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Sedona to phoenix airport - day after thanksgiving

Hello, I see a lot of posts for the potential back ups on Rte 17. We have a flight tomorrow- Friday 29th at 1.30 pm from phoenix. We were planning to leave no later than 8.30am from Sedona. We do need to return a rental car. Does anyone know if this is enough time if we have TSA precheck?

Thank you

Driving from Sedona to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on the Friday after Thanksgiving can be challenging due to heavy holiday traffic, especially on I-17, which connects Sedona to Phoenix. Typically, the drive without delays is about 2 hours, but day-after-Thanksgiving traffic can easily add 1–2 hours or more, depending on incidents or construction.

Given your flight at 1:30 pm and needing to return a rental car, planning your departure carefully is essential. Here’s a breakdown to help:

  • Drive Time: Normally 2 hours (Sedona to Phoenix Airport), but factor in potential slowdowns on I-17 due to holiday traffic. It’s wise to anticipate 3–3.5 hours to be safe.
  • Rental Car Return: Allocate 30–45 minutes to return the car, depending on the rental company and location at the airport.
  • Airport Arrival: With TSA PreCheck, you can reduce security wait times to roughly 10–20 minutes, but still plan at least 30–45 minutes to navigate from rental return to gate and allow for minor delays.

Based on these considerations:

  • Leaving Sedona at 8:30 am gives you about 5 hours until your flight. This may be just enough if traffic is moderate, but there is a risk of delays due to the holiday rush.
  • To reduce stress and allow a buffer, consider leaving earlier, around 7:30–8:00 am. This gives you 5.5–6 hours until your flight, which is safer in case of slow traffic or incidents.
  • Check traffic reports in real-time on I-17 via GPS apps before leaving and plan alternate routes if needed.

Summary Recommendations:

  • Leaving Sedona at 8:30 am is likely doable but tight; earlier departure is safer.
  • Use real-time traffic apps and consider alternate routes (e.g., I-17 bypass through smaller towns if slowdowns occur).
  • Have your rental return process and TSA PreCheck benefits in mind to reduce time at the airport, but never assume zero delays.

In short, leaving closer to 7:30–8:00 am will give you peace of mind and a more relaxed travel experience to Phoenix for your 1:30 pm flight.

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