Best and Worst Airports for Cheap International Flights
Living in the Bay Area, I am fortunate enough to have three relatively close airports to choose from when planning my trip. Both San Francisco and Oakland airports are about 20-30 minutes from my house, depending on the time of day, and if I need to, I can take a train to San Jose which will take me to its airport in about an hour. … This means that I can buy air tickets.
The price of an international plane ticket can vary greatly depending on the airport you are departing from. For example, last year my boyfriend and I went to France with two friends who live in North Carolina. We all flew in the same day, we are from San Francisco and they are from Raleigh, North Carolina.
Despite the fact that we all flew Delta with the same class of service and bought tickets on the same day for the same travel dates, we paid approximately $ 500 for round trip tickets, while my friends paid over a thousand dollars for theirs. They were even technically closer to our goal. The difference was at our airport.
Where you fly matters. Scott’s Cheap Flights recently checked all airports in the United States and determined which of them offer the most deals on international flights, and which have the least . The idea is that if you live near one of the airports that has a lot of deals on international flights, it might be worth comparing the store before booking your flight, rather than just booking one that is just outside the nearest airport.
An hour of driving may not cost $ 20, but if your family of four can save $ 500 on a ticket flying from another airport, then you can add a little ride to the start of your vacation.
The top airport on the list had over 400 offers for international travel, while the rest in the top 10 averaged over 25 deals per month.
Best airports for international flights
1. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
2. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
3. General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS)
4. San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
5. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
6. O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
7. Miami International Airport (MIA)
8. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
9. Orlando International Airport (MCO)
10. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
As you might have guessed, small metro airports are at the top of the “worst” list. While smaller cities technically made it to the top, only cities with more than 1 million inhabitants were included in the report, so these are the largest of the smallest airports, or at least the ones in some of the more densely populated areas.
Worst airports for international flights
- Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO)
- North West Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP)
- Gerald R. Fold International Airport (GRR)
- Norfolk International Airport (ORF)
- Albany International Airport (ALB)
- Long Beach Airport (LGB)
- Louisville International Airport (SDF)
- Will Rogers Airport (OKC)
- General Mitchell International Airport (MKE)
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
Airports from this list concluded on average less than two deals per month. There were also offers, so even those that made it into the “worst” list are still worth looking at when booking this trip.
As with most large purchases, the main takeaway is that they always pay off with a comparison store.