If You Want Cheaper Fares, Fly Out of Tucson

Our view: Tucson International Airport can compete better with Sky Harbor if more air travelers choose to use it

Southern Arizona travelers who lament that they cannot find flights or decent fares at Tucson International Airport can do one thing to improve the situation – fly out of Tucson International Airport.

The airport will probably never be able to offer fares that are as inexpensive across the board as those enjoyed by travelers who use Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. However, Tucson International Airport has made leaps in recent years, and if more Southern Arizonans fly out of Tucson, the airport will continue to grow, fares may keep dropping, and travelers might have more destination options.

It’s a little-known fact that flights out of Tucson are sometimes less expensive than those out of Phoenix to the same destinations. Recent growth at Tucson’s airport also has brought fares down to the point where it may make more sense economically to fly out of Tucson rather than Phoenix even if a Sky Harbor fare is lower.

Bonnie Allin, president and CEO of the Tucson Airport Authority, told the Star’s editorial board last week that, on average, fares out of Phoenix and Tucson differ by less than $50 overall for comparable flights.

When one takes into account the hidden costs of traveling out of Sky Harbor – such as travel time to Phoenix, vehicle or shuttle expenses, longer waits at security checkpoints, higher parking costs and more frequent flight delays – the modest difference in fares may not make economic sense.

“We can’t compete with the sixth-largest airport in the country,” Allin said. “We can compete by making our travel experience more pleasant.”

However, Allin said, 15 percent to 20 percent of TIA’s potential travelers continue to fly out of Phoenix. The Tucson airport expects to serve 4.41 million passengers this year, which means it is losing up to 1 million travelers to Sky Harbor.

Many of those travelers, particularly those who live on the Northwest Side, make their plans without even checking what the Tucson airport has to offer, Allin said.

“It really is the chicken and the egg argument,” Allin said. “If you have more flights, more people will fly to the destinations. But you have to have those flights full in order for the airlines to make money and add flights.

“What we’re trying to do is get the people in the seats so that we can keep those flights.”

Travelers may be surprised by what Tucson’s airport has to offer and that they could save money in the process.

Allin said the airport frequently gets calls from travelers wanting to know when the airport will have flights to places like Salt Lake City and Chicago. Airport officials have to respectfully inform those callers that they’ve had nonstop service to those cities for years. TIA has five daily nonstops apiece to both Salt Lake City and Chicago.

The Tucson airport has added 15 nonstop flights so far this year, bringing the total up to 88 nonstops, compared with about 60 about four years ago. Tucson travelers can now reach 28 destinations directly, up from 14 four years ago.

The nonstops include major East Coast destinations like Atlanta; Chicago; New York City; Newark, N.J.; and Washington, D.C. A seasonal nonstop to Minneapolis will begin flying Dec. 16.

Sky Harbor will remain the dominant airport in Arizona. As the nation’s only airport that is home to two discount carriers – US Airways and Southwest – it can offer more flights and more cheap seats than TIA.

Tucson International Airport, however, has comparable service in many cases.

Local travelers who choose to fly out of Tucson International Airport can find good deals with fewer hassles. Their decision, in turn, would benefit the airport, the local economy and, possibly, future travelers.

Find a deal

Travelers looking for low fares in Tucson can sign up for a weekly alert at www.airtucson.com.

Provide an e-mail address and a ZIP code and receive the alert each Wednesday.

Originally published by KATHLEEN ALLEN, ARIZONA DAILY STAR.

(c) 2007 Arizona Daily Star. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.