Say Buh-Bye to limited airport options... Arizona's got several options to check into. Screenshot: Saturday Night Live Season 19 (March 19, 1994)

With the peak travel season for many destinations within Arizona soon upon us, many of our readers may be wondering which Arizona airport they should fly into. To help you quickly and efficiently arrive at your chosen getaway, we’re highlighting five Arizona airports that offer commercial service from major cities around the U.S.  And please, remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the pilot has turned off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. Thank yooooooouuuu!

1. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport – It’s probably no surprise that we’d start with Phoenix Sky Harbor. Phoenix Sky Harbor, or PHX, is the 6th busiest airport in the world with nearly 39.5 million passengers arriving and departing each year.  1500 flights arrive and depart daily leaving no doubt that the Valley of the Sun continues to draw tourists, businesses and residents alike.  Most Arizona visitors fly into Phoenix, via 17 commercial airlines from hundreds of cities, domestic and international, and drive themselves to every corner of the state. Get more information on Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport flight status, parking and airport shuttles, Phoenix transportation options, maps and directions.
2. Tucson International Airport – The gateway to all destinations in southern Arizona, Tuscon International Airport (airport code TUS) is serviced by 8 commercial airlines, with over 60 flights departing daily, providing nonstop service to and from 15 destinations with connections worldwide. We suggest flying into Tucson if your travel itinerary includes popular tourism spots as Tucson (of course), Tombstone, Tubac or Bisbee.
3. Flagstaff Pulliam Airport – While Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is serviced by just one commercial airline, US Airways Express, and all flights connect through Phoenix before arriving in Flagstaff, it may make sense for you to exert a little extra effort to fly into this northern Arizona city if your main destination is Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Sedona or any other northern town. With 6 daily flights arriving in Flagstaff (airport code FLG) via Phoenix from over 70 destinations worldwide, it’s easy to take a quick 1-hour flight into the heart of northern Arizona.
4. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport – This new airport is a gem of a gateway and a best-kept Arizona travel secret. Serviced by Allegient Air and Spirit Airlines, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (airport code AZA) is located in the southwest Valley with easy access from the Santan Loop 202 Freeway to all points around the metropolitan Valley area. Allegiant Air provides service between Mesa and  32 U.S. cities, and Spirit Airlines offers non-stop flights between Las Vegas and Dallas-Ft. Worth, with continuing services to 8 more destinations nationwide. Airfares on Allegiant and Spirit often present great savings opportunities, but you have to be flexible with your travel schedule, as not all flights run daily.
5. Prescott Ernest A. Love Field – We’re willing to bet you didn’t know you can fly commercially directly into Prescott, in the heart of central Arizona, but you can! Great Lakes Airlines offers daily direct flights to and from Prescott Ernest A. Love Field (airport code PRC) via Denver, CO, Farmington, NM and Los Angeles, CA, with continuing service to many other U.S. cities. Prescott’s Ernest A. Love Field is located just north of downtown Prescott and is minutes from all the Prescott and Verde Valley areas’ best lakes, hiking, museums, golf and birding.

Now that you know where to fly into for your Arizona vacation, please remain seated until the pilot has pulled all the way into the jetway. Use caution when removing luggage from the overhead bins, as bags may have shifted during flight. Thank you for choosing Arizona Travel Blog Air, have a fantastic day.

Mmm’buh-bye.

I will be traveling to Las Vegas for my nephew’s wedding in early August 2011. We would like to fly in early and stay at the Grand Canyon one or two nights and do the White Water rafting trip from the west rim down and the helicopter back up.

What is your recommendation on where we should fly in to?  Where is a good place to stay that would still have availability?  Is it better to stay at the South Rim and drive over to the West Rim?  We also still need to make flight & room reservations for Vegas.  I have looked at discounted flight/room packages on line.  Is there a way to get rooms in the Grand Canyon 1 or 2 nights and then Vegas the other nights?

We have never traveled to this area and would like to take in as much of the outdoors as possible.  Or as much as we can handle due to the heat in August!

 

Thanks for your help,
Lori L., Pensacola, FL

Hello Lori!

Thanks for your email.

I assume for the Las Vegas portion of your stay, you’ll either stay at or near the location of the wedding and will easily find Las Vegas accommodations that will suit your needs, has availability, etc. August is not the peak season in Las Vegas so you should have no trouble finding a room there.

You may need a total of 3 nights to really do this pre-wedding portion of your trip. This is big country out here… lots of driving, walking, and touring makes for quite action-packed, and thus tiring, long days. Depending on your arrival time (you’re smart to try to arrive early; from the east coast, you’ll be gaining time but still, flying cross-country can be tiring) you may want to spend one night in Phoenix or Scottsdale or Las Vegas, depending on which itinerary you choose, and rest up for the next few days of moderate-to-heavy driving, walking, rafting and touring.

Here are two ways to do this trip with handy links to options for hotels, tours and packages:

• Day/Night 1: Fly into Phoenix (one way). Stay overnight at one of the hotels near Phoenix Airport.
• Day 2/Night 2: Drive to the South Rim (4 hours.) See the South Rim and stay 1 night at one of these hotels near the South Rim.
• Day 3/Night 3: Drive to Peach Springs early (about 2 hours) and depart on the 1-day whitewater rafting. They’ll drive you back to Peach Springs. That night, stay at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs.
• Day 4: Drive to Las Vegas (about 3 hours.)
• After the wedding and the Las Vegas portion of your trip, fly home from Las Vegas (one way.)

Or

• Day 1/Night 1: Fly into Las Vegas (round trip). Have some fun and stay the night in Las Vegas. I suggest you book a nice but budget-friendly hotel off the Las Vegas Strip for this quick overnight.
• Day 2/Night 2: Drive to Peach Springs, AZ very early (about 3 hours) for whitewater rafting all day. They’ll drive you back to Peach Springs. Stay at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs.
• Day 3/Night 3: Drive yourselves to the South Rim (about 2 hours.) See the South Rim all day, stay in or near the South Rim that night.
• Day 4: Drive to Las Vegas (about 5 hours.)
• Fly the return round trip home from Las Vegas.

When you book your whitewater rafting through the Hualapai tribe (Hualapai Lodge and River Rafting Packages are available) do add on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. You might as well do it as long as you’re already paying for the rafting and other mandatory fees applied to being on Hualapai land.

The South Rim is the “real Grand Canyon” and will give you an unforgettable and different experience than the West Rim, with plenty of easy walking, light to moderate hiking, education, dining, etc. Staying overnight at the Rim may be very limited in availability if not sold out for your dates, but you should be able to find something Williams (about an hour south of the South Rim.)

You’ll probably book your Grand Canyon and Las Vegas stays separately, on two separate “packages”… e.g. your Las Vegas nights alone and then a Grand Canyon heli+rafting package through the Hualapai Tribe and/or a Grand Canyon South Rim flight+hotel package through a tour booking service such as Viator.com, AllGrandCanyonTours.com or AllLasVegasTours.com.

Enjoy your trip!
– ChristinaToo

We plan a trip for our honeymoon in August to stay in Sedona for 1 week but want to drive to Phoenix and or Flagstaff. Can you suggest the best flight to take into what airport and then renting a car?  We will be flying out of a different location than where we fly in to, but do not know exactly where yet as we want to be flexible. We have a time share in Sedona for the week, but can you recommend a romantic place for a dinner or two?

Thank you,

Sandy and Bob

Photo credit: SMercury98 CC by 2.0

Hi, Sandy and Bob. Best wishes and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

If you’re coming from or through Los Angeles (LAX) you could look for a flight on Horizon Air (horizonair.com) into Flagstaff – just 40 beautiful minutes from Sedona. (Note to readers: Sadly, Horizon Air will no longer service the Flagstaff and Prescott, Arizona airports after August 22, 2010. However, US Airways Express continues to fly into Flagstaff from Phoenix.)

However, most people – and I recommend you do the same – fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), rent a car at the airport, and drive 90 minutes up to Sedona. You’ll see a bit of Phoenix when you fly in… you could even pop over to Old Town Scottsdale for lunch and a bit of walking through air-conditioned shops and galleries (although do be prepared for “seasonably warm temperatures!”) Drive on up to Sedona and anytime that week, you can take a beautiful 40-minute drive up 23 miles of Oak Creek Canyon toward Flagstaff for a great day trip.

[Another aside to readers: Sandy and Bob have their lodging squared away with their Sedona timeshare, but if you're looking for a romantic bed & breakfast or resort in Sedona for a once-in-a-lifetime trip like your honeymoon, I recommend El Portal Luxury Hacienda (elportalsedona.com) Sedona Cathedral Hideaway Bed & Breakfast (sedonacathedralhideaway.com), Canyon Villa Bed & Breakfast (canyonvilla.com), the Enchantment Resort & Mii Amo Spa (enchantmentresort.com), and L'Auberge Resort (lauberge.com)]

You two will find romantic dining at Savannah’s (savannahssteakhouse.com) and L’Auberge (lauberge.com). For an alternative take on romantic dining, swing by New Frontiers Natural Marketplace (1420 West Highway 89A – no website) and pick up some of their yummy prepared foods and a great bottle of wine (with a twist-off) and head up Oak Creek Canyon or Schnebly Hill Road for a romantic picnic for two overlooking some of Sedona’s best scenery. Also, don’t forget there’s great dining in Flagstaff, too! Try Tinderbox Kitchen (tinderboxkitchen.com) or Pasto (pastorestaurant.com), both located downtown.

Again, best wishes for your wedding and marriage. Take care,

– ChristinaToo

Here is another Frequently Asked Question that came in from our site, sedona.net, today:

Dear Arizona Travel:

Which airport is the closest and how long a drive to Sedona from that location??

–Laura from California

ChristinaToo says:
The simple answer is Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (airport code PHX) and about 2 hours driving (120 miles/193 km.) For more detailed information, including interesting facts about Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport as well as other private airports (for those of you who might be flying your own plane or a charter… you lucky ducks!) check out our page on Sedona.net detailing Sedona airport information.

It’s going to be a mad house! In what state other than Arizona would there be full-blown Super Bowl parties and events hosted in at least four different cities? Between Scottsdale, Phoenix, Glendale, & Tempe, Super Bowl XLII is going to be one massive 30 x 30 mile party. Let’s not forget the oh so popular Phoenix Open (aka FBR Open) happening on the same weekend. With literally thousands of good-looking cougars on the prowl, ASU hotties, and many a Hawaiian shirt wearing yuppies wearing spikes just in case Phil Mickelson decides to call out into the crowd for a substitute…ah, you’ve gotta love the Open. Everyone, I have an announcement to make:

ARIZONA IS GOING TO BE ONE, GIGANTIC PARTY

What to Expect: Super Bowl in Arizona

(once you accept these few facts and move on, the better your Super Bowl experience will be)

1. Prices are going to be exceptionally high for everything
The term price gouging has been thrown around a lot.

2. Metro Phoenix is very spread out
Although the actual game is in Glendale, the real Super Bowl parties are in Scottsdale, Tempe & Downtown Phoenix respectively. All of these places are no less than 15 miles away from each other.

3. Metro Phoenix is a up-and-coming area
Meaning, there is not a lot of character unless you define character as the usual Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Borders and Starbucks strip malls. But, it is a very clean city and our freeways are pretty with cool kokopelli and iguana designs.

4. University of Phoenix stadium is out in the middle of nowhere
As much as the city of Glendale is trying to grow, please don’t mistake that type of growth with the crops surrounding the stadium.

5. Transportation/travel will be a b*t#h
A GPS in the rental car would be well worth it; cabs, town cars, limos will be expensive but less stress for you.
Note: Good luck with public transportation because it is almost non-existent for now.

6. The University of Phoenix stadium is NOT a space ship
I know…I wish is was, too. It’s actually a giant, metal rattlesnake. Go figure.

7. Yes, the rumors you’ve heard about Arizona ladies are for the most part true
The concentration of that population is about 20+ miles east of the Stadium, which is Scottsdale & Tempe.

Super Bowl XLII Event Calender

2008 Arizona Indian Festival
Jan 18-20, 2008 10:00am – 6:00pm
Tickets : $8 adults, $5 Children 12-18, $5 seniors
Steele Indian School Park
300 E. Indian School Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85012

Super Construction
Jan 31, 2008 Tickets:
Tickets:Canned food donation

Arrowhead Towne Center 75^thAve &Bell Rd.
Glendale AZ 85308

Chandler Fashion Center
Chandler Blvd. & Loop 101
Chandler, AZ 85226

Downtown End Zone Party
January 31 – Feb 2, 2008 4:00pm -2:00am
Tickets: $20 per day $10 Thursday with a Phoenix Suns game ticket
Downtown Phoenix – 2nd st between Washington and Jefferson

NFL Experience
Saturday Jan 26: 10am – 10pm
Sunday Jan 27: 11am – 8pm
Thursday: Jan 31: 3pm – 10pm
Friday: Feb 1: 3pm -10 pm
Saturday Feb 2: 10am -10pm
Sunday, Feb 3: Open to Super Bowl XLII ticket holders only
Location: West Parking Lot adjacent to the University of Phoenix Stadium Tickets: $17.50 for adults – $12.50 for children 12 and under

Taste of the NFL
6:00 pm VIP 7:00 pm
Main Event 9:45pm Live Entertainment
Tickets: $500 Guest Ticket VIP – $600

The Big Ticket Experience
Wednesday Jan 30 2008 6:00 – 10:00pm
Contact Sallie Sargent 480-362-4232
ssargent@azsuperbowl.com
The Phoenician
6000 E. Camelback Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Featuring:
Emcee, Chris Berman, Host of ESPN Sports Center
NLF Commissioner Roger Goodell
20 NFL Hall of Fame inductees
Special performance by Jay Leno
Silent and live auctions – All proceeds benefit the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Corporate table for 10 with VIP amenities $6,000

Scottsdale Super Artwalk
February 2, 2008
12:00 – 5:00pm FREE
Scottsdale Arts District www.scottsdalegalleries.com/artwalks2.html

944 Super Village
February 2, 2008
5 Days/Nights
www.944.com/az superbowl

PEPSI Super Bowl Bash
Thursday Jan. 31 – Friday Feb1 2008 6:00pm
Tickets: $40 per show
Jobing.com Arena 9400 W. Maryland Ave
Glendale AZ 85305
www.nfl.com/Superbowl

Superbowl Saturday Night
Feb 2, 2008 6:00 – 10:00pm FREE
Tempe Town Lake 85281

Unique family event commemorating a year of NFL football and celebrating the arrival of Super Bowl XLII.
Thousands of fans will join in the festivities at Tempe Town Lake, nestled in the hear of downtown Tempe. The event will feature a live headliner concert in the park followed by a spectacular Super Bowl fireworks show over the lake

NLF Youth Football Clinic
Clinics will teach basic football skills, good sportsmanship and healthy lifestyle lessons
Clinics will be led by current and former NFL players and volunteer coaches
All participants receive free NFL merchandise, courtesy of the Host Committee
Community outreach section www.azsuperbowl.com

Getting Around Metro Phoenix for the Super Bowl XLII

So let’s all try to be efficient about this and try to do a little planning. After all, I’m not kidding when I say that this is going to be 30 x 30 mile party. Having the Super Bowl here is actually quite ridiculous, simply because Metro Phoenix is so spread out. You’ll have to plan accordingly if you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on transportation and if you don’t want to get killed. Let’s just say that Arizona is known for having a lot of DUIs and that’s never good for anyone.

My advice is to get an idea of where the events are taking place (which part of Metro Phoenix you want to be in for the day or night) and arrange some type of transportation. Trust me, don’t try to hit multiple cities in one night. Yes, I said cities because they’re not just different parts of town. This is the desert, people, and the builders/city planners here have succeeded in sprawling out as much as possible.

Airport Information:

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
www.phoenix.gov/skyharborairport/index.html
602.273.3300

Glendale Airport (GEU)
www.glendaleaz.com/airport
623.930.2188

Scottsdale Airport (SDL)
www.scottsdaleaz.gov/airport
480.312.2321

SuperShuttle
Provides 24-hour door-to-door service from Sky harbor International Airport with no advanced reservation required. Once you have claimed your luggage proceed to a uniformed SuperShuttle Guest Service Representative will arrange transportation to your destination.
602.244.9000
800 Blue-Van

Town Cars & Cabs

Getting to the University of Phoenix Stadium

From the North
South on loop 101
Exit Northern Ave
Left on Northern Ave
Right on 91st Ave
Right on Coyotes Blvd

From the South
North on Loop 101
Exit Glendale Ave
Right on Glendale
Right on 95th Ave

On Superbowl XLII Game Day:
Please follow the instruction s on your parking pass. There will be no designated bus, limo, sedan or shuttle drop offs or pick ups areas at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday so please plan your transportation accordingly.

Printable Maps and Driving Tips

Metro Phoenix Map
Phoenix Map
Scottsdale Map
University of Phoenix Stadium Area Map

Mobile Google Maps – if you don’t have a GPS or you are drunk at 3am not knowing where you are, I suggest downloading Google Maps onto your cell phone because is a great way to locate yourself and where you want to go ; )

All of this information and more can be found on the Official Arizona Super Bowl XLII website or you could print out or take a look at an interactive Super Bowl XLII Event Guide which, so kindly, provided me with most of this information.

Local Watering Holes and Places Worth Seeing

Feel free to ask us about the places to hit up while you are here in Arizona or to leave your recommendations for others. There are quite a few places to see and drink at depending on what you are looking for. And remember, you’re only a few hours away from one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon, as well as Sedona,”The Most Beautiful Place in the World” according to USA Today. Consider making a stop.

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport should have a runway long enough to handle commercial jets by this time next year.

The city recently won two grants that will allow it to extend the current runway by 1,800 feet, bringing it to nearly 8,800 feet in length.

Public Works Director Ben Fisk said the city won a $1.1 million grant from the Arizona Department of Transportation and a $10.5 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. That represents 70 percent of the estimated $15.9 million cost of the project.

The airport currently is served by turboprop planes flown by America West Express, and city officials worried they would be left without a commercial carrier when the older aircraft are eventually phased out and replaced with regional jets.

City officials also hope airlines might be coaxed into adding destinations besides Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport if they can bring in their jets.

The improvements were delayed while an environmental assessment was completed, but the FAA has now issued a green light for the project, Fisk said.

Construction is expected to being in the spring with completion by fall, 2007.

Getting the financing was a goal for airport Manager Mike Covalt, who said he now plans to retire in February.

Information from: Arizona Daily Sun, http://www.azdailysun.com/

Ginger D. Richardson, The Arizona Republic

Phoenix-area airport officials will travel to Orlando next week to meet with AirTran Airways about starting service out of either Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport or Williams Gateway Airport in Mesa.

On Friday, the airline was quick to characterize the talks as “routine,” but Phoenix officials say that they believe the carrier is interested.

“We don’t have that it is going to happen with perfect clarity,” said Paul Blue, an assistant aviation director at Sky Harbor. “But they told us the last time we saw them that Phoenix was on their list.”

AirTran is a fast-growing, low-cost carrier that operates nationwide, although its network of destinations is predominately on the East Coast. Phoenix is the largest metropolitan market not served by the airline.

The proposed route would be to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, AirTran’s hub airport.

Phoenix officials said Friday that they had no way of knowing whether the airline would have a preference between Sky Harbor and Williams Gateway. Ultimately, it would be up to the carrier to decide if and where to locate.

But Phoenix says it plans to “push” Gateway.

Vision Airlines is the Mesa airport’s only passenger carrier, operating a flight to North Las Vegas Airport four times a week.

Gateway Executive Director Lynn Kusy could not be reached for comment Friday. Brian Sexton, the airport’s spokesman, said he could not comment on the talks.

“We meet with airlines throughout the country on a regular basis, but it’s our policy not to discuss our prospects,” Sexton said.

AirTran officials said they typically add two to three destinations to their network of routes every year. This year, they have added White Plains, N.Y., and Seattle.

Tad Hutcheson, an AirTran spokesman, said the airline would make a determination about Phoenix as a possible destination only after considering a variety of factors, including availability of planes, cost of fuel and the potential for competition from other carriers.

“Phoenix is a good candidate for service,” Hutcheson said. But, he added, “We meet with hundreds of cities and hundreds of airports each year. We are listening. .. nothing more.”

If AirTran should decide to enter the Valley market, it’s likely the carrier would have only a limited initial presence regardless of whether it was based out of Sky Harbor or Williams Gateway.

That’s because US Airways and Southwest dominate. Together, Sky Harbor’s two hub airlines account for more than 70% of the Valley’s commercial air traffic.

JetBlue Airways was the last major airline to start service in the Valley. It began flying out of Sky Harbor in 2004.

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