American Airlines to begin nonstop flights from XNA to Phoenix this winter
by November 3, 2022 2:49 pm 12,362 views
Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) recently announced that American Airlines will provide nonstop flights to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport starting in February. Two weeks ago, low-cost carrier Breeze Airways said it would provide nonstop flights to the Phoenix airport.
The new American Airlines flights start Feb. 3 and will be offered daily on an Embraer 175 aircraft. With the addition of this route, American Airlines offers eight nonstop flights at XNA.
“American is excited to connect Northwest Arkansas with Phoenix starting this winter, providing local customers with additional access to American’s global network,” said Philippe Puech, director of short-haul network planning for American Airlines. “This new route complements our existing service from XNA to Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Washington D.C.”
According to the American Airlines website, a one-way, nonstop flight to Phoenix on Feb. 3 is $490.
“We are grateful for America Airlines’ continued partnership and interest in the Northwest Arkansas market,” said Andrew Branch, chief operating officer for XNA. “American is a dependable legacy carrier at XNA, and the addition of the nonstop to Phoenix is a route that will greatly benefit passengers across the region.”
In October, Breeze announced it would begin providing nonstop flights to Phoenix and Orlando, Fla., starting Feb. 17 and March 3, respectively.
According to the Breeze website, a one-way, nonstop flight to Phoenix on Feb. 17 starts at $99. The American Airlines website shows a one-way, nonstop flight to Phoenix on the same date is $525, or five times more than Breeze. However, American Airlines will offer daily nonstop flights to Phoenix. Breeze will provide the nonstop flights to Phoenix twice weekly, like low-cost carrier Allegiant.
Currently, Allegiant has nonstop flights to Phoenix twice a week, but instead of landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor, it lands at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, about 20 miles southeast of Phoenix. According to the Allegiant website, a one-way, nonstop flight to Phoenix on Feb. 16 is $82. The carrier doesn’t offer any Feb. 17 flights from XNA to Phoenix.
Through September, XNA enplanements, or passengers flying out, has increased by 49.2% to 617,253, from 413,725 in the same period last year. Compared to 2019, enplanements are down by 9.5%.