Due to a combination of proximity and popularity as a warm-weather beach destination, Mexico is by far the foreign country that Americans visit most compared to any other — in an average year, approximately 40 million tourists come to the country for reasons that range from holidays to family visits and business demands.
Both American and Mexican airlines have long seized upon this demand by offering a range of flights to both major hubs like Mexico City and Guadalajara as well as smaller destinations seeing spikes in popularity at different points of the year.
American Airlines is the U.S.-based carrier that, with 30 destinations as of August 2026, has long positioned itself as flying to more cities in Mexico than any other. But flights to smaller cities can either help to fill an undeserved niche or end up being a money drain if traffic numbers do not live up to the cost of running the route.
American Airlines has not run its flight between Phoenix and Tijuana since August
At the start of August 2026, American Airlines cuts its flight to Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) in the northwestern Baja California state. American Airlines launched the route to the city from Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) at the start of 2024 but ultimately did not see the type of passenger uptake on which the airline had bet.
With just 290 miles between the two cities and the flight running an hour gate to gate, it was the carrier’s shortest flight to Mexico from the U.S. Tijuana is also located just 20 miles south of the border from San Diego while Los Cabos International (SJD) is the main airport serving Baja California.
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At the time the route between Phoenix and Tijuana was presented in 2024, it was marketed as a game-changer for linking two cities with strong family and business connections as well as reaching those looking to explore less touristy parts of Mexico. The route ran for the final time on Aug. 2.
Its cancelation came at a time when American Airlines was generally streamlining its network out of Phoenix. Last August, the airline also confirmed that it will phase out its route from the city to Monterrey’s General Mariano Escobedo International Airport (MTY) by December 2026 over similar reasons of unjustifiable passenger demand.
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Why American Airlines significantly reworked its flight schedule out of Phoenix
In past statements, American Airlines said that it “regularly evaluates our network to grow in Phoenix and optimize our network” by trimming flights that do not bring in the necessary traffic.
American Airlines continues to fly to nine Mexican cities from Phoenix — Cancun, Los Cabos and Mexico City as well as a seasonal route to Zihuatanejo on the country’s Pacific coast among others.
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Due to Baja California’s isolation from the rest of Mexico by the Gulf of California, Tijuana is one of the most connected cities in the country domestically. National airline Aeromexico runs between seven and nine daily flights to the airport from different Mexican cities that U.S. travelers often also use to connect on their way to Tijuana.
Related: Low-cost airline adds three flights to Mexico from the U.S.
