Airfare prices are constantly fluctuating and finding that elusive perfect time to book a flight is a little bit like finding a unicorn, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find extraordinary flight deals – you just need to know where to look.
Every year, Cheapflights does its research to bring you a cost ranking of 101 of the most-searched airports. Now in its seventh year, the index tracks the average airfare Cheapflights.com users found during the month of June to a common list of popular domestic and international destinations and compares it to the previous year’s ranking.
The 2016 Airport Affordability Index offers some interesting insights that should help savvy travelers plan smarter and save more in 2016 and beyond.
The most affordable airport this year was Long Beach Airport. This California airport has made the top spot twice in previous years and was #7 on our 2015 index. Claiming the #2 position is Dallas/Fort Worth International, which jumped 27 positions from last year’s list. Dallas/Fort Worth is a hub for American Airlines but also boasts a strong discount carrier presence, showing just how competitive airfare pricing benefits travelers.
One of the biggest takeaways from this year’s index is the overall drop in average airfare. Even the most expensive airports on the list have an average airfare that is $150 less than last year. However, travelers can save even more by comparing prices to or from nearby airports before booking a flight.
Flying into or out of SoCal? Before automatically booking flights to or from Los Angeles International (#32 this year), check out the fares from #1 Long Beach, a little more than 20 miles away. And East Coast travelers choosing New York’s LaGuardia over John F. Kennedy Airport can also reap the benefits of doing a little comparison shopping prior to booking.
The average airfare in June from LaGuardia Airport to Miami was $148 versus $222 from JFK. Similarly, the average fare in June to Seattle from LaGuardia was $289, while it was $315 from JFK. Fares to Dublin, Toronto and Honolulu were also cheaper when flying from LaGuardia.
With some of the most affordable flight prices in recent history, it’s a great time to plan your next adventure. Research is key to finding the best price, and with our Airport Affordability Index, you’re halfway there. Happy travels.
2016 Airport Affordability Index
| Rank | Airport | Ave Airfare | 2015 Rank |
| 1 | Long Beach (Daugherty Field), CA (LGB) | $202 | 7 |
| 2 | Dallas/Fort Worth International, TX (DFW) | $203 | 29 |
| 3 | LaGuardia, NY (LGA) | $215 | 4 |
| 4 | General Mitchell International, WI (MKE) | $230 | 66 |
| 5 | Minneapolis-St Paul International, MN (MSP) | $237 | 22 |
| 6 | Denver International, CO (DEN) | $242 | 13 |
| 7 | Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, FL (FLL) | $245 | 17 |
| 8 | Chicago-O’Hare International, IL (ORD) | $246 | 5 |
| 9 | Atlanta International, GA (ATL) | $249 | 2 |
| 10 | Philadelphia International, PA (PHL) | $253 | 6 |
| 11 | William P. Hobby, TX (HOU) | $254 | 32 |
| 12 | Lehigh Valley International, PA (ABE) | $258 | 73 |
| 13 | Indianapolis International, IN (IND) | $259 | 39 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh International, PA (PIT) | $259 | 80 |
| 15 | Kansas City International, MO (MCI) | $261 | 18 |
| 16 | Metropolitan Oakland International, CA (OAK) | $262 | 10 |
| 17 | Orlando International, FL (MCO) | $263 | 9 |
| 18 | Cleveland-Hopkins International, OH (CLE) | $264 | 8 |
| 19 | Miami International, FL (MIA) | $265 | 21 |
| 20 | McCarran International, NV (LAS) | $265 | 12 |
| 21 | Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, OH (CVG) | $269 | 1 |
| 22 | Port Columbus International, OH (CMH) | $272 | 68 |
| 23 | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, LA (MSY) | $273 | 30 |
| 24 | Nashville International, TN (BNA) | $273 | 79 |
| 25 | Lambert-St Louis International, MO (STL) | $282 | 20 |
| 26 | George Bush Intercontinental, TX (IAH) | $286 | 41 |
| 27 | Seattle – Tacoma International, WA (SEA) | $287 | 54 |
| 28 | Memphis International, TN (MEM) | $287 | 46 |
| 29 | Charles B. Wheeler Downtown, MO (MKC) | $290 | 51 |
| 30 | Bishop International, MI (FNT) | $290 | N/A |
| 31 | John Wayne/Orange County, CA (SNA) | $291 | 34 |
| 32 | Los Angeles International, CA (LAX) | $293 | 19 |
| 33 | Austin-Bergstrom International, TX (AUS) | $295 | 16 |
| 34 | Logan International, MA (BOS) | $297 | 53 |
| 35 | San Diego Intl-Lindbergh Field, CA (SAN) | $299 | 43 |
| 36 | Salt Lake City International, UT (SLC) | $302 | 44 |
| 37 | Phoenix Sky Harbor International, AZ (PHX) | $302 | 45 |
| 38 | Tampa International, FL (TPA) | $302 | 28 |
| 39 | Colorado Springs Municipal, CO (COS) | $303 | N/A |
| 40 | Raleigh-Durham International, NC (RDU) | $306 | 31 |
| 41 | Reagan National (DCA) | $309 | 14 |
| 42 | Bob Hope Airport, CA (BUR) | $311 | 15 |
| 43 | San Francisco International, CA (SFO) | $311 | 52 |
| 44 | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, MI (DTW) | $312 | 25 |
| 45 | San Jose International, CA (SJC) | $314 | 11 |
| 46 | Charlotte/Douglas International, NC (CLT) | $314 | 59 |
| 47 | Akron-Canton Regional, OH (CAK) | $318 | 40 |
| 48 | Dallas Love Field, TX (DAL) | $319 | 3 |
| 49 | Newark Liberty International, NJ (EWR) | $319 | 24 |
| 50 | Baltimore/Washington International, MD (BWI) | $321 | 26 |
| 51 | Gerald R. Ford International, MI (GRR) | $322 | 72 |
| 52 | Manchester, NH (MHT) | $322 | 47 |
| 53 | Charleston International, SC (CHS) | $322 | 37 |
| 54 | Bradley International, CT (BDL) | $328 | 23 |
| 55 | Portland International, OR (PDX) | $328 | 50 |
| 56 | San Antonio International, TX (SAT) | $332 | 71 |
| 57 | Eppley Airfield, NE (OMA) | $336 | 56 |
| 58 | Piedmont Triad International, NC (GSO) | $336 | 69 |
| 59 | Palm Beach International, FL (PBI) | $337 | 61 |
| 60 | Myrtle Beach International, SC (MYR) | $337 | 9 |
| 61 | Washington Dulles International (IAD) | $344 | 65 |
| 62 | Sioux Falls Regional, SD (FSD) | $346 | N/A |
| 63 | Columbia Metropolitan, SC (CAE) | $354 | N/A |
| 64 | Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, KS (ICT) | $355 | 87 |
| 65 | Reno-Tahoe International, NV (RNO) | $361 | 70 |
| 66 | Buffalo Niagara International, NY (BUF) | $361 | 35 |
| 67 | Richmond International, VA (RIC) | $363 | 48 |
| 68 | El Paso International, TX (ELP) | $364 | 95 |
| 69 | Des Moines International, IA (DSM) | $365 | 82 |
| 70 | Theodore Francis Green State, RI (PVD) | $366 | 27 |
| 71 | Ontario International, CA (ONT) | $369 | 55 |
| 72 | Jacksonville International, FL (JAX) | $369 | 63 |
| 73 | Tucson International, AZ (TUS) | $378 | 74 |
| 74 | Portland Int’l Jetport, ME (PWM) | $385 | 92 |
| 75 | Spokane International, WA (GEG) | $397 | 84 |
| 76 | Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field), ID (BOI) | $400 | 85 |
| 77 | Syracuse Hancock International, NY (SYR) | $401 | 62 |
| 78 | Albany International, NY (ALB) | $405 | 86 |
| 79 | Greater Rochester International, NY (ROC) | $405 | 49 |
| 80 | Southwest Florida International, FL (RSW) | $408 | 67 |
| 81 | Greenville-Spartanburg International, SC (GSP) | $408 | 98 |
| 82 | Birmingham International, AL (BHM) | $414 | 81 |
| 83 | Fresno Air Terminal, CA (FAT) | $415 | 78 |
| 84 | Standiford Field, KY (SDF) | $417 | 90 |
| 85 | Blue Grass, KY (LEX) | $420 | N/A |
| 86 | Harrisburg International, PA (MDT) | $421 | N/A |
| 87 | Tulsa International, OK (TUL) | $429 | 77 |
| 88 | Albuquerque International, NM (ABQ) | $429 | 75 |
| 89 | Norfolk International, VA (ORF) | $432 | 76 |
| 90 | Adams Field, AR (LIT) | $436 | 91 |
| 91 | Will Rogers, OK (OKC) | $437 | 88 |
| 92 | James M. Cox Dayton International, OH (DAY) | $439 | 97 |
| 93 | Kahului, HI (OGG) | $444 | 33 |
| 94 | Yeager, WV (CRW) | $454 | 100 |
| 95 | John F. Kennedy International, NY (JFK) | $454 | 64 |
| 96 | Anchorage International, AK (ANC) | $492 | 96 |
| 97 | Sacramento International Airport, CA (SMF) | $493 | 42 |
| 98 | Pensacola Regional, FL (PNS) | $498 | 93 |
| 99 | Northwest Arkansas Regional, AR (XNA) | $536 | 99 |
| 100 | McGhee Tyson, TN (TYS) | $543 | 94 |
| 101 | Honolulu International, HI (HNL) | $641 | 101 |
Main image: istockphoto/Leonardo Patrizi
