Phoenix Sky Harbor drops to eleventh busiest airport. (2014, hotels)

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

This is all the more reason why Phoenix should strive to be not only a national hub, but an international hub. We can't just rely on a few major events every so often to boost Sky Harbor's passenger count, only to decrease or remain stagnant during "regular" times. The American Airlines merger caused Sky Harbor to take too much of a hit ... and if it were a true international airport, the decrease in American flights wouldn't have had that much of an impact on the overall rankings.

There was a time when Sky Harbor was not only one of the top 10 busiest airports, but top FIVE. We've allowed other smaller cities like Las Vegas and Charlotte to overtake us, and this isn't a good sign. It all goes back to what I said before about Phoenix needing to be more of a business destination than what it currently is. This would definitely help put Sky Harbor back in the top 10 where it belongs.

A part of the issue/problem and one that can never be changed (unless SoCal breaks off and sinks into the Pacific! ) has to do with where Phoenix is located in the United States and where it is located with respect to other hubs in the US. Yes, it can definitely try and increase business travelers with getting more Fortune 500 companies to relocate to the Valley, but other than that, it seems like it will plateau and stay at the 40-43 million passenger range for awhile.

[Hschlick84]

To be honest, I'm not really impressed with Skyharbor airport. Coming from Denver, I think I've been spoiled with having one of the busiest and nicest airport in the country. Much easier to navigate, more places to park overall. With Skyharbor, it's centralized which makes it close to everything.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

To be honest, I'm not really impressed with Skyharbor airport. Coming from Denver, I think I've been spoiled with having one of the busiest and nicest airport in the country. Much easier to navigate, more places to park overall. With Skyharbor, it's centralized which makes it close to everything.

Sky Harbor varies so heavily from terminal to terminal it's hard to generalize it. But DIA is a nice airport.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

To be honest, I'm not really impressed with Skyharbor airport. Coming from Denver, I think I've been spoiled with having one of the busiest and nicest airport in the country. Much easier to navigate, more places to park overall. With Skyharbor, it's centralized which makes it close to everything.

DIA is nice once you finally get to it, I'd rather have a more convenient airport then one that is nicer looking.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by ajonesaz

Ducey just cut taxes for airlines in an effort to lure them back.

Arizona Gov. Ducey Signs Tax Cut For Airlines, At Expense Of Phoenix | KJZZ

A lot of people were angry about signing this. Not sure how much the state benefits from layover traffic though.

The US Airways merger should have never been allowed to happen.

In fact, I think Southwest actually carries more O&D traffic than American out of PHX, although American carries more traffic overall due to the layovers.

[Hschlick84]

What Skyharbor should do, is get a non-stop flight from Phoenix to Tokyo. I had to drive my family to Phoenix last Saturday to a connecting flight to Denver then to Tokyo. How many international non-stop flights does Skyharbor have?

[timothyaw]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

This is all the more reason why Phoenix should strive to be not only a national hub, but an international hub. We can't just rely on a few major events every so often to boost Sky Harbor's passenger count, only to decrease or remain stagnant during "regular" times. The American Airlines merger caused Sky Harbor to take too much of a hit ... and if it were a true international airport, the decrease in American flights wouldn't have had that much of an impact on the overall rankings.

There was a time when Sky Harbor was not only one of the top 10 busiest airports, but top FIVE. We've allowed other smaller cities like Las Vegas and Charlotte to overtake us, and this isn't a good sign. It all goes back to what I said before about Phoenix needing to be more of a business destination than what it currently is. This would definitely help put Sky Harbor back in the top 10 where it belongs.

You are exactly correct. Both of these cities have multiple direct international destinations.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

What Skyharbor should do, is get a non-stop flight from Phoenix to Tokyo. I had to drive my family to Phoenix last Saturday to a connecting flight to Denver then to Tokyo. How many international non-stop flights does Skyharbor have?

I believe only one? British Airways to Heathrow. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.


I'm willing to bet the reason Sky Harbor doesn't have non-stop international flights is because of our close proximity to LAX. LA is a much bigger airport and gets more tourists, and is equipped much better to handle large aircraft like the A380, which requires special jetways, etc.

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

I believe only one? British Airways to Heathrow. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

They also have:

Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto on WestJet
Kelowna, Regina, Saskatoon, Vancouver and Winnipeg (seasonal) on WestJet

Vancouver on Air Canada Express

Calgary and Toronto on Air Canada Rouge
Vancouver (seasonal) on Air Canada Rouge

Culiacán, Guadalajara on Volaris
Hermosillo (seasonal) on Volaris

Guadalajara and Hermosillo on American Eagle
Edmonton, Manzanillo and Mazatlán (seasonal) on American Eagle

Mazatlán, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo, and Vancouver on American Airlines
Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and San José de Costa Rica (seasonal) on American Airlines

So in summary, international flights outside of North America, yes there is only one, London–Heathrow on British Airways, international flights inside of North America to 17 different cities, 7 of which are seasonal:

Calgary
Edmonton
Toronto
Vancouver
Culiacán, Guadalajara
Hermosillo
Mazatlán
Mexico City
Puerto Vallarta
San José del Cabo

(Seasonal)
Kelowna
Regina
Saskatoon
Winnipeg
Manzanillo
Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo
San José de Costa Rica

[BIG CATS]

OK, let me rephrase: overseas international flights. Flying to Canada or Mexico is great and all, but what if we want to fly somewhere exotic like Egypt? Or Greece?