The Best and Worst US Airports for Cheap Domestic Flights

At Going, we know cheap flights. It’s kind of our thing. Our team spends hundreds of hours every week searching for flight deals departing from nearly 200 US airports.

In mid-2020, we expanded our service to include domestic flights, and since then we’ve sent thousands more domestic deals to our members with prices as low as $29 roundtrip—and no, that’s not on Spirit. We don’t send any deal that doesn’t meet our standards, which means no brutally long layovers or terrible airlines with lots of extra fees. Our members save an average of $200 (and often a lot more) on each domestic trip.

Of course, we can only send our members the deals available, and some airports simply see more frequent flight deals than others. Factors like the amount of airlines serving the airport and the amount of competition on routes from that airport can affect how frequently deals pop up.

To help members find more deals, we ran the numbers to see which airports offer the most frequent deals on domestic economy class flights—and which major airports offer the least. We looked at commercial airports in metro areas with a population of at least 700,000 people, and collected data on how many deals we sent to Going members for cheap domestic flights departing from each airport in the previous 12 months.

Here are the results.

If you’re a Premium member and you live near one of the best airports, you probably receive 2-3 domestic economy class deals from us each week. But, if you live near one of the worst, it doesn’t mean you’re stuck overpaying for domestic flights. Beneath each of the “worst” airports, we give you the lowdown on how you can score more—and better—domestic economy class flight deals without moving to a new city.

The Best US Airports for Cheap Domestic Flights

Premium members who fly from one of our top ten airports receive an average of 2-3 deals from each airport per week.

But even if your home airport isn’t in the top ten, it may still be a sweet spot for deals.

New Orleans (MSY), Phoenix (PHX), Houston (IAH), Philadelphia (PHL), Nashville (BNA), Boston (BOS), Portland (PDX), and Miami (MIA) are just a few of the airports where we reliably find a few domestic economy deals per week. Even airports further down the list like Cleveland (CLE) and Boise (BOI) generally get at least a deal or two per week, on average, while spots like Tulsa (TUL) and Memphis (MEM) see 1-2 domestic economy class deals per month.

10. Phoenix (PHX)

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is Arizona’s largest airport and one of the busiest in the US. It’s a focus city for Southwest Airlines and is the sixth-largest hub for American Airlines; in fact, American is actively investing in its PHX network, adding two new routes, one to Pasco, Washington—which will expand service in the Tri-Cities area of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland—and another to Tijuana, Mexico, in February 2024. This will bring Phoenix’s nonstop destinations to more than 100. 

Sample past deals departing PHX:

• Provo for $58 roundtrip
• LA for $90 roundtrip
• Seattle for $138 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Phoenix

9. Seattle (SEA)

Seattle is a hub for Delta and Alaska Airlines, and the latter helps keep domestic deals to and from the city a frequent occurrence—particularly to Alaska, Hawaii, and spots around the West and Pacific Northwest. The addition of Paine Field (PAE) helps add additional competition and downward pressure on fares.

Sample past deals departing SEA:

• Juneau for $159 roundtrip
• Chicago for $158 roundtrip
• Denver for $108 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Seattle

8. Orlando (MCO)

While both Orlando and Miami have a respectable volume of international deals flowing through their airports, Orlando International Airport is undoubtedly the place for domestic deals in Florida, with about 9 per month. MCO is a hub for Silver Airways, an operating base for Avelo Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines, and a focus city for Frontier Airlines. (We don’t send out Spirit or Frontier deals, as they’re budget airlines; however, the airlines’ presence helps drive down fares across the board, which bodes well for travelers looking to snag a low-cost ticket across MCO’s 104 nonstop US destinations.)

Sample past deals departing MCO:

• Rhode Island for $78 roundtrip
• New Orleans for $98 roundtrip
• Austin for $110 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Orlando

7.  Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

As the 4th-busiest airport in the US, a major hub for both United Airlines and American Airlines, and a focus city for Frontier Airlines and Spirit, it’s not surprising that Chicago ranks highly on our list. Plus a little bit of competition from nearby Midway Airport (MDW) doesn’t hurt. While Southwest dominates the game at MDW, it also introduced service out of ORD in the past few years, which continues to put a downward pressure on domestic prices and ensure the deals don’t stop anytime soon.

Sample past deals departing ORD:

• Nashville for $118 roundtrip
• San Francisco for $178 roundtrip
• Boston for $114 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Chicago

6. Boston (BOS)

Boston is New England’s largest airport and the best on the East Coast for deals, edging out even New York and Washington, DC, metropolitan area airports, which tend to be superior for international deals. Boston Logan is a hub for Delta and Cape Air (which services flights throughout the Northeast, including to Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Bar Harbor); it’s also a focus city for JetBlue.

Sample past deals departing BOS:

• Charlotte for $89 roundtrip
• Miami for $158 roundtrip
• Bozeman for $279 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Boston

5. Austin (AUS)

Whoever said “everything is bigger in Texas'' was evidently taking into consideration expansion plans for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which is fast-tracking its current development program, as passenger numbers are set to surpass projections about a decade ahead of schedule. Austin flies under-the-radar, as it’s smaller than  neighboring Texas airports—Dallas/Fort Worth (American Airlines’s biggest hub) and Houston (a United hub). As an unofficial hub for American and Southwest, ABIA is not yet experiencing super-high prices as a result of a single airline having a monopoly on the airport. In short, up-and-coming Austin is currently sitting in a sweet spot for good deals.

Sample past deals departing AUS:

• New York City for $106 roundtrip
• Las Vegas for $138 roundtrip
• Denver for $178 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Austin

4. Denver (DEN)

DEN is the third-busiest airport in the US by passenger numbers. It’s a hub for both United Airlines and Frontier Airlines and a base for Southwest Airlines so you can get just about anywhere in the US with one stop or less, and the competition between airlines helps keep prices low and deals frequent.

Sample past deals departing DEN:

• Austin for $90 roundtrip
• Honolulu for $289 roundtrip
• Seattle for $128 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Denver

3. Las Vegas (LAS)

Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport is the busiest US airport that doesn’t operate as a hub for any of the three US legacy carriers (Delta, United, or American). It is a base for Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and more, but of those airlines, the only one we send our members deals on is Southwest. Still, the popularity of Vegas as a vacation destination ensures the airport offers enough routes and is served by enough domestic airlines that it remains competitive and deals are frequent.

Sample past deals departing LAS:

• Phoenix for $90 roundtrip
• San Francisco for $72 roundtrip
• Newark for $188 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Las Vegas

2. San Francisco (SFO)

SFO is the second-busiest airport in California after LAX, the 14th-busiest airport in the US, and the fifth-largest hub for United Airlines. The presence of other Bay Area airports, especially Oakland, which is the hub for Southwest flights, helps keep deals frequent.

Sample past deals departing SFO:

• Kona for $192 roundtrip
• Pittsburgh for $186 roundtrip
• Salt Lake City for $76 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from San Francisco

1. Los Angeles (LAX)

Any Premium member based out of LA won’t be surprised to hear it’s shaping up to be the best spot to score frequent domestic deals. The fifth-busiest airport in the US and one of the busiest in the world, it’s a hub or focus city for more airlines than any other airport in the US. It’s a hub for Alaska, American, Delta, and United and a focus city for JetBlue and Southwest. Plus, with other airports nearby to choose from (ONT, SNA, BUR, and LGB) all that competition helps drive down deal prices and make fare drops more common.

Sample past deals departing LAX:

• Maui for $206 roundtrip
• Houston for $146 roundtrip
• Chicago for $132 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Los Angeles

The Worst US Airports for Cheap Domestic Flights

Members who fly out of the worst airports on our list might only receive one domestic deal per month—but it’s not all bad news. Most of these airports have alternate airports within about two hours, so you can greatly increase the number of deals you have access to if you’re willing to drive a bit.

10. Greensboro (GSO)

Domestic-only GSO serves North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad area of Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem with five airlines: Allegiant, American, Delta, Silver, and United. It has 14 nonstop destinations (mostly in the East, Midwest, and South states) and about 75 others reachable on one-stop itineraries. You can increase your chances of snagging a great domestic deal by checking out flights from Raleigh and Charlotte, each under two hours from GSO. While neither Raleigh nor Charlotte have cracked the top 10 for cheap domestic flights this year (Raleigh made the list for cheap international flights), you’ll have far better luck finding a deal out of one of those over Greensboro. 

Sample past deals departing GSO:

• Nashville for $98 roundtrip
• Tampa for $128 roundtrip
• Chicago for $168 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Greensboro

9. Fresno (FAT)

Fresno Yosemite International Airport has somehow earned its title as an “international” airport, with three nonstop routes to cities in Mexico; however, the rest of its nonstop service is relatively limited, with routes primarily on the West Coast and only getting you as far as Chicago. If you’re going anywhere else in the US, you’ll have at least one connection. Luckily, Fresno is close to SFO and LAX, both of which have topped our list of best airports for cheap domestic flights. With a short positioning flight or drive, you’ll have a ton more deals at your fingertips. 

Sample past deals departing FAT:

• Las Vegas for $98 roundtrip
• Seattle for $134 roundtrip
• Denver for $138 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Fresno

8. Grand Rapids (GRR)  

While Grand Rapids does have some direct flights around the US, it’s also located not too far from two major hubs for international flights: Detroit and Chicago. Be warned that traffic to each of these airports can be a beast, but you can get to Detroit in about 2.5–3 hours and to Chicago in 3–4 hours by car (without a car, you'll unfortunately have to navigate a maze of public transport, so this method might work best if you're able to park your car at the airport). It takes even less time to fly to these airports (about 45 minutes) and routing through one of these cities opens up the possibilities for deals exponentially. Detroit (DTW) sees about four times as many deals as Grand Rapids, and Chicago (ORD) receives more deals by a factor of more than 10.

Sample past deals departing GRR:

• Nashville for $168 roundtrip
• Denver for $117 roundtrip
• San Diego for $196 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Grand Rapids

7. Birmingham (BHM)

Alabama’s BHM airport offers flights to just 17 US cities (mostly in the south and east, plus Houston, Dallas, Denver, and Las Vegas) on American, Delta, Southwest, and United. Without as much competition, deals aren’t as frequent, averaging 1-2 per month. For more and better deals, it may be worth the two hour drive to Atlanta.

Sample past deals departing BHM:

• Dayton Beach for $152 roundtrip
• Dallas for $187 roundtrip
• Charleston for $173 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Birmingham

6. Honolulu (HNL)

Honolulu airport is Hawaii’s biggest and a hub for Hawaiian Airlines. For domestic flights to the mainland, it’s served by Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, and United, and while the entrance of Southwest to the market has put a lot of downward pressure on flights to and from the West Coast, deals to the rest of the mainland from Hawaii are a bit more scarce. If you’re trying to get from Hawaii to the East Coast, for example, you may be best off hopping a cheap flight to California and then connecting from there.

Sample past deals departing HNL:

• Maui for $57 roundtrip
• Los Angeles for $173 roundtrip
• Baltimore for $313 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Honolulu

5. Dayton (DAY)

Dayton is the third-busiest airport in Ohio (after Cleveland and Columbus) but has flights to just 12 destinations, with the farthest in Texas and Florida. With only Delta, United, American, Allegiant, and Avelo, there’s just not a lot of competition and that means fewer deals. For more deals, it can be worth the 70-mile drive to Cincinnati.

‍Sample past deals departing DAY:

• Memphis for $192 roundtrip
• Charleston for $151 roundtrip
• Los Angeles for $196 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Dayton

4. Albany (ALB)

Albany only serves a handful of US cities in the east, south, and Midwest (its farthest nonstop destination is Denver). However, what Albany does have going for it are cheap fares to major eastern and Midwest hubs like Chicago (ORD), Newark (EWR), Detroit (DTW), Philadelphia (PHL), Atlanta (ATL), and Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Alternatively, it’s roughly a three-hour drive to Montreal (YUL) or Newark (EWR), which could be worth the time for the right deal.

Sample past deals departing ALB:

• Orlando for $104 roundtrip
• Chicago for $147 roundtrip
• Washington, DC for $57 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Albany

3. Knoxville (TYS)

Knoxville is a focus city for Allegiant Air and is also served by United, Frontier, Delta, and American. It offers direct flights to about 20 US destinations, with the farthest being Phoenix and Las Vegas. As a result, we find only 1-2 deals per month for folks in Knoxville, so following Nashville and Chattanooga can help increase your options, particularly for longer haul domestic flights.

Sample past deals departing TYS:

• Panama City for $176 roundtrip
• Chicago for $97 roundtrip
• Houston for $186 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Knoxville

2. Panama City (ECP)

Panama City offers direct flights to destinations in the Mid-Atlantic, South, and Midwest. If you want to go any farther west than Denver, you’ll have at least one connection. To score more deals, consider flying out of Tallahassee (TLH) or Pensacola (PNS), which are each about two hours away. Alternatively, if you’re looking to travel across the country, it may be worth it to book a small hop to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Atlanta, and then book your cross-country flight from there.

Sample past deals departing ECP:

• Atlanta for $117 roundtrip
• Colorado Springs for $181 roundtrip
• St. Louis for $115 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Panama City

1. Columbia (CAE)

CAE is only served by American, Allegiant, Breeze, and United, with direct flights to 19 domestic destinations, including DC, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Orlando. That lack of competition among routes and airlines means deals just don’t pop up very often. We find about one domestic deal per month for members. Charlotte and Charleston, each about two hours away, both see a lot more deals in comparison, which can make the drive worth it, especially for a long-haul flight.

Sample past deals departing CAE:

• Chicago for $117 roundtrip
• Washington DC for $97 roundtrip
• New York for $198 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Columbia

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