official Airline Guide In 1976 Western Boeing 727-200s and Boeing 737-200s flew nonstop to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1987, Western was merged into Delta Air Lines which continues to serve PSP with year-round service to Salt Lake City (via Delta Connection) and seasonal service to Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Seattle. Other jet service to Palm Springs in the past included flights operated by Air21, Air California and successor Air Cal, America West Airlines, CP Air, the original Frontier Airlines (1950–1986), Hughes Airwest, Morris Air, Pacific Express, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), Pan Am, Reno Air, Republic Airlines (1979–1986) and USAir.http://www.departedflights.com, Route Maps
Commuter and regional airlines at Palm Springs from the late 1970s to the 1990s included Air Bahia, Air Nevada, American Eagle operated by Wings West Airlines, America West Express operated by Mesa Airlines, Cable Commuter Airlines, California Seaboard Airlines, Dash Air, Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines, Imperial Airlines, Inland Empire Airlines, Scenic Airlines, SkyWest Airlines (operating independently), Sun Aire Lines, Swift Aire Lines, Trans World Express operated by Alpha Air, United Express operated by WestAir and later by SkyWest Airlines, and USAir Express followed by US Airways Express operated by Trans States Airlines and StatesWest Airlines.http://www.departedflights.com, Official Airline Guide editions: November 15, 1979; April 1, 1981; February 1, 1985; April 2, 1995; June 1, 1999
1990–2020: Growth and expansion
During the 1990s, the airport transformed from a single runway into a dual-runway airport with the completion of a nearly 5,000 foot general runway in 1993 and the expansion of the existing runway to 10,000 feet as part of a 1994 master plan. Simultaneously, the airport grew with the addition of the Sonny Bono Concourse in 1999, outdoor courtyard in 2007, and renovated South Concourse by 2007. The airport installed Wi-Fi in December 2004.
In 2010, WestJet launched flights to PSP with service to Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. In 2011, the airline added service to Toronto, and upgraded Calgary to year-round service. The airline has since dropped Toronto, but has since added seasonal service to Winnipeg and upgraded Vancouver to year-round. In November 2011, Frontier Airlines launched service to PSP with seasonal service to Denver. The airline served PSP from 2011 to 2021, when it pulled out in favor of expanding flights at Ontario. In December 2011, low-cost carrier Virgin America launched seasonal service to PSP from San Francisco, and in 2012, launched the airport's first ever service to New York's JFK Airport. The airline upgraded service to year-round in 2016.
In 2013, a new Air Traffic Control Tower opened at the airport, replacing the airport's old tower (which had been in operation since 1967) while giving controllers a better view of planes on the airfield and at the airport. The airport also boosted perimeter security with a radar-based system to better detect airport intrusions.
Delta Air Lines began flights to Seattle in December 2014 with the Embraer E175. JetBlue launched flights to New York-JFK in 2016 and Boston in 2019. In December 2016, Air Canada Rouge launched service between PSP and Toronto using the Airbus A319. In December 2018, Delta launched seasonal flights to Atlanta.
However, in 2020, as a result of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines suspended most seasonal and some year-round destinations as traffic plummeted during the month of March,
2020-present: Record-breaking growth
In September 2020, Southwest Airlines announced plans to serve Palm Springs, year-round. Flights to Oakland, Phoenix, and Denver launched in November 2020, and to Las Vegas in May 2021.
In December 2020, Delta resumed service to Atlanta and Minneapolis-St. Paul with the Boeing 737 and Seattle with the Embraer E175. Also, Alaska added flights to San Jose, Reno, and Boise using the Embraer E175. Simultaneously, American and JetBlue announced flights to Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale, respectively.
In August 2021, the airport renovated and expanded the ticketing area. It also installed a new baggage handling system to cope with increased passenger growth and demand.
In October 2021, Southwest Airlines launched daily, year-round flights to Sacramento. In November, the airline inaugurated flights to Chicago-Midway, Dallas-Love Field, and Portland, Oregon. Simultaneously, Allegiant launched seasonal flights to Nashville, Tennessee and Des Moines. On November 19, Alaska Airlines launched flights to Austin, Texas and later expanded its seasonal PDX service into June (using the Embraer E175 from April through June). With the reopening of the Canada-United States Border, Canadian service was restored with the return of Air Canada on November 4, 2021, and the entrance of Canadian ultra-low cost carriers Swoop and Flair in December.
In January 2022, AHA! Airlines launched flights to Reno using the Embraer E145 operated by ExpressJet.
In March, PSP launched a new incentive program to attract more year-round domestic and international service (from cities with U.S. Border Preclearance), along with nonstop flights to Hawaii.
In September, American and Alaska relaunched their respective seasonal services to Chicago O'Hare and Portland one month early. In November, Air Canada Rouge began flying the Airbus A321 on select frequencies to Toronto, while American upgraded Chicago O'Hare to double-daily service on select days, filling the void left by the discontinuation of its PSP-Philadelphia flight. Southwest Airlines launched daily flights to San Jose, California, making the airline the largest in terms of destinations served. Avelo Airlines launched seasonal flights to Eugene, Santa Rosa, and Redmond/Bend, with PSP becoming Avelo's 30th destination.
In December 2022, PSP announced it will be doubling the number of restaurants and renovating the airport's current shops, along with adding duty-free shopping for the first time in the airport's history. The multi-phase project began in 2023. In February 2023, PSP was awarded $5.7 million to renovate and expand the baggage claim area. That same month, the airport launched a master plan process in an attempt to expand the airport while maintaining the mid-century aesthetic.
In 2024, JetBlue ended service to PSP, citing underperformance and lack of demand. Simultaneously, United Airlines launched its own seasonal transcontinental flights between PSP and Washington-Dulles. In addition, Frontier returned to PSP with flights to Denver and San Francisco, while Porter Airlines launched new service to Toronto-Pearson. That same year, PSP launched a "Stay and Play" program, allowing non-travelers to greet loved ones at the gate, visit shops and restaurants, or plane spot from the outdoor courtyard.
In 2025, Alaska Airlines upgraded its long-running Portland flights from seasonal to year-round to meet increased demand during summer, bringing the total number of year-round destinations to 14.
Terminals
PSP's passenger terminal consists of three parts—the main building, the elevated Sonny Bono Concourse to the north, and the Agua Caliente Concourse to the south. The airport has 19 total gates. Airside, it has a unique open-air layout in that all passenger walkways connecting these structures are roofless.
Main Building The main building is the land side of the airport. Road traffic accesses the airport directly off of Tahquitz Canyon Way (from downtown) or Kirk Douglas Way (from points east). Uncovered parking areas are directly in front of the building. The center section houses the security screening area and automatic doors to/from the open-air walkways airside. Ticketing is on the right (south) wing, while baggage claim and car rental counters are on the left (north). The main building opened in 1966 and was designed by Donald Wrexler.
Sonny Bono Concourse (Gates 4–11)