REVEALED: America's 100 busiest airports ranked by air fare

2022-08-21

REVEALED: America’s 100 busiest airports ranked by air fare as increased travel demand continues to cause wild ticket price fluctuations

A new study has revealed the airports that have seen both the largest and smallest airfare increases over the past year
The study, carried out by financial tech firm SmartAsset, looked at the 100 busiest – and found that airfares have fluctuated wildly since 2021
According to SmartAsset, fares for a one-way ticket in the nation’s priciest airports have ballooned by more than $100
The study found, airline fares have increased by 26 percent from 2021, with the average ticket cost is up by more than 30 percent at nearly two dozen airports
However, as travelers grapple with mass cancellations, some airports have actually gotten cheaper, sporting surprisingly affordable air rates

As COVID restrictions loosen and the demand for air travel continues to increase, a new study has revealed the airports that have seen both the largest and smallest airfare increases over the past year.

While there are thousands of airports across the United States, the study, carried out by financial tech firm SmartAsset, looked at the 100 busiest – and found that airfares have fluctuated wildly since 2021.

According to SmartAsset, fares for a one-way ticket in the nation’s priciest airports – such as Westchester County Airport near New York City and Philadelphia International – have ballooned by more than $100.

On average, the study found, air fares have increased by roughly 26 percent from last year, with the average ticket cost up by more than 30 percent at nearly two dozen airports – bringing the national average flight cost to $328 for the first quarter of 2022.

However, as travelers grapple with mass cancellations, lost luggage, and astronomical ticket prices fueled by the the continuing crisis, some airports have actually gotten cheaper, sporting surprisingly affordable air rates during the summer travel season.

With that said, out of the 100 highly trafficked airports looked at in the study, only two sported an average airfare less than $200 – with both of those airports situated in Florida, a state known for historically cheap fares.

As COVID restrictions loosen and the demand for air travel increases, a study has shown which airports have seen both the largest and smallest airfare increases over the past year. Pictured are travelers at Charlotte International in North Carolina, one of the nation’s priciest airports

While there are thousands of airports across the United States, the study, carried out by financial tech firm SmartAsset, looked at the 100 busiest and compared them across three metrics: average airfare cost, percentage change from last year, and the change in dollars

Nationally, airfares have increased by 26.24 percent as a whole- a figure that is much higher at airports in states like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and California.

Westchester County Airport, near New York City, saw the highest overall increase, the study found, with a $119 hike for a $380 average airfare – a 45.5 percent change.

Philadelphia International Airport, meanwhile, increased by $96 – and was the only other airport to see its average rate rise by more than 40 percent.

In 21 other airports, average flight tickets were up over 30 percent, with North Carolina’s Charlotte Douglas International and Minneapolis’ Saint Paul International both seeing more than $100 rises, each increasing by $102 – to $382 and $376, respectively.

McGhee Tyson Airport in Tennessee, meanwhile, also saw a $102 hike over the past year, leaving it with an astronomical average fare of $403 for a one-way ticket.

Still, none of those airports claimed the dubious distinction of the highest average fare.

As travelers grapple with mass cancellations, lost luggage, and astronomical ticket prices fueled by the the continuing crisis, some airports have actually gotten cheaper, sporting surprisingly affordable air rates during the summer travel season

North Carolina’s Charlotte Douglas International (pictured) was one of several airports to see its average airfare rise by more than $100, to a current average rate of $382

Westchester County Airport, near New York City, saw the highest overall increase, the study found, with a $119 hike for a $380 average airfare – a 45.5 percent change

Instead, that accolade fell to Ted Stevens Anchorage International in Alaska, which, according to the report’s authors, sports a whopping average rate of $456 – a $30 increase from last year.

That was followed by Dane County Regional in Madison, Wisconsin, which swelled by $94 from last year for an average airfare of $436 – the tenth biggest increase recorded in the study

Other notable airports to round out the top ten included the Tristate’s Newark International, which increased by 39 percent from last year to $331, and Logan International in Massachusetts, which similarly increased by $96 to an average rate of $340.

Palm Springs International, meanwhile, in Southern California, raised by $89 to $360 – a 32 percent hike.

Ted Stevens Anchorage International in Alaska (pictured), according to the report’s authors, now sports a whopping average rate of $456 – the highest in the entire country

Nearly all the airports named in the top ten – as well as 13 others – saw increases of more than 30 percent, as travel demand and spiking fuel costs continues to affect ticket prices.

Airfares, however, aren’t high everywhere, according to the study, with establishments in surprisingly scenic locations such as Hawaii and California sporting airfares that are in some cases a third of the cost – and well under $200.

In Hawaii, a popular vacation spot frequented by millions of American tourists every year, airfares have actually gotten cheaper -albeit slightly – than last year.

At Ellison Onizuka Kona International on the state’s main island, the average airfare decreased by $8 – a -3.06% change over 2021.

Airfares, however, aren’t high everywhere, according to the study, with notable establishments like Ne York City’s LaGuardia (pictured) seeing just marginal airfare increases

Other notable airports to round out the ten where airfares changed the least included Long Beach Airport in California (pictured), which increased by just $24 in 2022 to $226

At Kahului Airport in Maui, the average ticket is $1 less, accounting for a -0.27 percent change. Both, however, sport rates of well over $200, with Kona recording an average ticket price of $266 and Kahului seeing a similar $277.

In Florida, however, rates were much cheaper, with Orlando Sanford International and St. Pete-Clearwater International both sporting sub $200 air rates, at $132 and $130, respectively.

Bob Hope Airport, meanwhile in Burbank, California, had the lowest price increase, at $12, for a $242 average rate.

Other notable airports to round out the ten where airfares changed the least included Long Beach Airport in California, which increased by just $24 in 2022 to $226, and New York’s LaGuardia, which raised $28 to $272.

Driving these fluctuations is a nearly 50 percent increase in gas prices over the past year, coupled with with worsening inflation that has economists warning of a recession.

The average cost of consumer goods rose 8.6 percent in May, according to the most recently available data, the highest increase since 1981.

Despite signs of a possible economic slowdown, consumer spending has largely kept pace and hiring remains brisk in a sign that families and businesses have been able to withstand some of the economic pain.

In an interview last month with the AP, Biden traced the decline in his popularity to increases in gas prices that began a year ago.

He said that prices shot up further with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. But he rejected claims by Republican lawmakers and some major economists that his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package from last year contributed to inflation, noting that price increases were a global phenomenon.

‘We’re in a stronger position than any nation in the world to overcome this inflation,’ Biden said. ‘If it’s my fault, why is it the case in every other major industrial country in the world that inflation is higher?’

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