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Alaska Airlines adds fourth carrier on busy Phoenix-San Diego route after two decades

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Alaska Airlines adds fourth carrier on busy Phoenix-San Diego route after two decades
Policy
Webp ben
Ben Minicucci, CEO of Alaska Airlines | Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines has launched a new service between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and San Diego International Airport, marking the first time in over 20 years that four carriers are operating on this route. The airline began its three-times-daily flights on August 20, using mainline aircraft.

According to data from the US Department of Transportation for April 2024 to March 2025, an average of 1,977 daily round-trip local passengers traveled between Phoenix and San Diego. These figures represent passengers flying directly between the two airports without connecting to other destinations.

The last time four airlines operated this route was in 2003. Over the past two decades, only two airlines typically served the market at any given time, with US Airways and Southwest leading previously, followed by American and Southwest. Frontier joined in 2019 and continues alongside American and Southwest. Alaska Airlines is now part of this group as it expands its presence from San Diego.

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Southwest Airlines remains the dominant carrier on this route, carrying about 59.5% of local passengers. American Airlines holds a share of roughly 20.7%, while Frontier accounts for approximately 18.3%. The remainder of passengers either flew with another carrier or made connections en route.

In addition to direct travelers, another 1,712 passengers per day connected through Phoenix or less commonly through San Diego, bringing the total daily passenger count to 3,689 for this market segment.

American Airlines carried the most connecting passengers—987 daily—while Southwest had 662 and Frontier had 91. Over seventy percent of American’s traffic consisted of transit passengers at Sky Harbor, with Washington Reagan being a common connecting destination.

San Diego ranked as Phoenix’s eleventh most popular local market during this period. Denver was the top airport-level local market from Phoenix with over twice as many daily round-trip local passengers as San Diego.

"Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

America/Phoenix

IATA Code

PHX

City

Phoenix

Country

United States

Designation

Major-Domestic

IATA/ICAO Code

PHX/KPHX

ICAO Code

KPHX"

###

Organizations Included in this History
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