Sky Harbor moves up a notch in airport rankings

Strong passenger traffic last year helped push Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport past Las Vegas in an annual ranking of busiest U.S. airports.

Sky Harbor was the ninth busiest airport in 2014, up from 10th place in 2013, according to figures released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport slipped a notch to ninth.

The ranking is based on passenger boardings. Sky Harbor saw boardings jump 3.9 percent in 2014, to 20.26 million. Las Vegas wasn't far behind, at 20.21 million, up 1.9 percent.

Sky Harbor, home to large operations for US Airways/American and Southwest Airlines, ranked as high as No. 8, in 2011, but fell in the rankings in recent years as other airports posted strong passenger growth. Sky Harbor saw passenger counts decline in 2012 and 2013, albeit slightly.

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport retained its spot as the country's busiest airport, with 46.67 million passenger boardings.

The top 10:

1. Atlanta

2. Los Angeles

3. Chicago O'Hare

4. Dallas/Fort Worth

5. Denver

6. New York/JFK

7. San Francisco

8. Charlotte.

9. Phoenix

10. Las Vegas