The surging cost of air travel is old news at this point—a cherry on top of the often hassle-filled flying experience—but new data reveals just how much prices have increased, and which airports have seen the highest fare hikes over the past year.
A new study by LendingTree shows that the average cost of a domestic flight has increased 9.8%—from $347.56 to $381.55—in the first quarter of 2023 compared to 2022. That’s a pretty steep increase, but the numbers also reveal steep increases topping 20% at four U.S. airports. Miami International Airport tops the list with average fares increasing by 23.9%. Fares at Portland International Jetport in Maine increased by 22.3%, and both Southwest Florida International and Long Beach Airport in California saw increases of 18.9%.
Those four airports aren’t the only ones with much higher fares: Dane County Regional-Truax Field in Madison, Bill and Hillary Clinton National-Adams Field in Little Rock, City of Colorado Springs Municipal in Colorado Springs, Gerald R. Ford International in Grand Rapids and Myrtle Beach International in Myrtle Beach all saw fare increases between 15% and 19%. Dane County Regional is also the most expensive departure airport, as the average ticket costs $537.70.
A few airports did show a drop in average prices, including Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York (with the highest average price drop at 8.3%), Kahului, Lihue and Ellison Onizuka Kona International at Keahole in Hawaii, and Metro Oakland International in California.
While some travelers have no other options, the key to avoiding high fares is always flexibility, so head over to LendingTree.com to find the full report on this year’s fare increases.