Flights: Search, Deals & Price Tracking

Start with our own flight search. Powered by Travelpayouts, it scans airlines and booking sites for routes to Phoenix, across the US, and worldwide, in TRVL Guide colors without sending you to a random aggregator. If you're planning an Arizona trip, search flights into Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) first: it's the state's biggest airport, a hub with nonstops from most major US cities, and the starting point of every itinerary on this site.

[AFFILIATE: flight search widget]

Two searches worth trying before you book: compare PHX against Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (AZA) if you're staying in the East Valley (budget carriers serve it, and it's minutes from Mesa and Gilbert), and check whether flying midweek moves the price, on leisure routes it often does.

Searching is for trips you already know about. The cheapest flights, though, usually work the other way around: an airline misprices a route or quietly drops fares, the deal lasts a day or two, and you build a trip around it. Going (going.com, formerly Scott's Cheap Flights) exists for exactly that, you tell it your home airport, and it emails you when fares from there drop unusually low, including genuine mistake fares.

[AFFILIATE: Going signup]

Set PHX (and AZA, if you're East Valley) as your home airports. Phoenix is a great deal airport. Hub competition keeps mistake fares and sale fares frequent, to Mexico, Hawaii, and across the US. The free tier covers a limited set of deals; the paid tiers widen the net. Either way, it's the highest-value travel email most people ever subscribe to.

Our honest recommendation for the in-between stage, you know the trip, you're not ready to buy: Google Flights. It's free, it's fast, and two features do the heavy lifting:

• Price tracking: Search your route, flip on "Track prices," and Google emails you when the fare moves. Track two or three date options at once.
• Date grid & price insights: The date grid shows the cheapest departure/return combinations around your dates, and the insights line tells you whether current prices are low, typical, or high for that route, a simple check that stops a lot of overpaying.

We get nothing if you use it (there's no affiliate program). It's just the best free tool for the job. When a tracked fare drops to "book it" territory, come back and run the search in our widget above.

• Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX): the default. Most flights, most rental cars, 2 hours to Sedona, 3.5–4 to the Grand Canyon.
• Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (AZA): budget-carrier airport in Mesa; great for East Valley stays and sometimes dramatically cheaper fares.
• Tucson (TUS): fly here for a Tucson/Saguaro trip instead of driving 2 hours from Phoenix.
• Flagstaff (FLG): tiny airport, limited service (typically connecting through a hub), but lands you in the high country, 1.5 hours from the South Rim.
• Las Vegas (LAS): a real option for Grand Canyon West, Page, and northern Arizona loops when fares beat PHX; compare total trip cost, not just the ticket.

Flights to Phoenix · [AFFILIATE: rental cars at Phoenix Sky Harbor]

• For US domestic flights, the sweet spot is usually booking about 1–3 months out; holiday and spring-break travel wants the early end of that (or earlier).
• Be flexible by a day or two before being flexible by airline. Date shifts beat carrier loyalty for price almost every time.
• Set Going alerts and a Google Flights track on any trip you care about; they're free and they cover both ways a fare drops.
• For Arizona specifically: fares into PHX spike around spring training (late Feb–March) and major events. If your dates are fixed then, book early and don't wait for a deal that may never come.

Ready to plan the trip itself? Start with our 7-day Arizona road trip itinerary, or head straight to the Phoenix & Scottsdale 2-day itinerary if it's a short one.

Only got a day in the Valley once you land? Our 12 Hours in Phoenix & Scottsdale guide is the one-day version of the trip.