B737 FLC EXECUTES GAR WHEN UNABLE TO CONTACT TWR FOR LNDG CLRNC.

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PHX APCH GAVE US A 290 DEG HDG TO JOIN RWY 25R AND CLRED US FOR A VISUAL RWY 25R. APCH CTL DIDN'T GIVE US A HANDOFF TO TWR. WE WERE GETTING CLOSE TO THE ARPT AND COULD NOT GET THROUGH TO APCH TO ASK IF THEY WANTED US TO SWITCH TO TWR AS APCH WAS BUSY TALKING TO OTHER ACFT. AT APPROX 4 MILE FINAL TO RWY 25R WE SWITCHED TO TWR. WE COULD NOT GET THROUGH TO TWR AS HE WAS BUSY CLRING NUMEROUS ACFT FOR TAKEOFF ON RWY 25R. NORMALLY AT PHX; WHEN YOU CONTACT THE TWR THEY HAVE YOU SIDESTEP TO RWY 25L AT A 3 MILE FINAL AND CLR YOU TO LAND RWY 25L. AT APPROX 1 AND A HALF MI TO 2 MI FINAL WE ELECTED TO GAR. WE WENT AROUND BECAUSE WE STILL COULDN'T GET IN CONTACT WITH THE TWR; AN ACFT WAS STILL ON THE RWY; AND WE WERE TOO LOW TO SIDESTEP TO RWY 25L AND STILL MEET COMPANY PROCS FOR STABILIZED APCHS DURING VMC. ONCE WE INITIATED THE GAR AND WERE CLIMBING OUT; WE WERE FINALLY ABLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE TWR. WE INFORMED TWR THAT WE WERE GOING AROUND AND OFFSETTING TO THE L. WE OFFSET TO THE L DUE TO ANOTHER ACFT TAKING OFF ON RWY 25R. WE HAD THE ACFT IN SIGHT THE WHOLE TIME. SHORTLY AFTER; TWR GAVE US A 220 DEG HDG AND CALL DEP. WE CAME BACK AROUND FOR AN UNEVENTFUL APCH AND LNDG. AFTER ARRIVING AT THE GATE; TWR WAS ON THE PHONE AND ASKED ME TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND ASKED IF THERE WAS A PROB AND HE SAID 'NOT ON YOUR END.' HE ALSO SAID THAT TWR HAD CLRED US FOR RWY 25L; BUT IT WAS BEFORE WE HAD EVEN SWITCHED FROM APCH TO TWR; THEREFORE WE NEVER RECEIVED OR ACKNOWLEDGED A CLRNC FOR RWY 25L FROM THE TWR. FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ARE: 1) APCH FORGETTING TO HAND US OFF TO TWR. 2) TWR WAS SO BUSY ON THE RADIO THAT THERE WAS NOT A BREAK TO CHK IN. 3) TWR GIVING US A CLRNC TO SWITCH TO RWY 25L WITHOUT US CHKING IN AND US NOT HEARING OR ACKNOWLEDGING THE CLRNC AS WE WERE STILL ON APCH. (NOTE: WHEN I TALKED TO TWR ON THE PHONE AFTER LNDG; HE SAID TWR HAD GIVEN US A CLRNC TO RWY 25L). 4) PHX USING THE PROC WHERE APCH CTL GIVE YOU CLRNC FOR ONE RWY AND TWR CLRS YOU TO LAND ON ANOTHER. THIS HAPPENS THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME AT PHX WHILE APCHING/LNDG ON RWYS 7 AND 25. THIS CAN LEAD TO PROBS SUCH AS WE ENCOUNTERED. 5) TWR SHOULD NOT GIVE A LNDG CLRNC WITHOUT YOU CHKING IN AND SHOULD HEAR YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.