The gateway
The big city, without the big drive.
Phoenix is where southwest New Mexico goes when the stakes are high — Mayo Clinic and Banner specialists, ASU move-in weekends, state and federal offices, family across the Valley, and Sky Harbor's onward flights to the rest of the country. Advanced Air turns that trip from a half-day drive each way into about an hour in the air, from Silver City and from Gallup, every day of the week.
At Sky Harbor we operate from Terminal 3 — check-in at entry door 6, with our ticket counter next to Alaska, Spirit and Sun Country. The free PHX Sky Train runs 24 hours a day from the terminal to the Valley Metro light rail at 44th Street and to the Rental Car Center, so what happens after you land is the easy part.
And if you live here, this page works in reverse: the Gila Wilderness and the Indian Capital of the World are each about an hour from your home airport. One honest note before the plan below — July in Phoenix is a 110°F proposition. This itinerary starts at dawn and goes indoors after lunch, the way locals actually do it.
Why Phoenix
One city, most of the errands.
Medicine, school, connections — and a city genuinely worth the extra night.
Big-league medicine, hours not days
Mayo Clinic, Banner and Phoenix Children's are why many of our passengers fly this way. A morning departure from Gallup lands mid-morning — enough for an afternoon consult — and the Friday-through-Sunday second rotation can get you home the same night.
Sky Harbor puts the country one flight away
Land at Terminal 3 and the national network is across the curb. The free Sky Train links every terminal around the clock; onward flights are separate tickets, so leave a comfortable buffer and let the hub do its job.
A real big-city visit
Suns and Mercury games at Mortgage Matchup Center, the Heard Museum's twelve galleries of American Indian art, First Friday on Roosevelt Row, and a food scene with two James Beard names in this guide alone.
The plan
One weekend, built for the heat.
Every stop verified operating — and sequenced around a Phoenix summer. The linked timetable is live.
The Dawn Patrol Weekend
Summer · rideshareTwo and a half days that treat 110°F as a schedule, not a surprise — desert at sunrise, museums after lunch, arenas after dark.
No car needed — rideshare covers downtown and the dawn starts. Prefer to drive? The free Sky Train runs from Terminal 3 to the Rental Car Center.
Arrive, eat, wait out the sun
- Terminal 3, door 6 — land, then rideshare downtown in about ten minutes
- Pizzeria Bianco at Heritage Square — the wood-fired standard-setter in a brick house older than the state — closed Sundays
- Heard Museum — twelve galleries of American Indian art and serious air conditioning — summer hours Tuesday–Sunday, 10 to 4
- Roosevelt Row at dusk — the mural district wakes up when the sun quits; on a first Friday, the art walk runs 6 to 10
Desert at dawn, indoors by one
- Dobbins Lookout, South Mountain — Summit Road opens at 5 AM — the whole Valley at sunrise; check Silent Sunday closures before you ride up
- The Fry Bread House — Tohono O'odham-owned, a James Beard America's Classic — doors at 11, order the green chile
- Musical Instrument Museum — the 1-to-5 heat block, solved: open daily 9 to 5, instruments from most of the planet
- Mercury at Mortgage Matchup Center — the WNBA season runs all summer, and downtown's arena keeps it at sweater temperature (the Suns take over October through April)
One more sunrise, then home
- Desert Botanical Garden — summer doors open at 6 AM and trails close 1–5 for heat; Saturday Flashlight Nights run 7 to 9:30 if you're staying
- Hole-in-the-Rock, Papago Park — a quarter-mile scramble next door to the Garden — do it before nine
- Los Dos Molinos — New Mexican cuisine, Hatch-proud — see whether the Valley's version passes your test
- Back to Terminal 3 — check-in opens two hours out; bags close 45 minutes before wheels-up
This is the June–September version. October through April, run it in any order you like — that's the season Camelback is actually a good idea.
The roster
Where the hour goes furthest.
Every name verified operating. Downtown and the Central Corridor cover most of this list without a car.
Stay
- FOUND:RE PhoenixThe art hotel beside Roosevelt Row, across from the light rail — galleries downstairs, murals out the door.
- Kimpton Hotel Palomar PhoenixAnchors CityScape downtown — the arena, Chase Field and dinner all on foot.
- Residence Inn Desert View at Mayo ClinicOn the Mayo campus with a weekday shuttle to appointments and full kitchens — built for treatment stays.
- Arizona BiltmoreThe 1929 grande dame with Frank Lloyd Wright in its bones — for the trip that deserves a pool day.
Eat & drink
- Pizzeria BiancoChris Bianco's Heritage Square original — the pizza that put Phoenix on the national food map.
- The Fry Bread HouseJames Beard America's Classic, Tohono O'odham-owned since 1992.
- Los Dos MolinosNew Mexican and proud of it — the green chile does not condescend.
- Pane BiancoThe Bianco sandwich shop on Central, right on the light rail — lunch Monday–Saturday.
- Bitter & Twisted Cocktail ParlourAn award-winning bar inside the old Prohibition headquarters, which is very Phoenix.
Do
- Heard MuseumOne of the world's great homes of American Indian art — free entry with tribal ID.
- Desert Botanical GardenThe Sonoran Desert, labeled and lit — 6 AM summer openings and Saturday Flashlight Nights.
- Musical Instrument MuseumInstruments from nearly every country on earth, open daily 9 to 5.
- Mortgage Matchup CenterSuns, Mercury and the big touring shows, downtown.
- Camelback MountainThe famous one — and an October–April plan. Echo Canyon and Cholla close 8 to 5 on Extreme Heat Warning days.
Getting there
Daily nonstops into the hub.
Days below reflect the schedule effective at publish — the linked timetables are always live.
Silver City ⇄ Phoenix
Schedule Effective from June 11, 2026 to September 7, 2026 · nonstop, both directions
Silver City → Phoenix timetablePhoenix → Silver City timetable
Gallup ⇄ Phoenix
Schedule Effective from June 11, 2026 to October 31, 2026 · nonstop, both directions
Where we live at Sky Harbor
Terminal 3, entry door 6 — the Advanced Air counter sits next to Alaska, Spirit and Sun Country, and standard TSA screening applies. Arrive two hours before departure; all passengers and bags must be checked in at least 45 minutes before wheels-up.
After you land
The free PHX Sky Train runs 24 hours a day to every terminal, the Valley Metro light rail at 44th and Washington, and the Rental Car Center. Rideshare pickups are signed and easy — downtown is about ten minutes, the Mayo Clinic campus in north Phoenix about half an hour.
Quick answers
Phoenix, answered.
Where does Advanced Air operate at Sky Harbor?
Terminal 3 — check-in at entry door 6, with our ticket counter next to Alaska, Spirit and Sun Country. Arrive two hours before departure; all passengers and bags must be checked in no later than 45 minutes before wheels-up. Public parking is at the Terminal 3 garage.
How long is the flight?
About 1 hour 15 minutes between Silver City and Phoenix, and about 1 hour 10 between Gallup and Phoenix, per the current schedule. The drives those flights replace run roughly five hours from Grant County and about four and a half on I-40 from Gallup — each way.
What days do flights operate?
Both routes currently fly every day of the week, and Gallup adds a second round trip Friday through Sunday. The timetables linked on this page are live from our scheduling system — trust them over anything printed.
Why does the timetable show me landing just minutes after takeoff?
Arizona doesn't observe daylight saving time. In summer, Phoenix clocks run an hour behind Silver City and Gallup, so you gain an hour flying in and give it back flying home — the clock barely moves even though you were in the air about an hour. In winter the clocks match. Set your watch, not your assumptions.
Can I connect to another airline at PHX?
Yes — that's much of the point of a hub. Onward flights are separate tickets, so collect any checked bags, re-check with your next carrier, and leave a comfortable buffer between flights. The free Sky Train links every terminal 24 hours a day.
Can I do a medical appointment as a day trip?
Often, yes. Morning departures from Gallup land mid-morning, which leaves room for an afternoon appointment, and the Friday-through-Sunday evening rotation can get you home the same night. From Silver City, most patterns land around midday — which suits an afternoon consult and an overnight.
If the appointment is the reason you're flying, check the live timetable before you book the consult. And if you're staying over near Mayo, the Residence Inn on the campus runs a weekday shuttle to appointments.
How hot is summer, really?
Honestly: afternoon highs around 110°F in July. The city closes Camelback's Echo Canyon and Cholla trails from 8 AM to 5 PM on Extreme Heat Warning days, and locals live at dawn and indoors. October through April is the sweet season — 70s, patios, every trail open.
Do I need a car in Phoenix?
Not for downtown — rideshare is easy at Terminal 3, and the Sky Train reaches the Valley Metro light rail at 44th Street. Rent a car (the Sky Train also serves the Rental Car Center) if your list includes the Musical Instrument Museum, the Mayo campus, or family across the Valley.
The big city is about an hour out.
Daily nonstops from Silver City and Gallup — check-in at Sky Harbor's Terminal 3, door 6.