Flying is the cheapest it has been since 1995, if you factor inflation in to average airfares, but not all airports are equal when it comes to what a ticket will cost.
Dulles International Airport had the highest average domestic airfare in 2018, with Reagan National falling somewhere in the middle and BWI Marshall ranking among the least expensive.
FinanceBuzz.com used average fare data for the fourth quarter of 2018 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to rank fares from the 45 busiest U.S. airports.
Dulles International had an average 2018 domestic airfare of $427.37, the highest among the nation’s top airports.
The average domestic fare at Reagan National Airport in 2018 was $357.42, ranking it 30th. BWI ranks 11, just outside of the 10 cheapest airports, with an average domestic fare of $318.44 in 2018.
The cheapest airport for average domestic airfare last year was McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, at $240.35.
Joining Dulles among the three most expensive airports are Charlotte/Douglas Airport, at $425.77, and Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston at $413.66.
The average domestic fares reported by the DOT do not include extra fees paid at the airport or onboard the aircraft.
For travelers in the Washington region, and other metros served by multiple airports, it can pay to shop fares. The price variance between the three airports serving the Washington region was 34.2%. Fares in the New York area varied by 41.7%. Fares in the Los Angeles area varied by 72.6% last year.
