Getting to Sedona-fly to Phoenix or Flagstaff?
 

We're spending a week in Sedona in June. I see that many posters fly in to Phoenix Sky Harbor and then drive the 118 miles to Sedona. I did find a connection into Flagstaff on a Q200 turboprop flight. Has anyone taken the short connecting flight versus driving the two hours? What do you prefer? If anyone has made the short flight from Phoenix to Flagstaff, was it a smooth flight?
I'm trying to decide which way to go when booking the tickets.It seems tempting to avoid a 118 mile drive back to Phoenix airport when going home, if the connection's quick and painless. Thanks for any feedback on your experiences!

Do not do the connection. Last time we were in the PHX airport, at the next gate the flight to Flag had been delayed 4 hours. Even without any delays, it will take longer to get to Sedona by flying to Flag:

You will likely have a connection time of over an hour for your Flag flight, then when you get to Flag, you will have a drive of almost an hour to Sedona. Yes, it is only about 30 miles, but it is a slow drive down through Oak Creek Canyon. So flying into Flag will take longer, even if there are no flight delays, than driving from PHX.

I would also suggest flying into Phoenix. When we were in Sedona we drove to Flagstaff(on our way to the Grand Canyon) and the road to Flagstaff is very narrow and winding.

I much prefer flying from PHX to Flagstaff, and I do it about 3-4 times a year. Traffic around PHX can be dreadful, and I'd rather wait in Sky Harbor for my connection than be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic in the urban sprawl that is PHX. The flight is short and quite beautiful given the dramatic change in terrain and elevation between PHX and FLG. I have experienced some turbulence as we neared Flagstaff, but nothing really alarming.

Either way would work, but I'd personally just drive up from Phoenix.

Some considerations ... not many rental car options in Flagstaff (though you only need one) but PHX car rentals are expensive because of the high airport taxes ... will cost more for the additional flight, I assume ... will likely take longer via Flag unless you have a very short layover at PHX, and if you have a short layover and the flight is late then you could miss the connection. But for sure it's an easier drive from the Flagstaff airport than from the PHX airport.

As MaryZ mentions the traffic can be difficult in Phoenix during the AM and PM rush hour periods (roughly 6-9 AM, 3-7 PM), but I assume you are traveling with at least one other person so you can use the car pool lane and avoid the worst of the conjestion.

Should be about a 30-35 minute drive to get out of the worst of the traffic even in the PM rush hour (unless there's an accident), then it eases somewhat. No problem with the AM rush hour traffic as you're going in the opposite direction to the incoming traffic flow. Between 9 AM and 3 PM it shouldn't be much of a problem at all, I feel. This is for weekdays, on weekends there is no rush hour jam but traffic can be heavy most of the day.

Only way I'd fly into Flagstaff is if the airline ticket and car rental costs were roughly equivalent and I felt comfortable with the delay between flights.

Skip the connecting flight. If you did take it you would still end up having to drive a fair bit from Flagstaff to Sedona. I'd guess 30-40 minutes without traffic. The drive from PHX is beautiful once you get out of the city, and into the elevation. We stopped in Prescott on our way to Sedona and really enjoyed it. I think Sedona is one of the most beautiful places in the US, the red rock is absolutely stunning when the sun hits. Also, pack and prepare for the occasional monsoon. The rain comes and goes pretty quickly, but I wish I would have packed a very light raincoat. I wish you all the best on you trip!

Virgogirl,

Don't bother bringing a raincoat in June. The monsoons don't really begin until early July, although it is a slight possibility of monsoon rains in late June. If your trip is before June 15, I would expect the chance of rain would be approaching zero.

Haven't priced it out, but the difference between flying into a hub such as PHX might be enough cheaper than Flag to make it worthwhile since you need to rent a car in any event.

Thanks very much, everyone! Now I have to decide between a scenic drive, and the convenience of a connection! It may come down to the price...if it's temptingly low, maybe we'll do the short connection. However, DH is squeamish about turbo-props and turbulence. Oh, what to do? I need to book a flight soon!

The "convenience of a connection" may very well be longer (possibly much longer) and much more of an inconvenience than driving. As I had mentioned, I witnessed a flight from PHX to Flag that had been delayed 4 hours. Not sure how long it ended up being delayed, because we left and those passengers were still waiting.

I don't know why you are so torn about what to do. Only one person actually said she preferred waiting in the Phoenix airport and flying.

"Oh, what to do? "

Fly into Phoenix. It's a nice, easy, scenic drive.

Plus, it gives you the chance to go to Scottsdale and see this -
http://www.franklloydwright.org/fllw...1104/Home.html

I love touring the house - especially the night tours - and it's just amazing to imagine that the home was WAY out in the wilderness when Frank Lloyd Wright built it.