C$82 Cheap Flights from Phoenix (PHXA) to Calgary (YYC)

Flying from Phoenix to Calgary

Westjet, Air Canada Express (Jazz) and Air Canada Rouge offer seasonal once-a-day nonstop service between Phoenix, AZ and Calgary, AL, covering the distance in under three hours. If you’re willing to take anything from 5 to 8 hours on the trip and make flight connections at different cities en route, however, the fare usually goes down substantially. Here’s what you need to know to make the most of your trip.

Taking off from Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix is a modern and convenient airport when all you need to do is to take a flight out. Connecting to another flight through this airport can be hard, however, because of the three terminals that it consists of (named 2, 3 and 4), all spread out over a vast area. It can both be confusing and time-consuming to make sense of 116 gates over three separate buildings.

If you are on Air Canada (Express or Rouge) or Westjet, you’ll need to head for Terminal 4. For other airlines, you need to be sure that you know which one to head for before you set off from home.

Whether you need to get to the airport from the city or get around the airport from terminal to terminal, the Phoenix Skytrain light rail system is an excellent way to go. Unfortunately, it isn’t complete. At this point, you can certainly use the train to go from 44^th St. station to Terminal 4, however. It runs once every few minutes, all hours of the day.

You can also get to the airport by taxi, Statewide Shuttle, one of various bus services and of course, your hotel shuttle.

Phoenix Airport is thoughtfully designed in many ways, and gets lots of praise. Their Airport Ambassadors, stationed everywhere to help passengers, are an award-winning feature.

Many parts of the airport have tables hold and charge phones and laptops. There is reasonable shopping and dining, as well. Sky Harbor, up until a short time ago, built itself as the airport with the best customer service. You should have a good time here. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t flaws. Many people complain about difficult experiences moving from one terminal to another, long lines at various points, and areas and gates unexpectedly closed. With a little extra time thrown in, however, you should be fine.

Arriving in Calgary, AL

Calgary Airport recently received a major redesign and remodel, making it a wonderfully modern, gleaming new terminal. The remodel is so recent, however, that they haven’t had time to get correctly organized. Everything from finding someone to steer the jetway to a plane just arrived, to finding people to help with disabled passengers tends to turn into major problems every day. Until they iron out the wrinkles, you should expect some difficulty dealing with this airport.

Depending on the time of the day, getting through customs can take an hour or longer, with as many as hundred people in each line. Dining options can be a problem with this airport, as well, because food outlets are not reliably open all the time. If you’re traveling with children, you should pack food.

If you have a hotel room lined up (look up the Skyscanner hotel reservation tool for the best deals) you should have a shuttle bus waiting for you to take you to the city. If not, there are all kinds of options. The Allied coach, public bus routes, the Red Arrow motorcoach, taxis and rental cars are all possible alternatives.

Seeing the best of Calgary

Calgary, to many first-time visitors, is a surprisingly cool place, with nightlife, great dining, and a wonderfully friendly attitude. In Calgary, you can hit the slopes, take the luxurious Rocky Mountaineer train for some spectacular natural sights, visit the Heritage Park or the Olympic Park, or, if you’re in time for the Calgary Stampede, go to that fun event. You can never be short of a great idea for an activity during your time in Calgary.