Arizona Airports Information: Which Airport Ought to You Use?

In terms of flying into and out of Arizona, you’ve fairly just a few choices.

Whereas the state is fairly giant (sixth largest total), the airports are clustered principally in the course of the state which makes it sensible for lots of people to have totally different airport choices to select from.

On this information, we are going to break down the main airports in Arizona and provide you with some perception into which airport is perhaps finest for you primarily based on the place you must go and the way you’d prefer to get there.

Record of main airports in Arizona (w/map)

First, right here’s a listing of the main airports in Arizona.

1. Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX): Positioned in Phoenix, that is the biggest and busiest airport in Arizona.
2. Tucson Worldwide Airport (TUS): Tucson Worldwide Airport is situated in Tucson and is the second-largest airport in Arizona.
3. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA): Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is a smaller airport situated in Mesa, simply east of Phoenix.
4. Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG): Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is situated in Flagstaff, in northern Arizona.
5. Yuma Worldwide Airport (YUM): Yuma Worldwide Airport is situated in Yuma, in southwestern Arizona.
6. Prescott Regional Airport (PRC): Prescott Regional Airport is situated in Prescott, in north-central Arizona.

Who ought to use PHX

Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX) is by far the busiest and most outfitted airport in Arizona.

The beauty of Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX) is that it’s centrally situated among the many main cities in Arizona.

It’s proper within the coronary heart of Phoenix but in addition roughly in the course of Tucson, Sedona, Flagstaff, and Prescott. Principally, you will get to the entire widespread cities inside about two hours.

Because of this flying into PHX could make exploring Arizona really easy.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX) is likely one of the high 10 largest airports within the US and the one airport in Arizona that provides an in depth collection of airport lounges.

They’ve a Delta Sky Membership, Amex Centurion Lounge, Escape Lounges, Admirals Golf equipment, and fairly just a few others. So if you’d like that premium airport expertise when heading out of Arizona, you seemingly will need to fly out of PHX.

PHX is an American Airways hub so you possibly can anticipate to have a lot of choices when flying American Airways or American Eagle. Southwest Airways additionally has a fairly large presence right here together with Frontier Airways, so that you do have some price range choices out of Phoenix.

Widespread locations out of PHX embody: Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas, Nevada; Seattle/Tacoma, Washington; Chicago–O’Hare, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Dallas/Fort Price, Texas; San Diego, California; and Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota.

If you wish to fly to Hawaii (HNL), you’ll have just a few totally different choices from PHX with nonstop flights on Southwest, American, and Hawaiian Airways, together with their lie-flat product.

Additionally they have a nonstop flight to Anchorage, Alaska.

You’ll have totally different choices for heading to Canada and Mexico together with a number of the trip hotspots like Cabo and Cancun. It’s also possible to hop throughout the pond on a nonstop flight to London with British Airways or American Airways.

Nonetheless, when you’re attempting to get to a lot of totally different worldwide cities in Europe or Asia or elsewhere, you’ll seemingly have to hook up with a bigger gateway airport on the West Coast or East Coast (or in London).

Whereas PHX is likely one of the busiest airports within the US, it doesn’t have the identical degree of worldwide attain that different airports within the high 10 do. (Geography most likely performs a big function on this.)

Scottsdale, close to Phoenix, does have an airport referred to as “Scottsdale Airport.” It is a small municipal airport situated 9 miles north of downtown Scottsdale. Whereas small, it’s a really busy single-runway airport serving a lot of smaller jets and likewise has US Customs accessible throughout sure hours in order that worldwide guests can come by means of.

Who ought to use TUS

Tucson Worldwide Airport (TUS) is far smaller and fewer busy than Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX). Actually, PHX serves about 14 instances the quantity of site visitors!

This makes TUS supreme for individuals who desire an easier and fewer hectic airport expertise. You may rapidly get out and in of this airport which makes it supreme for brief and straightforward journeys for these dwelling in or visiting the Tucson/Pima County space.

This airport is served largely by American Airways but in addition by lots of the hubs of all of the legacy carriers. Which means you normally shouldn’t have a lot bother discovering a minimum of one nonstop flight from the hub cities for United, American, and Delta.

Nonetheless, in case you are attempting to fly to a non-hub metropolis, you’ll seemingly should work with a minimum of one connection. Southwest additionally serves lots of locations out of Tucson.

This airport doesn’t have airport lounges like PHX. You probably have a Precedence Go membership that comes with restaurant entry, you possibly can get pleasure from a free meal at one of many airport eating places however for now the precise lounges (apart from the Army Liaison Workplace) are nonexistent.

The worldwide flights out of TUS are restricted. Due to that, you’ll have to hook up with a bigger airport with a purpose to fly on long-haul flights throughout the Pacific or Atlantic or to get all the way down to locations like Hawaii, Alaska, or South America.

So you possibly can go about scheduling your longer flights in just a few other ways.

A method is for you e-book a connecting flight by means of a neighboring airport like PHX or LAX. With LAX providing so many extra worldwide flights than PHX and being such a brief hop from TUS, it’s usually straightforward to make the most of that airport as your gateway for long-hauls.

An alternative choice is to easily drive to Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX) once they serve your vacation spot. Relying on which facet of Tucson dwell on, this drive may very well be as fast as one hour and half-hour. (An Uber trip would price you about $130 to $150 for a fundamental car from Tucson to PHX.)

It’s a fairly scenic drive with mountains to admire alongside the way in which and is especially stunning to do round dawn or sundown so it’s not a foul drive. Visitors between Tucson and Phoenix will not be normally a problem alongside I-10, except there’s a serious accident.

Yow will discover a lot of airport accommodations close by PHX which makes it straightforward to reap the benefits of a few of these cheaper, early morning flights.

Who ought to use AZA

Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) is situated in Mesa, Arizona, 20 miles (17 nmi; 32 km) southeast of Phoenix. Which means it’s in prime location for many who dwell in Phoenix but in addition for these keen to drive a few hours to get to the airport from locations like Tucson or Flagstaff.

If you wish to make the most of extremely low price service Allegiant Air to get across the US then AZA may very well be an excellent possibility.

Usually, you’d be hopping between smaller cities and airports like Idaho Falls, Idaho (IDA), Knoxville, Tennessee (TYS), Laredo, Texas (LRD), McAllen, Texas (MFE) Medford, Oregon (MFR), and so on. Nonetheless, sometimes Allegiant Air will serve a big airport corresponding to MSP.

If you happen to can fly with out a carry-on bag on Allegiant Air, then you possibly can reap the benefits of some tremendous low-cost charges to get across the US from Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport. For instance, you would get to Houston for $44 or to Minneapolis for $59. So Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) may very well be one of many least expensive airports in Arizona.

For many of your worldwide flights, you seemingly would need to head to PHX or a unique airport as mentioned above. Nonetheless, you’ll find routes from AZA to sure Canadian locations with airways corresponding to WestJet and Lynx Air.

Who ought to use FLG

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG) is situated a few hours north of Phoenix within the metropolis of Flagstaff.

It presents considerably fewer choices for flights in comparison with the entire choices above.

On the time of this writing, you solely have nonstop flights to Phoenix and DFW by way of American Airways. You may e-book connecting flights to/from a lot of different airports (flying on American Airways most probably) however the costs could also be fairly excessive in comparison with simply flying in/out of Phoenix.

If you happen to can cope with the upper costs and presumably a few connections, the comfort of flying into Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG) could be price it for some. It’s going to prevent a two hour drive from Phoenix and it additionally places you solely about 1.5 hours from Grand Canyon Nationwide Park.

It’s price noting that when you’re headed to the Grand Canyon, you is perhaps tempted to fly into Grand Canyon Nationwide Park Airport, situated in Tusayan, which is the closest airport to Grand Canyon Nationwide Park. That is largely an airport used for air taxis, excursions, and constitution flights, although. It has extraordinarily restricted industrial flights, so don’t anticipate a legacy service to get you there.

Flying into Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG) may also make it simpler to discover different areas of northern Arizona. For instance, when you wished to go to Web page (Antelope Canyon), Monument Valley, Petrified Forest Nationwide Park, and different related spots it might make sense to fly into FLG.

Backside line: If you’re pressed for time and need to discover these areas then heading into FLG may very well be higher than coping with the additional drive time (and presumably site visitors) to and from PHX.

Associated: Evaluate: El Tovar Resort, Wonderful Grand Canyon Lodge!

Who ought to use YUM

Yuma Worldwide Airport (YUM) is just like Flagstaff in that it’s a very tiny airport that solely has extraordinarily restricted nonstop flights (Dallas/Fort Price and Phoenix–Sky Harbor), so that you’ll seemingly be connecting from these locations on American Eagle.

One distinction although is that YUM is a joint use airport (civilian and army flights) operated at the side of the U.S. Marine Corps.

It’s a couple of 3 hour drive from Yuma to Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX), so it’s positively inside driving distance for some however not precisely a fast little highway journey.

Some folks may take into account driving to San Diego Worldwide Airport (SAN) for longer flights since that airport is somewhat bit nearer than PHX.

Who ought to use PRC

The smallest airport on this listing, Prescott Regional Airport (PRC) is house to a lot of coaching flights from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical College and Steerage Aviation and North-Aire. Whereas the flights are very restricted right here at PRC, it does supply nonstop service with United Airways to Denver and Los Angeles.

This permits folks to journey with minimal connections to far-flung locations when going with United Airways and their companions. For instance, you would fly from Prescott to Tokyo with just one brief connecting flight to LAX. Not unhealthy for such a tiny airport.

Arizona airport codes

If you happen to’re in search of a listing of the main airports in Arizona with their corresponding IATA and ICAO codes, right here you go:

1. Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX/KPHX)
2. Tucson Worldwide Airport (TUS/KTUS)
3. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA/KIWA)
4. Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG/KFLG)
5. Yuma Worldwide Airport (YUM/KYUM)
6. Prescott Municipal Airport (PRC/KPRC)
7. Grand Canyon Nationwide Park Airport (GCN/KGCN)
8. Kingman Airport (IGM/KIGM)
9. Present Low Regional Airport (SOW/KSOW)
10. Lake Havasu Metropolis Airport (HII/KHII)

FAQ

Ultimate phrase

For essentially the most half, once you journey to or from Arizona, you’ll be using Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX) or Tucson Worldwide Airport (TUS). As a result of these airports are comparatively shut to one another, you could need to go for one over the opposite relying in your vacation spot and journey preferences.

The outlier airports may also come in useful when flying low price carriers or when shaving driving time however they’ll require extra connections and different instances be costlier.

Daniel Gillaspia is the Founding father of UponArriving.com and creator of the bank card app, WalletFlo. He’s a former legal professional turned full-time bank card rewards/journey knowledgeable and has earned and redeemed tens of millions of miles to journey the globe. Since 2014, his content material has been featured in main publications corresponding to Nationwide Geographic, Smithsonian Journal, Forbes, CNBC, US Information, and Enterprise Insider. Discover his full bio right here. 

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