Flagstaff: Reaching New Heights

Flagstaff offers plenty of ways to get around – including by bus, train, car and plane – with the latter seeing dramatic changes in 2019.

Flagstaff’s Pulliam Airport has added service to Denver through United Airlines and to Dallas through American Airlines, boosting the number of passengers boarding flights to record levels. The airport has nine commercial flights a day – two to Denver on United Airlines, five to Phoenix and two to Dallas on American Airlines.

“The business community is responding positively to the new routes,” said Barney Helmick, director of the Pulliam Airport.

“This year, more and more business leaders tell us they are switching from Phoenix to the Flagstaff Airport,” Helmick said. “The new routes can get them to and from the multiple markets they travel to.”

The flights have averaged about 80 percent capacity for both airlines, which are “very good numbers for new routes and carriers,” Helmick said.

Officials with the city, including airport leaders, will continue to work with the airlines to provide more destinations, especially on the West Coast.

“Our target is to add San Francisco and Los Angeles to the current routes,” Helmick said.

Traveling by rail is another popular way to travel in and out of Flagstaff.

Flagstaff’s train station has been in the community since 1926, when it was built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It is in the heart of downtown on Historic Route 66 near lodging, shopping and dining. It is also home to the city’s visitor center.

The station includes an Amtrak ticket office, a gift shop, information and short-term and long-term parking. Amtrak’s Southwest Chief serves the area, and it is one of the most scenic routes in the country. It runs through Flagstaff twice a day on its route between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Also, if you take Amtrak to Flagstaff, it’s possible to get a bus connection to Williams to access the Grand Canyon Railway to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

One popular way to get around Arizona is through Groome Transportation, formerly known as the Arizona Shuttle.

Groome provides service between Flagstaff and Phoenix, the Grand Canyon and Sedona. The Sedona service is seasonal, operating from May through October.

Customers can enjoy first-come, first-serve complimentary parking to up to 14 days at 2646 E. Huntington Dr. in Flagstaff. Reservations are required for the Sedona route and are strongly encouraged for other destinations, although it’s still possible to get a seat without advance notice.

For home pick/drop-off service, call (920) 282-2066 by 6 p.m. the night before scheduled travel to reserve it. Office hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Another shuttle option is Inspire Shuttle, which is available seven days a week for service to/from Sedona and Phoenix. Call (928) 699-4228 or visit www.inspireshuttle.com.

A couple of bus lines serve Flagstaff:

• Mountain Line is Flagstaff’s award-winning public transportation system. Eight routes are offered throughout the city, connecting travelers to top attractions. The buses are primarily hybrid-electric. Call (928) 779-6624 or visit mountainline.az.gov.
• Greyhound Bus Lines has its station at 880 E. Butler Avenue.

The most likely ways to arrive by care are via Interstates 40 and 17, which connect Flagstaff to Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, El Paso, San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson. The Grand Canyon is nearby via Highway 180.