The Grand Canyon State is home to one of the largest airports in the United States, with Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport ranking 12th nationally in total passenger count in a recent survey.
Allowing 21.9 million passengers to pass through Arizona’s capital city, Sky Harbor serves as a hub for Dallas-based American Airlines and a focus city for fellow Dallas carrier Southwest Airlines. Given that, it’s no wonder Arizonans seem to prefer the two carriers over many of their domestic competitors, with each ranking among the favorites in the 48th State.
From September 2022 to August 2023, American Airlines eked out the No. 1 spot at Sky Harbor over Southwest, 34.57%-to-34.42%. Tucson International Airport, the state’s second largest gateway, has seen similar market share numbers, with American holding a 4.64% lead over Southwest.
Utilizing Google Trends, BetArizona.com took a break from Arizona sports betting and analyzed the most popular airlines of Arizona residents by looking at the search results of each airline over the last 90 days (December to March).
Favorite Airlines In Arizona Ranked 1-5
American Airlines Headlines List of Top Arizona Airlines
Arizona’s top airline when it came to search interest was American, at 92, nearly doubling second place Delta Air Lines (49 search interest score). Southwest Airlines (36 search interest score), Spirit Airlines (20 search interest score) and United Airlines (18 search interest score) round out the list.
Of the five, American hauled the most passengers at Sky Harbor (15,102,000) and Tucson International (1,062,000) between September 2022 and August 2023. Southwest (15,036,000 and 898,000) has the second most of the group, followed by Delta (3,225,000 and 358,000), United (2,528,000 and 286,000) and Spirit, who only serves Sky Harbor.
With Phoenix’s air traffic numbers growing in each of the last three years (from 38,846,713 to 44,397,854 and 58,872,974) and Tucson’s following a similar trajectory (from 2,283,777 in 2021 to 2,257,581 in 2022 and 3,317,494 in 2023), there’s sure to be a lot of interest in airlines in Arizona going forward — just as there is in Arizona betting apps.
Favorite Arizona Airline FAQs
The most popular Arizona airline goes to American Airlines. With a hub located at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, American Airlines is the leader for incoming and outgoing flights out of one of the busiest airports not only in the United States but internationally as well.
There's a total of 23 airlines that fly out of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. One of the largest airports located in the United States, Sky Harbor offers flights to 120+ domestic and 26 international destinations, according to their official website. American Airlines is the only airline hub located at Sky Harbor.
There are a total of 83 airports located throughout Arizona according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Only 9 of those 83 airports currently offer commercial flights with the largest being at Phoenix Sky Harbor. The Tucson International Airport is the second largest, serving roughly 4 million passengers a year.
Author
Christopher Boan is the lead writer at BetArizona.com after covering sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
