Airfare volatility has become one of the defining features of post-pandemic travel. Prices now fluctuate sharply based on demand patterns, seasonal shifts, and route competition, making it harder for travellers to anticipate when — or where — affordable flights will appear.
Yet even in this environment, price-sensitive opportunities still exist for those willing to look beyond assumptions and focus on data.
To identify where value still lies, Skyscanner analysed airfare pricing from the largest commercial airport in each U.S. state, isolating the cheapest domestic and international destinations for travel in March 2026.
The findings reveal a consistent pattern: proximity, airline competition, and strong leisure demand corridors continue to suppress fares, even as average ticket prices trend upward nationwide.
Cheapest Places to Fly from US States
The pricing reflects the lowest available round-trip economy fares observed during Skyscanner’s analysis window and is subject to change.
Destinations were selected strictly on cost, not convenience or flight duration. Some itineraries are nonstop, while others involve short connections, particularly for international routes departing smaller hubs.
Several macro trends emerge from the data:
- Mexico and the Caribbean dominate international affordability from the southern and western U.S.
- Canada and Ireland repeatedly surface as low-cost international options from northern states.
- Ultra-short domestic routes benefit from airline competition and aircraft utilisation efficiency.
- Large hubs consistently outperform smaller regional airports on international pricing.
Cheapest Domestic and International Routes by State
Below is a state-by-state breakdown showing the lowest-priced domestic and international destinations identified from each state’s largest airport.
Alabama
Airport: Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM)
Domestic: Nashville, TN — $130
International: Cancún, Mexico — $247
Alaska
Airport: Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
Domestic: Las Vegas, NV — $135
International: Vancouver, Canada — $234
Arizona
Airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Domestic: Los Angeles, CA — $41
International: Calgary, Canada — $75
Arkansas
Airport: Little Rock / Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT)
Domestic: Denver, CO — $114
International: Athens, Greece — $274
California (LAX)
Airport: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Domestic: Las Vegas, NV — $38
International: San Salvador, El Salvador — $110
California (SFO)
Airport: San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Domestic: Seattle, WA — $50
International: Guatemala City, Guatemala — $147
Colorado
Airport: Denver International Airport (DEN)
Domestic: Phoenix, AZ — $45
International: Mérida, Mexico — $230
Connecticut
Airport: Bradley International Airport (BDL)
Domestic: Richmond, VA — $56
International: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic — $159
Delaware
Airport: Wilmington Airport (ILG)
Domestic: Nashville, TN — $262
International: London, United Kingdom — $245
Florida
Airport: Miami International Airport (MIA)
Domestic: New York, NY — $42
International: San Salvador, El Salvador — $112
Georgia
Airport: Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Domestic: Orlando, FL — $38
International: Vancouver, Canada — $102
Hawaii
Airport: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
Domestic: Miami, FL — $39
International: Guatemala City, Guatemala — $217
Idaho
Airport: Boise Airport (BOI)
Domestic: Seattle, WA — $61
International: Manzanillo, Mexico — $153
Illinois
Airport: Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Domestic: Minneapolis, MN — $48
International: Toronto, Canada — $90
Indiana
Airport: Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
Domestic: Savannah, GA — $75
International: San José, Costa Rica — $210
Iowa
Airport: Des Moines International Airport (DSM)
Domestic: Houston, TX — $106
International: Paris, France — $281
Kansas
Airport: Kansas City International Airport (MCI)
Domestic: Los Angeles, CA — $93
International: Cancún, Mexico — $220
Kentucky
Airport: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
Domestic: Charleston, SC — $47
International: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic — $216
Louisiana
Airport: New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY)
Domestic: Fort Lauderdale, FL — $49
International: San Pedro Sula, Honduras — $130
Maine
Airport: Portland International Jetport (PWM)
Domestic: Salt Lake City, UT — $41
International: Istanbul, Turkey — $193
Maryland
Airport: Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI)
Domestic: New Haven, CT — $46
International: Guatemala City, Guatemala — $113
Massachusetts
Airport: Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
Domestic: Miami, FL — $50
International: Dublin, Ireland — $171
Michigan
Airport: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
Domestic: Tampa, FL — $50
International: Cancún, Mexico — $157
Minnesota
Airport: Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
Domestic: Chicago, IL — $104
International: Dublin, Ireland — $179
Mississippi
Airport: Jackson–Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN)
Domestic: Nashville, TN — $183
International: Madrid, Spain — $360
Missouri
Airport: St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
Domestic: Denver, CO — $121
International: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic — $160
Montana
Airport: Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN)
Domestic: New York, NY — $86
International: Nassau, Bahamas — $370
Nebraska
Airport: Eppley Airfield (OMA)
Domestic: Tampa, FL — $91
International: Cancún, Mexico — $203
Nevada
Airport: Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
Domestic: Fresno, CA — $40
International: Vancouver, Canada — $56
New Hampshire
Airport: Manchester–Boston Regional Airport (MHT)
Domestic: Charleston, SC — $50
International: Dublin, Ireland — $276
New Jersey
Airport: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Domestic: Atlanta, GA — $49
International: Milan, Italy — $161
New Mexico
Airport: Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)
Domestic: Seattle, WA — $75
International: Querétaro, Mexico — $198
New York
Airport: LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Domestic: Chicago, IL — $56
International: Edinburgh, Scotland — $210
North Carolina
Airport: Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
Domestic: Houston, TX — $60
International: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic — $216
North Dakota
Airport: Hector International Airport (FAR)
Domestic: Phoenix, AZ — $94
International: Vancouver, Canada — $230
Ohio
Airport: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
Domestic: Philadelphia, PA — $65
International: Rome, Italy — $335
Oklahoma
Airport: Will Rogers World Airport (OKC)
Domestic: Las Vegas, NV — $100
International: Dublin, Ireland — $218
Oregon
Airport: Portland International Airport (PDX)
Domestic: Salt Lake City, UT — $41
International: Mexico City, Mexico — $124
Pennsylvania
Airport: Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
Domestic: Fort Lauderdale, FL — $39
International: Guadalajara, Mexico — $137
Rhode Island
Airport: T.F. Green Airport (PVD)
Domestic: Charleston, SC — $51
International: Montego Bay, Jamaica — $186
South Carolina
Airport: Charleston International Airport (CHS)
Domestic: Providence, RI — $55
International: Cancún, Mexico — $134
South Dakota
Airport: Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD)
Domestic: Fort Lauderdale, FL — $86
International: Lisbon, Portugal — $261
Tennessee
Airport: Nashville International Airport (BNA)
Domestic: Minneapolis, MN — $61
International: Nassau, Bahamas — $208
Texas
Airport: Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
Domestic: Washington, D.C. — $82
International: San Luis Potosí, Mexico — $84
Utah
Airport: Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
Domestic: Portland, OR — $41
International: Vancouver, Canada — $178
Vermont
Airport: Burlington International Airport (BTV)
Domestic: Orlando, FL — $100
International: Montego Bay, Jamaica — $252
Virginia
Airport: Richmond International Airport (RIC)
Domestic: New Orleans, LA — $86
International: San Pedro Sula, Honduras — $123
Washington
Airport: Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Domestic: Phoenix, AZ — $44
International: Dublin, Ireland — $176
West Virginia
Airport: Yeager Airport (CRW)
Domestic: Tampa, FL — $68
International: Bogotá, Colombia — $281
Wisconsin
Airport: Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA)
Domestic: Fort Myers, FL — $369
International: Madrid, Spain — $291
Wyoming
Airport: Jackson Hole Airport (JAC)
Domestic: San Diego, CA — $120
International: San José, Costa Rica — $204
Data: Travel and Leisure
What the Pricing Patterns Reveal?
The cheapest international fares are rarely to secondary destinations. Instead, they concentrate on cities with high leisure demand, strong airline competition, or bilateral air service agreements that encourage capacity growth.
Dublin, Cancún, Vancouver, and multiple Mexican cities appear repeatedly, underscoring how frequency and competition compress fares.
On the domestic side, short-haul routes between major hubs dominate the lowest-price category.
Flights under two hours benefit from higher aircraft utilisation and aggressive pricing from both legacy carriers and low-cost airlines, keeping fares unusually low even during peak planning seasons.
Why Flexibility Still Matters?
While this data highlights baseline affordability, actual prices vary by day, time, and inventory availability.
Travellers willing to adjust departure dates, consider nearby airports, or accept brief connections consistently outperform those locked into rigid itineraries.
The analysis reinforces a key takeaway: cheap flights still exist, but they increasingly reward adaptability rather than predictability.
Bottom Line
Despite persistent volatility in airfare pricing, meaningful value remains embedded in the market. By anchoring decisions in data rather than intuition, travellers can identify routes where competition, geography, and demand converge to keep prices low.
For those planning March 2026 travel, the cheapest destinations from each U.S. state provide a practical roadmap for stretching travel budgets without sacrificing experience.
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