Passengers arriving at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport would be able to hail Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing services as soon as this summer under a new policy narrowly approved by the airport’s advisory board late Thursday.
The Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board’s 5-4 blessing of a controversial new airport ground-transportation policy, which still must be approved by the Phoenix City Council this spring, came despite heated concerns from competitors and others that the airport is lowering its safety and security standards to accommodate the popular car services.
They point to a new background-check option for drivers that the ride-sharing services pushed, which does not require fingerprinting or a security-threat assessment as is required of all companies picking up passengers today.

Limo operator Jeff Conly said the new option is risky and only in place to “pacify” Uber, Lyft and so-called other transportation network companies (TNCs) and to bow to political pressure.
"The TNCs can come in, but they have to play by the same rules,'' Conly said during a packed 4 1/2 hour advisory board hearing.
Fran Heston of Willis Sedan Service pointedly asked airport officials, "Why are we changing the way we do business to satisfy two companies?''
Airport officials for months last year said they wouldn’t bend on the fingerprint background check option but now say they are confident the companies’ third-party background checks are sufficient, and say most other airports follow the same policy. They say Sky Harbor’s current policy is the gold standard; the new option, a more common standard.