Prepare your wallet if you are planning to travel this holiday. Due to inflation and the skyrocketing cost of fuel, delays and cancellations and airport fare costs will make airline tickets more expensive this holiday. A study from Smart Asset found that Western airports are seeing large increases in airfare in one year.
Researchers at SmartAsset analyzed 100 of the busiest airports in the U.S to determine the most expensive airports. According to the study, an airport was considered “busy” based on its total number of domestic passengers in 2021.
The study, which focused on price increases for domestic flights, used three metrics: average airfare costs in the second quarter of 2022, the one-year percentage change and the dollar change in average airplane ticket costs. The data used in the study came from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Read below the key points of the study on airports with the most expensive airline tickets:
Passengers can expect to pay over $500 on average at three airports
According to the study, Dane County Regional (MSN) – which serves Madison, Wisconsin – has the highest average fare of $526. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) follow closely behind with average airfares of $526 and $503, respectively.
Airports with large increases in airfare
Six of the 10 airports with the largest price increases are in the West, including two in Washington, two in California, one in Idaho and one in Arizona. Of those, Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT) ranks worst, with an average airfare of $474 in the second quarter of 2022 (42% and $140 higher than it was a year previously).
LAX - The worst for recent airfare increases
Of the 12 California airports included in this study, the largest – Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – ranks worst for recent airfare increases. The average airfare is $448 (15th-highest) and LAX airport has the sixth-highest one-year percentage change in average fares (42.22%) and the seventh-highest dollar change ($133).
Where Airfare Has Increased the Least
Ellison Onizuka Kona International at Keahole, Hawaii, is where airfare has increased the least. Its average fare is $266. It has the least percentage change (-3.06%) and the least dollar change on the list (-$8).