Drive or fly? New flights connect Arizona cities with Sky Harbor and the world

A new Southwest Airlines route takes less than an hour by plane to reach an Arizona destination that's less than two hours driving.

Southwest Airlines recently announced it will introduce a new route from Phoenix to Tucson in early 2026, one of several new flights the airline is adding to improve the connections it offers to its hub airports.

It's Southwest's first intrastate route in Arizona, but five similar routes exist with other carriers. American Airlines flies three using regional jets, including its own Phoenix-Tucson route. Contour Airlines flies to Page and Show Low.

Mission San Xavier del Bac, is located about 10 miles south of Tucson. The mission was founded by Jesuit missionary Father Eusebio Francisco Kino in 1692. Construction of the church was finished 1797.

Generally, few passengers intentionally travel these routes to fly between the two cities; instead, they serve a key role in connecting air travelers whose itineraries start outside of Phoenix. Tucson International Airport's staff said most of its passenger traffic comes from American Airlines flyers connecting in Phoenix.

What airline flies from Phoenix to Tucson?

American Airlines flies between Phoenix and Tucson, and Southwest Airlines will begin twice-daily flights between the two Arizona cities on March 5, 2026.

Why do airlines fly from Phoenix to Tucson?

Tucson International Airport has nonstop service to 20 destinations, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Denver. But airport staff said flights between Tucson and Phoenix serve most of its passengers.

Phoenix offers nonstop service to more than 120 domestic destinations and international flights to Canada, Mexico, London and Paris, with Taipei flights coming in December. For people who live in and around Tucson, flights with connections in Phoenix allow flyers access to what Sky Harbor has to offer without dealing with longer waits for check-in and security and enduring the metro area's traffic, said Austin Wright, spokesman for the Tucson Airport Authority.

The cost to park is lower, too, he said. Tucson airport parking is as low as $5 per day for uncovered economy parking and as high as $15 per day in an hourly lot. Sky Harbor's parking costs range from $10 per day for a park and walk lot to $33 per day in the terminal garages, though the airport offers small discounts for booking parking online in advance.

"These short flights are an easy way for the customer to be able to avoid the stress of starting or ending a journey in Phoenix, rather making it a simple connecting point," he said. "Tucson takes great pride in affordable parking and an ultra-easy and stress-free environment. You literally can walk right in the doors to the terminal and be at your gate in minutes."

How much do short-haul flights within Arizona cost?

Most passengers on routes like Phoenix-Tucson are connecting passengers. One likely reason why few passengers book intrastate flights that don't have a connection: it's expensive.

A fare search conducted by The Arizona Republic showed the lowest round-trip fares for American's flights from Phoenix to other Arizona airports were $301 in Tucson, $317 in Flagstaff and $413 in Yuma. The lowest fares were available on select dates between October and March 2026.

In comparison, driving to each of the three cities requires a tankful of gas or less. The average cost of gas was $3.53 per gallon in Arizona and $3.81 per gallon in metro Phoenix as of Sept. 9, according to AAA.

Choosing to fly between Phoenix and other Arizona cities without a connection via American is more expensive than some of the cheapest round-trip airfares from Phoenix to other states in September, which included base fares as low as $120 to Detroit, which is a less than four-hour, nonstop flight that would require 29-30 hours to reach driving.

What are the cheapest short-haul flights within Arizona?

Curiously, September's cheap flights list includes one Arizona city: Page.

Located about 280 miles from the Phoenix city center, about a four and ½-hour drive, Page is a city near the Arizona-Utah border known for its proximity to iconic landmarks like Horseshoe Bend, the Glen Canyon Dam, Antelope Canyon, The Wave and Monument Valley. Page is also about two and ½-hours from Zion National Park.

The Phoenix-Page flights are operated by Contour Airlines, a Smyrna, Tennessee-based carrier whose routes connect smaller, regional airports with larger hubs. Contour also flies to Show Low, the Mogollon Rim city about three hours from Phoenix that's close to Pinetop-Lakeside and the White Mountains.

One-way fares for both flights range from $64 to $109, depending on the day and demand. Because of the potential for low-cost round-trip itineraries via Contour, Show Low appeared in previous months' cheap flights from Phoenix list, compiled by the travel website Hopper.

Why do airlines operate short-haul flights?

Short flights like the ones American offers between Phoenix and Tucson, Flagstaff and Yuma are designed to improve connectivity between hub airports and smaller airports. The aviation industry refers to these flights as "bank" flights or "intentional connections."

Examples of other such flights include Southwest's flights between Milwaukee and Chicago's Midway Airport, which are similar in distance to Phoenix and Tucson — about a one-hour flight or two-hour drive.

Spokespeople for American and Southwest could not speak on the record about the market for short-haul flights within Arizona. However, Southwest staff spoke briefly about these flights and the reason they're offered in a recent earnings call.

Bob Jordan, Southwest's president and CEO, told investors in the airline's latest earnings call that Southwest is adding more short-haul "intentional connection" flights to enhance connectivity on its flights and improve its business, though he didn't specifically name the Phoenix-Tucson route.

Introducing these connections is part of Southwest's ongoing transformation that has included charging for checked luggage and phasing out open seating in favor of assigned and premium seating, Jordan said.

Intentional connections help airlines manage their flight capacity more efficiently, something they refer to in the industry as load factors. Connecting flights are scheduled at times of day when Southwest has large numbers of arriving and departing flights, creating a higher load factor by allowing connecting passengers to meld with local customers in larger cities, Southwest spokesperson Chris Perry said.

"We’re still point-to-point at heart and in practice, but with some hybrid options to bring customers into stations where we have a lot of flights and connectivity," Perry said.

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Drive or fly? New flights connect Arizona cities with Sky Harbor and the world