The bargain-basement airfares of the past couple of years are over, and to find a cheaper flight, you’re going to have to work all the angles.
Airfares rose 18.6% between March and April, thanks to pent-up demand, fewer flights due to staffing shortages, and higher fuel costs, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Most airfare search sites let you plug in multiple airports, so don’t just default to the largest or closest one. Prices vary between the big commercial hubs, and you can often find a cheaper or quicker option nearby.
To find the cheapest U.S. airports, NetCredit, an online personal loan provider for underserved consumers, used data on domestic airline itinerary fares from the Bureau of Transport and factored in average wages in states and metros from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
If you’re headed to a place with multiple airports, like New York or Los Angeles, there are good cheap alternatives. For example, flying domestically from Long Beach airport will cost you, on average, $252.07. The Long Beach airport is a 20-minute drive from LAX, where the average cost of flying domestically is $314.67. And for Hawaii’s big island, it turns out Hilo has average fares of $182.87, while across the island, Kona is more expensive at $277.62.
Atlantic City tops the list as the cheapest airport, which is mainly served by “ultra low fare” airline Spirit (SAVE). By state, airports in Florida turn up most in the list.
According to NetCredit's study, these are the cheapest and most expensive U.S. airports.
The Cheapest U.S. Airports
1. Atlantic City International, New Jersey
- Average fare: $109.43
- Share of monthly salary: 2.49%
2. Orlando Sanford International, Florida
- Average fare: $118.79
- Share of monthly salary: 2.94%
3. St. Pete–Clearwater International, Florida
- Average fare: $130.77
- Share of monthly salary: 3.03%
4. Phoenix–Mesa Gateway, Arizona
- Average fare: $137.61
- Share of monthly salary: 3.01%
5. Punta Gorda, Florida
- Average fare: $142.48
- Share of monthly salary: 3.83%
6. Hilo International, Hawaii
- Average fare: $182.87
- Share of monthly salary: 4.29%
7. Myrtle Beach International, South Carolina
- Average fare: $205.28
- Share of monthly salary: 6.28%
8. Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International, Florida
- Average fare: $207.55
- Share of monthly salary: 4.70%
9. Orlando International, Florida
- Average fare: $213.18
- Share of monthly salary: 5.27%
10. Harry Reid International, Nevada (Las Vegas)
- Average fare: $227.06
- Share of monthly salary: 5.45%
11. Long Island MacArthur, New York
- Average fare: $234.36
- Share of monthly salary: 3.96%
12. Chicago Midway International, Illinois
- Average fare: $244.36
- Share of monthly salary: 4.86%
13. Miami International, Florida
- Average fare: $246.03
- Share of monthly salary: 5.57%
14. Long Beach, California
- Average fare: $252.07
- Share of monthly salary: 4.75%
15. Lehigh Valley International, Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Average fare: $252.61
- Share of monthly salary: 5.91%
The Most Expensive Airports
1. Huntsville International, Alabama
- Average fare: $456.17
- Share of monthly salary: 9.32%
2. Yeager, Charleston, West Virginia
- Average fare: $419.27
- Share of monthly salary: 10.38%
3. Burlington International, Vermont
- Average fare: $413.61
- Share of monthly salary: 8.80%
4. Gulfport–Biloxi International, Mississippi
- Average fare: $406.49
- Share of monthly salary: 10.55%
5. Northwest Arkansas National, Arkansas (Bentonville)
- Average fare: $406.33
- Share of monthly salary: 9.66%
6. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
- Average fare: $399.22
- Share of monthly salary: 9.32%
7. Washington Dulles International, District of Columbia
- Average fare: $395.09
- Share of monthly salary: 6.14%
8. McAllen Miller International, Texas
- Average fare: $393.47
- Share of monthly salary: 11.97%
9. Dane County Regional, Madison, Wisconsin
- Average fare: $391.06
- Share of monthly salary: 8.14%
10. Jackson–Medgar Wiley Evers International, Mississippi
- Average fare: $390.81
- Share of monthly salary: 10.37%
11. San Francisco International
- Average fare: $389.49
- Share of monthly salary: 5.71%
12. Hector International, Fargo, N.D.
- Average fare: $386.08
- Share of monthly salary: 8.80%
13. Ted Stevens Anchorage International, Alaska
- Average fare: $385.99
- Share of monthly salary: 7.40%
14. Columbia Metropolitan, South Carolina
- Average fare: $385.34
- Share of monthly salary: 9.75%
15. Chattanooga Metropolitan, Tennessee
- Average fare: $381.52
- Share of monthly salary: 9.69%
Search and compare other airports to find the cheapest near you at NetCredit.
