The Most Expensive Airports in the U.S. Might Surprise You

If you think flying out of major hubs like JFK (New York) or LAX (Los Angeles) is expensive, wait until you see the airports with America’s highest average fares.

Telluride Regional Airport in Colorado tops the list with an eye-popping average fare of $818 in 2024—more than double the national average of $366.

Key Takeaways

• Mountain destinations and remote locations dominate the list of most expensive airports.
• The highest fares are more than double the national average of $366.
• Location and limited competition are significant factors driving up prices.

For High Airfares, Think Regional More Than Popularity

While you might expect major coastal cities to have the priciest flights, it’s smaller regional airports serving remote or tourist destinations that command the highest fares. And there are some surprises: among mountain destinations and remote outposts, Southeastern airports like Dothan, Alabama ($799) and Albany, Georgia ($741) rank among the nation’s most expensive—despite being in areas typically known for lower costs of living.

The trend is clear when looking at the top 10 most expensive airports: they’re either gateways to popular ski destinations or critical air links for remote communities. Pocatello Regional Airport in Idaho ranks fourth with average fares of $795, while Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport in Colorado rounds out the top five at $769.

What’s driving these prices? Limited competition is crucial. Many of these airports are served by just one or two carriers, giving airlines significant pricing power. In addition, fewer passengers mean airlines can’t benefit from economies of scale, leading to higher per-passenger costs passed on to travelers. This can also be seen when looking more broadly at all U.S. destinations, including those not in the contiguous U.S., where Alaskan destinations dominate the top-10 list of highest average airfares.

Below, you can view the list of average one-way domestic airfares within the contiguous U.S., sorted from most to least expensive.

Looking for a Lower Fare? Check Nearby Metro Areas

This pricing dynamic creates stark contrasts. While passengers departing from Telluride pay an average of over $800, those flying from nearby larger airports like Denver International can find fares closer to or even lower than the national average—DEN costs an average of $337. This can mean savings of hundreds of dollars for travelers willing to drive a bit further to reach a larger airport.

It’s also helpful to know where fares are heading upward. Below is a table of travel legs between paired cities that increased the most from 2023 to 2024:

Hidden Costs That Add Up

If you’re looking at local airports and not understanding why there are such differences in the average average airfare, it’s not just baggage fees and seat ticket costs that add up. Airports have “landing fees” that can vary significantly. For example, La Guardia Airport (LGA) in New York costs airlines $17.72 per thousand pounds of maximum gross landed weight (MGLW). That’s not a helpful number, so let’s break it down.

Checking U.S. Department of Transportation figures, the Boeing 737 is the most-used plane at LGA. Assuming a national average of 85% load (percentage of those on board), with the 737’s weight, we get almost $3,100 per flight for about 144 passengers, or $21.50 per passenger ticket.

Meanwhile, doing a similar calculation for JFK, 10 miles away at the other end of New York’s I-678 expressway, we get $6.76 per thousand pounds of MGLW, or about $8.18 per passenger—60% lower.

The Bottom Line

Knowing these price differences can help budget-conscious travelers find significant cost savings. If your destination is near one of these high-fare airports, consider flying into a larger hub and making the final leg of your journey by rental car or alternate transportation. The extra travel time might be worth the hundreds of dollars you could save on airfare.