Not Dulles, Not San Francisco — This Is America's Most Expensive Airport To Fly From

The most expensive U.S. airport to fly out of isn't a huge hub in a city where everything comes at a cost — like San Francisco International or Washington, D.C.'s Dulles International Airport — or even a tiny regional airport with only a few destinations served. Surprisingly, it's somewhere in between — a mid-sized international airport that's both a regional hub and a major port of call. This year's most expensive U.S. destination to fly out of is the far-northern hub of Anchorage, Alaska.

According to U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics data (via Yahoo! Travel), domestic fares departing from Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, were the most expensive in the U.S. as of March 2026. Airfare out of Anchorage averaged $521.54, making Ted Stevens International the only airport on the list to top $500 on average. While this data was compiled before fuel prices skyrocketed in spring 2026, and fares may have since changed, the striking cost of flights from Anchorage compared to other U.S. destinations is still notable.

One reason for the unusually expensive airfare at this airport might be Anchorage's relative isolation. Anchorage is a three-hour flight from Seattle, the nearest major airport in the continental U.S. Ted Steves International also doesn't have much competition, offering by far the most direct flights to and from out-of-state destinations of any Alaskan airport. As a result, residents often have no choice but to book fares through Anchorage when traveling outside the state, concentrating the demand of a wide market on a single airport. (Fewer out-of-state options depart from Fairbanks International Airport.) When you take this bottleneck in conjunction with the fuel costs incurred by Anchorage's geographic distance from Lower 48 destinations, the sticker shock you might feel booking flights out of Anchorage begins to make some sense.

If the most expensive airport in the U.S. is a northern destination that gets the least sunshine of any major U.S. city, some of the cheapest domestic terminals are precisely the opposite. Many of the country's favorite sun-and-sand destinations are among the cheapest to fly out of: Of the top 10 cheapest airports, the majority were in coastal destinations popular for beach vacations. While Las Vegas' Harry Reid International and Chicago Midway International Airport made the top 10, the remaining airports covered three of Hawaii's main islands, four popular vacation spots in the Southeast, and Puerto Rico's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.

Topping the list is Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, a popular port of entry into Florida via the beachy "Venice of America" known for its canals. Not far behind is Orlando International Airport, where your flight (costing an average of $274.11) might well be the cheapest part of your theme park vacation. Third-place Lihue Airport is the gateway to the best things to do in Kauai, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, takes fourth. Also featured in the top 10 are airports on the islands of Hawaii and Maui, as well as Tampa International Airport. Luis Muñoz Marín Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, ranked sixth, continuing the island theme.

While the recent AI trend towards dynamic pricing in the airline industry means that numbers don't stay static for long, it's interesting to note the correlation between cheaper domestic airfares and popular vacation destinations. Surprisingly, if you're looking to book an inexpensive domestic flight during a summer of price surges, you may just want to head to the beach.