Tucson may be catching up with Phoenix for more convenient air service.
In its quest to bring to the Old Pueblo more airlines with non-stop destinations, Tucson International Airport has added more than a dozen new flights this year.
And with the new flights, recent fares suggest, flying out of Southern Arizona is becoming cheaper.
"Our challenge is getting the word out so that our customers know to fly Tucson," Tucson Airport Authority President and CEO Bonnie Allin said Thursday.
Since 2004, TIA has seen a steady increase in passenger numbers. That year, the airport saw a little more than 3.5 million passengers. For 2007, the airport is projecting more than 4.4 million.
The new flights come as the airport has ramped up its service, renovated its concourse and courted more airlines to offer non-stop flights, including non-stop service to Oakland, Calif., and an additional flight to San Diego that start today.
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A comparison of fares to 10 destinations from Phoenix and Tucson over an extended weekend in January showed that when gas costs were taken into account, Sky Harbor came out as cheaper on six routes. But flying from Tucson was less than $50 more expensive on two of those six routes, a difference that might not be enough to convince Tucsonans to fly from Phoenix.
Several factors may make Tucson a more viable airport, data and interviews with airport officials suggest:
● Phoenix has a "much, much larger airport," said Tucson airport spokeswoman Paula Winn. In fact, it is the sixth-busiest in the country. Although Phoenix may have more "discount" seats available, a larger airport could mean more hassles, including longer security-checkpoint lines.
● Your plane is more likely to be on time out of Tucson, federal data show. About one in four planes leaving Sky Harbor from January through August 2007 was delayed 15 minutes or more, according to a review of Federal Aviation Administration data. But only 16 percent of flights faced similar delays or cancellations here.
● The convenience factor may make Tucson a more viable option, airport officials say, even if airfares are a little higher. That's because people who drive to Phoenix have to factor in a couple of hours of driving time (considering current construction on Interstate 10 in Tucson), must pay for gas and then find parking at Sky Harbor.
Richard Aboulafia, a vice president of the Fairfax, Va.-based Teal Group, said several factors go into getting better airlines for smaller markets, particularly when they have to compete with larger ones up the road. But, he said, "what works against you is that being big has its advantages," such as larger airports offering passengers more destinations.
Some passengers interviewed at TIA Friday said they prefer to fly out of Tucson, although cheaper fares may make them look toward Phoenix.
"The answer really comes down to driving time," said Leah Kobayashi, who was at the airport Friday morning with her husband, Kip. She said she rarely considers flying out of Phoenix.
But another passenger, Carolyn Neff, said she would fly out of Sky Harbor if the fare were cheaper because she lives on the Northwest Side, and it would be a shorter drive. Tucson, she said, "has to be able to match their fares."
To persuade airlines to offer new flights, an airport must examine travel data and do passenger surveys when making a pitch for a new flight. That process can take some time: Getting JetBlue Airways to Tucson, Allin said, took four years.
The process of getting new flights, she said, is akin to the chicken and the egg: New flights will come with increased passenger demand, but new passengers won't come if there aren't enough convenient flights. Tucson airport officials said they've lost about 15 to 20 percent of their potential passengers to Sky Harbor.
"Are we thinking we can recover 100 percent of those passengers? No," Allin said. "What we do want is to offer a quality service at a good price that is convenient."
Did you know...
Tucson opened the first municipally owned airport in the United States in 1919, according to the airport's history. Commercial air service began in Tucson with Standard Airlines (later American Airlines) in 1928. Tucson International Airport is currently undergoing a concourse renovation project scheduled for completion at the end of this year.
New TIA FLIGHTS for 2007 and 2008
NEW NON-STOP SERVICE
ExpressJet Airlines
• Ontario, Calif.
• Sacramento, Calif.
• Austin, Texas
• El Paso
• San Antonio, Texas
• Kansas City, Mo.
• Omaha, Neb.
• Spokane, Wash.
• Reno, Nev.
Southwest Airlines
• Oakland, Calif.
ADDED NON-STOP SERVICE
Southwest Airlines
• Los Angeles
• Chicago Midway
• San Diego
American Airlines
• Dallas
United Airlines
• Denver
• Washington Dulles (seasonal)
Delta Air Lines
• Los Angeles
Sun Country Airlines
• Minneapolis (seasonal)