Cheap Flights Denver to Phoenix: Insider Tips for Budget Travelers
Finding affordable flights from Denver to Phoenix doesn’t require magic—it requires strategy, timing, and insider knowledge. This short 2-hour flight route between Colorado and Arizona is one of the most competitive in the Southwest, which means savvy travelers can snag incredible deals if they know where to look. Whether you’re planning a desert escape, a business trip, or visiting family, this comprehensive guide will show you exactly how to book cheaper flights and maximize your travel budget.
The Denver to Phoenix route is served by multiple airlines including Southwest, United, American, and budget carriers, creating a dynamic pricing environment. With the right approach to booking, flexibility with your dates, and understanding airline pricing patterns, you can save hundreds of dollars on this popular corridor. Let’s dive into the proven tactics that frequent travelers use to secure the best fares.
Best Times to Book Denver-Phoenix Flights
Timing is everything when hunting for cheap flights from Denver to Phoenix. Industry data shows that the optimal booking window for this route is typically 3-6 weeks in advance. Airlines release their schedules and pricing at different intervals, and catching the initial price drops during this window can yield savings of 30-50% compared to last-minute bookings.
Tuesday and Wednesday are traditionally the cheapest days to find deals on this route, as airlines often release sales early in the week. Booking on these days—not necessarily flying on them—gives you access to the freshest inventory and pricing adjustments. Conversely, Friday through Sunday flights command premium prices due to weekend leisure travel demand.
Seasonally, the Denver-Phoenix route experiences predictable pricing patterns. Summer months (June-August) and winter holidays see peak prices as tourists flock to Arizona’s attractions and Colorado residents escape to warmer climates. The sweet spots are spring (March-May) and fall (September-November), when you’ll find the cheapest fares alongside pleasant weather in Phoenix. Avoid booking during major holidays, spring break, and when major events occur in either city.
Morning departures from Denver (6-8 AM) typically offer lower fares than afternoon or evening flights. This reflects lower demand for early starts, which airlines price accordingly. If you can stomach an early alarm, you’ll often save $20-40 per ticket compared to convenient afternoon departures.
Airline Comparison and Budget Options
Southwest Airlines dominates the Denver-Phoenix route with frequent service and generally competitive pricing. Their approach to long flights emphasizes comfort and flexibility, with two free checked bags included. This matters more than you’d think—if you’re packing for the desert, avoiding baggage fees saves $60+ on round trips.
United Airlines offers multiple daily flights with competitive pricing, especially for business travelers. American Airlines provides good connectivity options if you’re combining this flight with other destinations. However, the true budget wins often come from Southwest’s transparent pricing model, which includes bags and seat selection at no extra cost.
Budget carrier Spirit Airlines occasionally offers rock-bottom fares on this route, but calculate the total cost including carry-on fees, checked bag fees, and seat selection charges. Many travelers discover that Southwest’s all-inclusive pricing actually beats Spirit’s advertised fares once fees are factored in.
Frontier Airlines is another budget option worth monitoring. They offer competitive base fares and allow you to customize which amenities you pay for. For minimalist travelers willing to fly with just a small personal item, Frontier can be surprisingly economical on the Denver-Phoenix route.
Flexible Travel Dates Strategy
One of the most powerful ways to find cheap flights from Denver to Phoenix is embracing date flexibility. If you can shift your travel by even 1-2 days, you might access fares 40-60% cheaper than your originally planned dates. This is because pricing algorithms adjust based on demand patterns, and small date shifts can mean the difference between a popular travel day and an off-peak day.
Use flight search engines that display calendar pricing views, allowing you to see fares across an entire month at once. This visual approach reveals patterns immediately—you’ll notice certain dates spike while neighbors stay affordable. The cheapest days often cluster around mid-week departures between Monday-Thursday.
If you’re flying for leisure rather than specific events, consider extending your flexibility window to 2-3 weeks. The cost savings of shifting from a Friday departure to a Wednesday departure often exceeds $100 for round-trip tickets. Over a family of four, that’s $400 in savings for just one day of flexibility.
Shoulder season travel—the weeks immediately before and after peak tourist seasons—offers remarkable value. Traveling in late May or early September to Phoenix means you’ll find cheaper fares, smaller crowds at attractions, and still-pleasant weather. This strategy applies year-round on the Denver-Phoenix route.
Hidden Booking Tactics
Professional travel hackers use several counterintuitive tactics to find the cheapest flights from Denver to Phoenix. Clear your browser cookies before searching—airlines track repeat searches and sometimes incrementally increase prices for persistent browsers. Use incognito mode to ensure you’re seeing true pricing without algorithmic inflation.
Search for flights departing from nearby Colorado airports including Denver International (DEN), the primary hub, but also check Colorado Springs (COS) when relevant. Similarly, in Arizona, Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) is the main airport, but Flagstaff (FLG) occasionally offers cheaper flights with ground transportation factored into the equation. This multi-airport strategy reveals pricing discrepancies that save money.
Set up price alerts on multiple platforms—Google Flights, Kayak, Hopper, and Scott’s Cheap Flights all offer different algorithms and tracking methods. Sometimes one platform catches a deal minutes before others, giving you an edge. Hopper’s predictive analytics sometimes flag good booking windows 30+ days in advance, allowing you to book before prices rise.
Consider booking one-way tickets separately rather than round-trip packages. While this seems counterintuitive, sometimes the outbound flight has a sale on one date while the return flight is cheapest on a different date. Booking these independently costs the same or less than bundled round-trip fares.
Midweek morning flights from Denver to Phoenix frequently have the lowest fares. The least desirable flight times—6 AM departures, 11 PM departures, connections with long layovers—often cost $30-60 less than convenient times. If you value sleep flexibility, these awkward times translate to direct savings.
Alternative Airports and Routes
While Denver International (DEN) and Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) are the obvious choices, exploring alternatives can unlock savings. Colorado Springs (COS), located 90 minutes south of Denver, occasionally has cheaper flights to Phoenix. The drive to COS plus the cheaper flight sometimes beats flying from DEN, especially if you’re traveling from southern Colorado.
Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG) in northern Arizona offers an unconventional alternative. Flights from Denver to Flagstaff are sometimes $50-100 cheaper than Denver-Phoenix flights, and the 2.5-hour drive south to Phoenix costs about $25 in gas. For flexible travelers, this represents a net savings of $75-125 per person on round-trip flights.
Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), Phoenix’s secondary airport 40 minutes east, sometimes receives budget carrier flights at lower prices than Sky Harbor. Uber or rental car transfers from AZA add costs but can still result in net savings if the fare difference exceeds ground transportation expenses.
The hub-and-spoke routing strategy occasionally applies to Denver-Phoenix flights. Flights connecting through Dallas, Houston, or Las Vegas sometimes cost less than direct flights, particularly when major sales occur at hub airports. The time investment of a connection must be weighed against savings of $40-80 per ticket.
Money-Saving Tools and Apps
Google Flights remains the gold standard for comprehensive flight searching. Its calendar view shows fares across entire months, and the price tracking feature alerts you when fares drop or rise. The “flexible dates” option is particularly valuable for Denver-Phoenix flights, revealing which dates within your window offer the best deals.
Kayak and Hopper offer different algorithmic approaches that sometimes identify deals Google misses. Hopper’s predictive analytics forecast whether prices will rise or fall, suggesting optimal booking windows. For the Denver-Phoenix route specifically, Hopper’s data shows it typically predicts good booking windows 30-45 days before travel.
Scott’s Cheap Flights is a subscription service ($49/year or $6/month) that sends alerts specifically for error fares and sales on routes from your home airport. While not every alert applies, subscribers report finding Denver-Phoenix flights for $89-129 one-way—essentially half normal pricing—several times yearly.
Airline apps themselves warrant direct checking. Southwest, United, and American sometimes offer app-exclusive fares not visible on third-party sites. United’s app frequently shows cheaper prices than Kayak or Expedia for the same flights, making direct checking worthwhile.
Price tracking apps like Airfarewatchdog and Momondo employ different search algorithms that occasionally uncover pricing inefficiencies. Checking all three tools—Google, Kayak, and Momondo—takes 10 minutes and often reveals $30-50 differences on Denver-Phoenix flights.
Loyalty Programs and Credit Cards
Southwest Rapid Rewards and United MileagePlus programs offer significant value on the Denver-Phoenix route due to its popularity. If you fly this route regularly, accumulating points makes sense. Southwest cards often offer 50,000+ point signup bonuses (worth roughly $800 in flights), while United cards offer 50,000+ miles (worth $600-1,000 depending on redemption).
The Southwest Rapid Rewards card provides the strongest value for Denver-Phoenix frequent flyers. Beyond signup bonuses, you earn 2x points on Southwest flights and 1x point on all other purchases. With annual spending patterns, business travelers often generate enough points for 3-4 free Denver-Phoenix round trips yearly.
American Express EveryDay Preferred card offers flexible points applicable across multiple airlines, valuable if you mix airlines on different routes. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card provides similar flexibility with slightly higher earning rates.
Booking through airline credit card portals sometimes offers bonus points (typically 5-10% additional value) while maintaining cash-price fares. This means you earn points on top of the discounted price, compounding savings.
Hotel loyalty programs occasionally integrate with airline partners. If you’re staying in Phoenix, booking through your hotel loyalty program’s airline partnerships sometimes yields better overall value than booking flights and hotels separately. Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors members can transfer points to airlines, sometimes creating arbitrage opportunities.
FAQ
What’s the cheapest day to fly from Denver to Phoenix?
Tuesday and Wednesday consistently offer the cheapest Denver-Phoenix flights, with fares typically $20-40 lower than weekend flights. Morning departures on these days yield the absolute lowest prices, often $30-60 cheaper than afternoon flights on the same date.
How far in advance should I book Denver-Phoenix flights?
3-6 weeks in advance represents the optimal booking window for this route. Booking earlier (8+ weeks) sometimes offers no advantage, while booking closer to departure (1-2 weeks) incurs premium pricing. For off-peak travel, 2-3 weeks sometimes suffices.
Which airline is cheapest for Denver to Phoenix?
Southwest generally offers the best overall value due to included baggage and seat selection. However, comparing total costs—including all fees—across Southwest, United, American, and Frontier is essential. Frontier sometimes offers the lowest base fares, but fees can exceed Southwest’s all-inclusive pricing.
Can I save money with a connecting flight?
Rarely. Direct flights from Denver to Phoenix are only 2 hours, and connecting flights add 4-6 hours of travel time for minimal savings ($30-50). Unless a connection saves $100+, the time cost exceeds the financial benefit.
Are there hidden fees I should know about?
Southwest includes two checked bags, carry-on luggage, and seat selection. United and American charge $35-45 per checked bag. Spirit and Frontier charge for everything, making their advertised prices misleading. Always calculate total cost including baggage, seat selection, and any other ancillary fees.
What’s the best time of year for cheap Denver-Phoenix flights?
Spring (March-May) and fall (September-November) offer the cheapest fares and most pleasant weather. Summer (June-August) and winter holidays are peak seasons with the highest prices. Late May and early September are particularly sweet spots—post-spring-break and pre-fall-school-rush.