The Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) in California has been getting increasingly busier. The number of passengers using the Palm Springs International Airport has grown exponentially in the last decade, and the Federal Aviation Administration predicts the airport will service an additional 1 million passengers by 2030.
PSP is busiest in the winter months and less crowded during the hot summer months, when temperatures can rise to over 100 degrees. Originally built as a United States Army Air Corps emergency landing field in 1939, the airport now features an open-air design. Beyond the security checkpoint, there is a landscaped courtyard offering a variety of restaurants and coffee shops, as well as a playground and pet area.
Here are some tips for riders — to give them the best possible experience arriving and departing from the airport:
Uber Options at Palm Springs International Airport
At this time, only UberBLACK and UberSUV can pick up at Palm Springs International Airport (PSP). However, UberBLACK, UberSUV and uberX may drop off passengers at PSP. Per Uber’s agreement with the airport, a $3 drop-off or pickup surcharge is added to fares for UberBLACK and UberSUV.
The Pickup Protocol
Although Uber can drop off and pick up riders at PSP, it is important to understand the suggested rules set by the airport:
Dropping off: Pull up directly in front of the airport’s main terminal to drop off riders.
Picking up: Airport officials are currently developing a way that would allow ride-shares to pick up directly in front of the terminal. For now, UberBLACK or UberSUV can pick up passengers in front of the airport on El Cielo Road.
A Guide to The City
First-time visitors to Palm Springs may ask for advice on what to see and do. These suggested destinations are all within an easy driving distance of Palm Springs International Airport:
Coachella Valley, once a playground for Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, is now the site of the famous Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and several movie festivals, including the Palm Springs International Film Festival, as well as plenty of trendy resorts, spas. and restaurants.
The Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway, where Elvis and his new bride Priscilla spent their 1967 honeymoon, has been restored to its original 1960s splendor. Tours of the house and grounds are offered daily.
Palm Springs is home to more than 100 spectacular golf courses.
Hikers, horseback riders, and nature-lovers will want to visit Indian Canyons and take in the beautiful streams, natural palm oases, and canyon formations.
There’s also the panoramic views on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. This rotating tramcar offers views of Chino Canyon at Mt. San Jacinto State Park. The 10-minute ride takes visitors to Mountain Station—elevation 8,516 feet—where they’ll find two restaurants, an observation deck, a natural history museum, and more than 50 miles of hiking trails.
Palm Springs Art Museum and its newly-renovated architecture and design center features a 13,000 square-foot glass and steel building that’s elevated above street level. The floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto the cityscape and the surrounding San Jacinto Mountains.
History buffs and airplane enthusiasts will enjoy the Palm Springs Air Museum, which focuses on the role air power played in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The museum preserves, exhibits, and even flies aircraft from these wars.