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These Are the Most Expensive Airports to Fly Out of in the US

News Airports + Flying
by Tim Wenger Jun 17, 2019

In terms of pure convenience, few places around the world can top flying from the East Coast of the United States. With multiple major cities within a few hours’ commute of each other, there is no shortage of international airports offering direct flights to just about anywhere one could want to fly. But it turns out that convenience comes at a price — the East Coast is home to many of the county’s most expensive one-way flights. A new report from FinanceBuzz compiled data from the US Department of Transportation that analyzed the average one-way departing flight cost across the nation’s 45 busiest airports.

With an average one-way departing flight running a mean $427.37, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) ranked as the most expensive major airport in the United States. Rounding out the top four were Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) at $425.77, Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston at $413.66, and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) at $403.74. John F. Kennedy International Airport averaged $390.20.

Las Vegas, the longtime home of mega-cheap airfare, topped the list from the other side. The average one-way departing cost from McCarran International Airport was $240.35. McCarran is the furthest from a coast of any of the five cheapest major airports in the country — the airports in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Oakland, and San Jose all average less than $300 per departing seat.

Another noticeable trend is that business is not the primary determining factor of an airport’s affordability. The two busiest airports in the country, LAX and Chicago O’Hare, landed smack in the middle of the rankings, with an average cost of $352.79 and $338.55, respectively. The report also noted cheaper alternatives to some of the country’s most expensive airports. Those flying in and out of Washington, DC, can save some serious dough on domestic flights by going through Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) or Baltimore-Washington International (BWI). If you’re looking to avoid the crowds of LAX, both Long Beach Airport (LGB) and Burbank Bob Hope Airport (BUR) are more affordable and less crowded.

H/T: FinanceBuzz

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