The Regional Airports Across America With the Most and Least Expensive Airfare (2026 Rankings)

There are hundreds of airports across the United States, with the busiest air travel hubs serving thousands of passengers every day. However, for many travelers, major airports aren’t an option due to factors such as accessibility, scheduling, and route options. Instead, millions of Americans every year turn to small, regional airports for their travel needs. 

Smaller airports have their perks: shorter lines, easier parking, and a much shorter drive for last-minute trips if you don't live near a big city. While those perks are relatively consistent at America’s more compact community airports, airfare costs at these airports fluctuate just as much as their larger counterparts. To find the most and least expensive regional airports in America, we pulled government data on average airfares for departing flights at smaller airports, focusing on hubs that served between 100,000 and 1,000,000 passengers last year.

America’s least expensive regional airports

When it comes to America’s most affordable small airports, nearly all are clustered in two regions of the country: the Northeast and the Midwest.

Across the top 10 most affordable regional airports in the country, just two are located outside of those two parts of the country, though one of those airports takes the number one overall spot. 

That top airport is Concord Padgett Regional (USA), located in Concord, North Carolina. Last year, the average airfare from that airport was $117.64, more than $15 less expensive than at any other regional hub. 

Five of the remaining 10 regional airports with the lowest average airfares are located in the Northeast, clustered around New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Three additional airports in this part of the country rank among the top 20 for affordability, bringing the total to eight smaller travel hubs serving residents near major cities such as New York City and Philadelphia. The other significant geographic cluster for affordable regional airports is in the Midwest, where three top-10 airports and six of the top 20 are located, though they are more spread out than those in the Northeast cluster. 

When looking at the full list of America’s most affordable small airports and their locations, a pattern emerges. Nearly all of these hubs are located near major cities with larger, busier airports. Since there are larger alternatives nearby, these secondary airports try to keep fares low to draw travelers away from the larger airfields. Additionally, many of these airports are also base markets for ultra-low-cost carriers like Allegiant, Frontier, or Breeze, which aggressively focus on keeping costs low to attract a more casual audience.

America’s most expensive regional airports

At the opposite end of the spectrum, many of the regional airports where airfare is most expensive are in parts of the country with lower population density. 

Abilene Regional Airport (ABI), located in Abilene, Texas, has the highest average airfare of any small airport in the country, at $629.20. Nearby Killeen Regional Airport (GRK) is also in the top three, with an average fare of $608.26. Both of those airfields serve central Texas and are the most convenient options for travelers heading to that part of the state who do not want to fly into larger cities such as Dallas, San Antonio, or Houston, all of which are located more than two hours away by car. 

When looking for further meaning in these rankings, two themes emerge: luxury and necessity. Some of the most expensive regional airports in the country serve famous leisure destinations that cater to wealthy vacationers, such as Jackson Hole (JAC), Aspen/Pitken County (ASE), and Eagle County Regional (EGE), which serves travelers heading to Vail, Colorado. These kinds of airports tend to serve wealthy, less price-sensitive travelers, have short or difficult runways that limit which aircraft (and how many seats) can operate, and often have very limited carriers, so there's little competitive pressure to lower fares. 

Some of these airports serve as the only convenient way for workers to reach nearby oilfields, making demand for flights in and out of these airports business-driven and inelastic, as workers and contractors need to fly regardless of price. Airports included in this category include Williston Basin International (XWA), which serves the nearby Bakken oil fields; Deadhorse Airport (SCC) in Alaska, which essentially exists only to get workers to the nearby Prudhoe Bay oil operations; and both Alexandria International (AEX) and Lafayette Regional (LFT) in Louisiana, which help transport workers for Gulf Coast oil work.  

Airports where prices fell the most

For smaller airports, changes in demand, carriers, route availability, and similar factors can have a more substantial impact on airfare costs from one year to the next than at larger hubs.

In terms of changes benefiting customers, average prices fell the most at St. George Regional Airport (SGU), located about an hour from Las Vegas on the Utah/Arizona border. The average airfare price at that airport dropped by more than $80 from 2024 to 2025, the biggest drop of any regional airfield. 

Costs decreased by at least $70 at two more airports last year. Alexandria International (AEX) in Alexandria, Louisiana, saw average airfare drop by $74.06 for the second-largest decrease, while prices at Eagle County Regional (EGE) went down by a little more than $70. It is worth noting that both AEX and EGE are still among the 20 most expensive regional airports in the country even after such significant price cuts, illustrating just how expensive it is and has been to fly from those airports. 

Airports where prices rose the most

Across the 125 regional airports we looked at, year-over-year airfare costs fell at more than 90 of them. While the majority of small airports reduced prices last year, nearly three dozen saw average airfare increase, with the following airports seeing the largest hikes.

Average airfare at Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport (BRO) was $66.59 more expensive in 2025 than it was the year prior, the biggest increase of any airport. BRO has seen an uptick in customers in recent years, thanks to increased operations at a nearby SpaceX launch site that has drawn more tourists and workers to the area, necessitating the creation of a new terminal and potentially contributing to ongoing cost increases. 

Tri-Cities Airport (TRI), serving Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport, Tennessee, is the only other regional airport where airfare costs rose by at least $50 last year. Costs at that airport increased by nearly as much as at Brownsville South Padre Island International, rising by $65.25. 

Air travel tips

No matter the size of the airport a traveler uses, these tips can help passengers save money and improve the travel experience. 

• Maximize airfare savings. Getting a good deal on plane tickets is a great way to start any trip on a positive note, and there are several tips for finding cheap flights that can make air travel easier on your wallet. 
• Pick the right airline. Flight delays and cancellations are a surefire way to put a damper on even the most anticipated trip. Certain airlines are better than others at getting passengers to their destinations on time, and choosing a more reliable airline may help keep your trip on schedule. 
• Make airport downtime into a trip highlight. Waiting at the airport to board your flight can be a long, boring process. Travelers in the know can make that time one of the best parts of their trip by taking advantage of airport lounges.   

Methodology

We looked at 2025 airfare data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation in May 2026 to compare domestic airfares by origin city. This report calculated average fares based on domestic itinerary fares. 

This analysis was limited to airports located in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia that enplaned more than 100,000 but less than 1,000,000 passengers in 2025, per FAA data. A total of 125 airports across the country met those criteria and were evaluated.  

"Itinerary fares" consist of round-trip fares unless a return trip was not purchased, in which case the one-way fare was used. Fares are based on the total ticket value, including the airline's fare and any additional taxes and fees charged at the time of purchase. Fares include only the price paid at booking and do not include fees for optional services, such as baggage fees. Averages also do not include frequent-flyer or “zero fares” or a few abnormally high reported fares.