Thursday, June 4, marks the day that travelers can begin enjoying new nonstop flights between South Texas and Phoenix, Arizona. Six months after officials in McAllen, in the Rio Grande Valley, announced a new partnership with the nation’s largest air carrier, American Airlines, flights to the Valley of the Sun have officially begun.
American will now fly the new nonstop route between the Valley’s busiest airport and the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport daily via American Eagle-branded planes. The new route is just the latest sign of growth at the McAllen airport — one airline officials recognized when deciding on the Phoenix route.
“This investment reflects what we see in McAllen, a growing economy, strong demand for air service, and a community that believes in the value of connectivity,” Dale Morris, American Airlines’ senior consultant for government affairs, said in a statement. “We are proud to support that growth and play a role in bringing new opportunities to the region.”
McAllen officials initially announced the Phoenix flight route in December 2025. City leaders celebrated the partnership for expanding not only travel access to the western half of the country, but business opportunities, as well.
“This new route strengthens our connection to the western United States, supports business development, expands travel options, and reinforces what we already know: McAllen is a city on the move,” McAllen City Manager Isaac “Ike” Tawil said.
The Phoenix route celebrations come after a period of turbulence for the McAllen airport. Last October, the federal government unilaterally cancelled a different nonstop daily route — one to Mexico City via Mexico’s flagship carrier, AeroMexico. Just one month earlier, in September 2025, another Mexican airline, Volaris, cancelled its daily nonstop route to Cancun after a major engine recall grounded most of its fleet.
But McAllen officials remained unfazed. Not long after American agreed to fly daily nonstops to Phoenix, the McAllen airport announced a return of connectivity to Mexico. In March, a relatively new Mexican carrier, Aerus, began flying daily nonstops to Monterrey in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. McAllen is also in the middle of planning for a $180 million expansion of the airport’s terminal. The massive overhaul will add new gates, baggage claim areas, ticket counter and concessions space, restrooms, and an expanded Transportation Security Administration checkpoint.