By Jaclyn DeJohn

Prices on individual goods and services can take on their own characteristics based on unique supply and demand challenges throughout different locations nationwide. Air travel in particular faces unique pressures including staffing, equipment maintenance, fuel, passenger demand and more. In turn, the price of domestic flights can affect tourism, visits to family, and business opportunities. While prices out of most large U.S. airports have actually decreased over the past year, some airports continue to see fares climb.

With this in mind, SmartAsset examined where domestic flights in the U.S. have gotten more and less expensive over the past year, ranking the largest 74 airports.

Key Findings

  • Domestic airfare fell by 13.0% out of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. SDF had the biggest drop in airfare across large U.S. airports. Most recently, the average price for a domestic flight out of Louisville came in at $360.17, compared with $413.94 a year before. SDF saw an estimated 118,896 passengers pass through in 2023.
  • Flights out of Oakland, CA saw the highest price increases. Domestic outbound flights from Metro Oakland International (OAK) grew 7.1% in just one year, from an average of $295.32 to $316.19. Meanwhile, neighboring San Francisco International Airport (SFO) saw a 2.3% decrease in domestic fares, from $476.86 to $465.68. SFO has the third-most expensive domestic flights of large U.S. airports.
  • Domestic airfare is the most expensive out of these cities. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) has the priciest average domestic airfare at $534.90. Washington Dulles International Airport in D.C. has the second-most expensive domestic flights at an average of $484.78. These prices come after 3.0% and 3.7% price decreases, respectively.
  • One New York City area airport gets more expensive, while the others see price decreases. John F. Kennedy International Airport has the fifth-most expensive outbound domestic flights at $441.34, despite prices dropping 1.4% in the last year. Prices dropped by 2.3% out of LaGuardia (LGA) to $345.59, making it the cheapest of NYC-area airports to fly out domestically. Newark is 10th-most expensive of the large U.S. airports, after a 0.4% increase to an average domestic fare of $426.74.

Top 10 Airports With the Biggest Increases in Domestic Airfare

  1. OAK: Metro Oakland International Airport
    • Location: Oakland, CA
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $316.19
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: 7.1%
  2. SNA: John Wayne Airport-Orange County Airport
    • Location: Santa Ana, CA
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $419.74
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: 6.1%
  3. LAS: Harry Reid International Airport
    • Location: Las Vegas, NV
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $280.77
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: 5.8%
  4. BUR: Bob Hope Airport
    • Location: Burbank, CA
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $314.59
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: 5.8%
  5. SMF: Sacramento International Airport
    • Location: Sacramento, CA
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $390.39
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: 3.9%
  6. HNL: Daniel K Inouye International Airport
    • Location: Honolulu, HI
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $356.60
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: 3.8%
  7. BOI: Boise Air Terminal Airport
    • Location: Boise, ID
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $408.05
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: 3.8%
  8. DEN: Denver International Airport
    • Location: Denver, CO
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $357.58
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: 3.3%
  9. RNO: Reno/Tahoe International Airport
    • Location: Reno, NV
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $393.05
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: 3.3%
  10. SJC: Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport
    • Location: San Jose, CA
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $344.64
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: 2.8%

Top 10 Airports With the Biggest Drops in Domestic Airfare

  1. SDF: Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
    • Location: Louisville, KY
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $360.17
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: -13.0%
  2. CLT: Charlotte Douglas International Airport
    • Location: Charlotte, NC
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $422.92
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: -9.8%
  3. CVG: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
    • Location: Cincinnati, OH
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $358.90
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: -8.6%
  4. RDU: Raleigh-Durham International Airport
    • Location: Raleigh/Durham, NC
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $368.50
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: -7.9%
  5. ORF: Norfolk International Airport
    • Location: Norfolk, VA
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $414.42
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: -7.8%
  6. MKE: General Mitchell International Airport
    • Location: Milwaukee, WI
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $383.65
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: -7.0%
  7. PDX: Portland International Airport
    • Location: Portland, OR
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $408.95
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: -6.9%
  8. IND: Indianapolis International Airport
    • Location: Indianapolis, IN
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $392.68
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: -6.8%
  9. GRR: Gerald R. Ford International Airport
    • Location: Grand Rapids, MI
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $398.52
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: -6.6%
  10. DTW: Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport
    • Location: Detroit, MI
    • Average domestic airfare in Q4 2023: $427.73
    • Year over year change in domestic airfare price: -6.5%

Data and Methodology

This study included the 74 largest airports by 2023 passenger volume. Airports were ranked based on the percent change in the average domestic airfare price between Q4 2022 and Q4 2023, from the most recent data available from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Questions about our study? Contact [email protected].

Photo credit: ©iStock/izusek

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