Originally Posted by
Kacee
Phoenix is the 5th largest US city and PHX is the 11th busiest airport in the country, ahead of (for example) SFO, IAH, BOS, and MSP. It's actually an underserved market, particularly for international (though AF, CI, and JX have all recently begun service). AA has really failed to develop it, both in terms of infrastructure (arguably worst ACs in the entire system) and network.
What metric are you using to call Phoenix the 5th largest US City?
Census metrics estimate the metro area at 11th in 2024 and
BTS data also puts PHX airport 11th (down from 10th in prior years) in terms of passenger Enplanements. A high volume of that is connecting traffic vs O&D.