The 10 Least, and Most, Expensive Airports in the US for Domestic Travel

Travelers often have their hands tied when it comes to picking which airport to fly out of. It all depends on the airlines that service the airport, where the final destination is, and the timing of the trip. If you can choose from a range of airports, there are certain options with notably lower costs, according to the latest domestic airline fares from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (And if you can’t choose, the data at least lets you know the ballpark range to expect.)

The national average domestic airline far was $365.64 in Q3 of 2024. Smaller airports with just a few flights can be outliers on either the pricier side or the cheaper side. Narrowing the scope down to just the 50 busiest airports by the number of passengers flying domestically, there is still a big range: an average of $252.15 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at on the lowest end and $472.61 from DC at the highest end.

The fares are based on domestic itinerary prices including taxes and fees, but not including baggage fees or other ad-ons. It also omits flights bought with points.

The 10 cheapest airports for domestic flights among the 50 busiest airports in the United States

Graphic: Matador Network

Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL): $252.15San Juan, PR (SJU): $266.13Orlando, FL (MCO): $269.61Las Vegas, NV (LAS): $275.16Chicago-Midway, IL (MDW): $292.17New York-La Guardia, NY (LGA): $302.88Oakland, CA (OAK): $313.64Miami, FL (MIA): $317.97San Jose, CA (SJC): $322.54New Orleans, LA (MSY): $323.50

The 10 most expensive airports for domestic flights among the 50 busiest airports in the United States

Graphic: Matador Network

Washington-Dulles, DC (IAD): $472.61Santa Ana, CA (SNA): $427.82San Francisco, CA (SFO): $424.68Salt Lake City, UT (SLC): $410.70Detroit, MI (DTW): $403.80Newark, NJ (EWR): $402.85Charlotte, NC (CLT): $398.64New York-JFK, NY (JFK): $397.44Atlanta, GA (ATL): $396.12Dallas-DFW, TX (DFW): $392.31

The average price to fly domestic from the 50 busiest airports in the United States

Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL): $252.15San Juan, PR (SJU): $266.13Orlando, FL (MCO): $269.61Las Vegas, NV (LAS): $275.16Chicago-Midway, IL (MDW): $292.17New York-La Guardia, NY (LGA): $302.88Oakland, CA (OAK): $313.64Miami, FL (MIA): $317.97San Jose, CA (SJC): $322.54New Orleans, LA (MSY): $323.50Dallas-Love Field, TX (DAL): $323.76Tampa, FL (TPA): $326.76Boston, MA (BOS): $331.19Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU): $336.88Denver, CO (DEN): $337.33Houston-Hobby, TX (HOU): $341.28Nashville, TN (BNA): $341.94Cincinnati, OH (CVG): $342.52Fort Myers, FL (RSW): $342.84Chicago-O’Hare, IL (ORD): $344.51Pittsburgh, PA (PIT): $345.32Baltimore, MD (BWI): $349.66Cleveland, OH (CLE): $353.55Minneapolis, MN (MSP): $354.73Phoenix, AZ (PHX): $355.63Washington-Reagan National, DC (DCA): $359.05San Diego, CA (SAN): $363.39Philadelphia, PA (PHL): $364.73Portland, OR (PDX): $365.43Honolulu, HI (HNL): $369.09Indianapolis, IN (IND): $369.64Sacramento, CA (SMF): $372.61Columbus, OH (CMH): $377.00Seattle, WA (SEA): $378.35St. Louis, MO (STL): $383.61San Antonio, TX (SAT): $384.52Austin, TX (AUS): $384.64Los Angeles, CA (LAX): $385.79Kansas City, MO (MCI): $388.04Houston-Intercontinental, TX (IAH): $391.86Dallas-DFW, TX (DFW): $392.31Atlanta, GA (ATL): $396.12New York-JFK, NY (JFK): $397.44Charlotte, NC (CLT): $398.64Newark, NJ (EWR): $402.85Detroit, MI (DTW): $403.80Salt Lake City, UT (SLC): $410.70San Francisco, CA (SFO): $424.68Santa Ana, CA (SNA): $427.82Washington-Dulles, DC (IAD): $472.61More like thisAirports + FlyingA New Study Found The Best Time to Buy Domestic Flights in 2024