This past month, everything I’ve written has been somehow fuel related. No exception here, but hopefully you’ll find this refreshing. As airlines cut capacity and boost ticket prices, consumers are beginning to realize that they won’t be able to fly to some destinations as frequently as they thought. However, some airports still tend to have good fares, even surrounding airports to some of the largest cities in the country. What airports are they, and why?
If you’re flying New York to Miami, you’re most likely to go online and look for direct flights between John F. Kennedy / LaGuardia / Newark and Miami. Sound about right? Yet, how many travelers search for direct fights to surrounding airports for less. Instead of flying to Miami, try Fort Lauderdale. As a matter of fact, Ft. Lauderdale is ranked number 4 in cheapest average one-way fare at an airport, which happens to be $238. It might even be safe to say that the top 5 cheapest airports are served by primarily low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. For vacation, I typically fly Philadelphia, Pennsylvania direct to Palm Beach, Florida. Instead, it may be cheaper to fly Atlantic City to Ft. Lauderdale. Atlantic City is number 1, with an average one-way fare priced at $109.
From what I’ve told you, it sounds as though smaller airports tend to have cheaper fares. While this may be true for airports that are in the suburbs / surrounding areas of large cities, this is not typically the case for airports in the middle of nowhere. The most expensive airport is Cincinnati, a hub of Delta Air Lines. The average one-way ticket price for a flight from Cincinnati is $535.
You have to wonder what contributes to a route price when you look at these ticket prices. Some things to consider: Gate leasing fee from airport, fuel cost for route / aircraft fuel efficiency, destination city gate fees / charges, landing fees. I’m sure there are plenty of other contributing factors, but those are some of the main factors that help price a route.
A side note: I’m sure since the Wright Amendment places limits on destination and aircraft size, at Dallas-Love, so the routes are fairly short. So, short routes + Southwest Airlines hub = average low fares.
Here is the complete list of the top 5s for the Cheapest and Most Expensive (Average One-Way Ticket Price):
Cheapest:
- Atlantic City, N.J. $109
- Dallas Love Field, T.X. $210
- Burbank, C.A. $237
- Fort Lauderdale, F.L. $238
- Las Vegas, N.V. $241
Most Expensive:
- Cincinnati, O.H. $535
- Greenville, S.C. $474
- Madison, W.I. $455
- Knoxville, T.N. $440
- Grand Rapids, M.I. $436
Image: www.garvich.us
