According to recent data released by the U.S Census Bureau in May 2023, Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the US moving ahead of Philadelphia. So what travel options are available to move you into and out of the Phoenix area?
Phoenix has 2 main airports; Sky Harbor which is the main airport located approximately 4 miles from the city center and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport which is a smaller airport located in Mesa that handles flights from smaller airlines; Allegiant, Flair, Sun Country, Swoop and West Jet.
Sky Harbor is the 9th busiest airport in the U.S (8th depending on what list you view!) and the 11th busiest in the world as of February 2023.
It serves as a hub location for American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Spirit Airlines will also begin flying from Sky Harbor in October of 2023 after leaving Mesa Gateway.
There are also 2 other airports in Phoenix that are designated as General Aviation Reliever airports: Deer Valley and Goodyear. These locations are designated by the FAA to relieve congestion at Commercial Service Airports and to provide improved general aviation access to the overall community.
There are several other airports in and around Phoenix: Tucson, Flagstaff, Scottsdale, Buckeye, Chandler, Glendale, and Yuma just to name a few. Of course, these don’t handle large commercial airlines but are geared towards private aircrafts.
Phoenix Sky Harbor has also been known to call itself the “Friendliest” airport although that doesn’t seem to be an official title! The airport is easy to navigate, has lots of new food court offerings. They employ wonderful greeters, that you will find in their purple jackets, who will help guide you through the airport.
There are lots of statistics available for on-time arrival and departures, loads of data, but generally about 79-80% of flights are on time.
Which leaves parking and rental cars. The rental car facility is a combined facility off airport and there are buses at arrival to transport you there. As for parking, there is on airport parking in a covered garage and economy parking for cheaper and there are several off-airport options. My number one recommendation is my former company (I may be biased but they are good!) PreFlight Airport Parking located at 44 N 44th Street. If you visit their website at www.preflightparking.com you can get the best rates and discounted coupons and be sure to sign up for the frequent parking program to earn free days*.
Traveling to and from Phoenix can be a pleasant experience – hopefully you’ll travel to, and stay for a while!
#Transplanted
*I receive no compensation from PreFlight – it is a personal recommendation. Leave me a comment if you try them out!