Travel Tips

The Cheapest Ticket Prices From Budget Airports Across the US

Locations in this article:  Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL Dallas, TX Los Angeles, CA

Sure you might budget for your travels by deciding where you want to fly. But what about which airport you want to fly from?

You might expect the biggest airports like O’Hare and Atlanta’s Hartsfield to be the most expensive airports. Not true–heavy competition keeps fares from going too high.

In the Department of Transportation’s March 2009 report, the most expensive airport on average turned out to be Delta-dominated Cincinnati. Here, the average domestic fare was $595, far above the national average.

Coming in just behind it—Knoxville, Tennessee, and Greenville, South Carolina.

What’s the number one most affordable airport?

Dallas’ Love Field, with an average ticket price of $238.

Some of the other top 10 most affordable airports are Burbank and Long Beach in California, Islip in New York, Oakland, California, and Chicago’s Midway.

What do these airports have in common?

They’re all alternate airports.

That means they’re secondary alternatives to the big-city airports, which are often served by low-cost airlines.

For more information on air travel, check out our Airlines & Airports section.

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