Sky Harbor, Tucson Airport Thanksgiving Travel: Flight Delays

ARIZONA ­­— While prnewswire.com rated Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the Tucson International Airport as No. 20 and 19 respectively on its “2019 Thanksgiving Travel Report: Least Stressful U.S. Airports” list, some Sky Harbor Thanksgiving travelers might beg to differ.

The trouble started Tuesday around 8:30 a.m., when many Thanksgiving travelers flying into or out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport had to do some fast maneuvering around canceled or delayed flights. The airport reported 140 delayed flights and 27 cancelled flights since Tuesday morning, and the delays so far extend as far as a Southwest Airlines flight scheduled for shortly after midnight on Thanksgiving Day.

And so far the number of delayed flights at Sky Harbor is climbing, with 114 of the 140 flight delays occurring Wednesday. Four of the 27 cancelled flights were scheduled for Wednesday, so cancelations at the airport are down today. Two of the delayed flights from Sky Harbor Tuesday were headed to the Tucson International Airport.

At Tucson International Airport, most flights Tuesday afternoon through Thanksgiving morning are reported as on time so far on the Tucson Airport’s arrivals and departures webpage. There are some exceptions, though, with a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis delayed for 2 hours earlier today, a flight from San Francisco delayed about a half hour and a flight from Salt Lake City delayed about an hour. A flight from San Diego is also delayed by about one hour.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Tucson and Phoenix from Thanksgiving morning through Friday afternoon, so more flight delays could happen. A wind advisory is also issued for Phoenix from 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving until 4 a.m. on Black Friday, while Tucson’s wind advisory of gusts from 25 to 60 mph is active from 11 p.m. Thanksgiving through 2 p.m. on Black Friday. Phoenix and Tucson also have a winter storm warning from 11 p.m. Thanksgiving through midnight Friday, but in the mountains and not on the valley floors.

Thanksgiving travelers flying into or out of Sky Harbor International Airport or Tucson International Airport should check flight delays and cancelations at the airports’ websites. The FAA also recommends checking your flight status directly with your airline.