You aren't imagining it. Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is busier than ever. This is why
If you thought the Phoenix airport is busier than you've ever seen it this summer, you're right.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport reported a 9.5% year-over-year spike in passenger traffic in May, the most recent month for which figures are available. Some 4.2 million people flew through Sky Harbor in May — a record for the month — coinciding with a record-breaking Memorial Day holiday.
In 2022, passenger traffic during the spring and summer months ranged from 3.4 million to 3.9 million.
The Phoenix airport is busier now than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. May's traffic was more than 6% higher than the 3.9 million fliers recorded in May 2019, and year-to-date traffic is up by 5%, a higher percentage than the airport's record first quarter.
Airport staff credited the growing air travel demand, plus airlines adding new routes and expanding existing ones, with the traffic jump.
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Here's why the Phoenix airport is busier than ever
Phoenix is benefiting from a nationwide trend of increased travel demand.
Sky Harbor's May 2023 traffic numbers include the Memorial Day travel weekend. Nationwide, AAA forecasted record travel volumes for the weekend of 42.3 million Americans, including 3.4 million air travelers. AAA's outlook observed high consumer demand for air travel despite higher costs than the year earlier.
"More Americans are planning trips and booking them earlier, despite inflation," Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a forecast. "This summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports."
AAA made similar observations for the Fourth of July weekend. It expected 50.7 million Americans would travel, including 4.1 million air travelers.
May's traffic is evidence of high air travel demand in Phoenix, and Sky Harbor expects that trend to continue through the summer, airport spokeswoman Tamra Ingersoll said.
Airlines are adding new flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
Flying to more destinations also helps.
Two new nonstop routes launched in May: Tampa, Florida, via Frontier Airlines and Asheville, North Carolina, via Allegiant Air. Condor Airlines resumed its seasonal service between Phoenix and Frankfurt, Germany, and expanded it from twice-weekly to three times weekly, the first transatlantic service expansion at Sky Harbor since the pandemic began.
"By the end of the first quarter of this year, we had nonstop flights to 140 destinations, which is the most we’ve ever had," Ingersoll said.
Here's what travelers can expect at Sky Harbor Airport in 2023
Expect a busier airport and more new flights.
Every month since November 2022, the Phoenix airport has surpassed its passenger traffic compared to the same months in 2019, Ingersoll said. From January to May this year, 20.7 million passengers flew through Sky Harbor, up more than 5% from the 19.7 passengers during that period in 2019.
Pending no significant disruptions, 2023 will likely be the airport's best year since 2019, when it saw 46.2 million passengers. Airport spokesman Eric Everts told The Arizona Republic in April that the reasons 2019 was a record year were local population growth, favorable economic conditions and Arizona's appeal as a destination.
That appeal remains apparent as airlines commit to flying new routes to and from Phoenix. American Airlines recently announced it would add a new route to Tampa, reintroduce a previously suspended route to Wichita, Kansas, and expand service between Phoenix and more than 25 cities starting in November.
Travel tips for navigating the Phoenix airport
Just because Sky Harbor is getting busier doesn't mean travelers can't find ways to get through the airport easily. Here are three things you can do:
Reserve parking in advance at skyharbor.com/parking. Arrive early even if you have a reservation. See up-to-the-minute parking availability on skyharbor.com.
Arrive two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. Here's how you can check TSA security waits in real time.
Use the free PHX Reserve program to save a space in the security line. You can make a reservation up to six days before your flight via skyharbor.com/phxreserve.
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Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport really is busier than ever. Here's why
