The airline with the most flights from Arizona to Mexico just scrapped a couple of those routes.
American Airlines discontinued service between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the Mexican cities of Tijuana and Monterrey.
Service to Tijuana ended in early August, but the Monterrey flights will continue until early December.
Airlines worldwide have been assessing their networks to cut unpopular and underperforming routes as high jet fuel costs triggered by the war in Iran increased their costs of doing business.
Despite the route cuts, American continues to operate a robust network of routes between Sky Harbor and Mexico, with year-round nonstop service to nine Mexican destinations including Cancun, Los Cabos and Mexico City, plus a seasonal
nonstop route to Zihuatanejo. It also plans to operate seasonal nonstop flights to Oaxaca, though the route will only run for four days.
Here's what we know about American's Mexican route cuts out of Sky Harbor.
American Airlines' Phoenix-Tijuana flights ended in August
The Phoenix-Tijuana route, American's shortest route between the U.S. and Mexico, ended on Aug. 2 after a little more than two years. It first took off in February 2024.
Tijuana was a new city for American's network upon its debut, with Phoenix getting the first nonstop flights. American did not add flights to Tijuana from another U.S. airport besides Sky Harbor.
The route provided a direct way to get to Tijuana, the border city about 20 miles from San Diego, that didn't require a flight with a layover, driving through the San Ysidro Port of Entry or using the Cross Border Xpress pedestrian bridge connecting San Diego's Otay Mesa neighborhood and Tijuana International Airport.
Monterrey flights ending in December
American's last flight between Phoenix and Monterrey will take off on Dec. 1.
The airline began flying the route in January 2023, which marked the first time Sky Harbor had nonstop service to Monterrey since 2004.
Service to Monterrey, Mexico's third-largest city and a key business hub in the nation, was touted by Phoenix officials at the time for helping to bolster tourism and trade between Arizona and Mexico.
In a statement, American Airlines staff stated that it "regularly evaluates our network to grow in Phoenix and optimize our network," and found that the Monterrey route was performing below expectations. American will continue offering nonstop service to Monterrey via Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
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Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix airport loses 2 international routes. What it means for flyers
