The number people flying this Thanksgiving holiday travel period is likely to break records, according to the Transportation Safety Administration. Just in time for the wave of travelers, travel website The Points Guy evaluated the 50 busiest airports in the U.S. to find out which are the most and least expensive, from their airfare to buying a cup Starbucks.
To score each airport, The Points Guy looked at its average cost of domestic tickets, which comprised 50% of an airport's score. The other half of the score was based on additional costs, including the average cost of a cup of coffee, luggage-cart rental costs, 24-hour parking fees, the number of priority lounges in relation to passenger volume and the cost for ride-hailing services, like Uber and Lyft, to the nearest city center.
The most affordable airport in America is McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, according to The Points Guy. At $248.27, it had the most affordable average domestic airfare, and it tied (with 30 other airports) for lowest average baggage cart rental price, at $4.75.
Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida took the No. 2 spot with low average airfare and baggage cart rental costs, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida ranked third, with low average airfare and ride-sharing costs.
Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey ranked as the most expensive airport in America. Despite having a relatively inexpensive average airfare, the average ride share from Newark airport to Manhattan (about 20 miles away) was over $100. The airport also had some of the most expensive baggage rental fees, parking fees and Starbucks menus in the nation.
John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City took the No. 2 spot for most expensive in America, due to steep ride-share prices and high parking fees. Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia ranked third with the highest average airfare price ($447.97) of all airports, but relatively inexpensive average ride-share costs and six priority lounges.
Here are the top 10 most affordable airports in the U.S., according to The Points Guy:
1. McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, Nevada
2. Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Orlando, Florida
3. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
4. Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) in San Jose, California
5. Oakland International Airport (OAK) in Oakland, California
6. Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) in Dallas, Texas
7. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) in Baltimore, Maryland
8. Tampa International Airport (TPA) in Tampa, Florida
9. Miami International Airport (MIA) in Miami, Florida
10. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in (MSY) Kenner, Louisiana
Here are the top 10 most expensive airports in the U.S., according to The Points Guy:
1. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey
2. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City, New York
3. Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Dulles, Virginia
4. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, California
5. LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City, New York
6. Salt Lake City International (SLC) in Salt Lake City, Utah
7. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas
8. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
9. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in Charlotte, North Carolina
10. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) in Hennepin County, Minnesota
The full lists of the 25 most affordable and most expensive airports is available on The Points Guy site.
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