Airline tickets out of Charlotte among the priciest in the country, new report finds
Passengers flying out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport are paying an average of $454 for a seat — about 19% or $72 more compared to last year, according to a new study.
Charlotte’s airport was ranked fourth among major U.S. airports for most expensive domestic flights, based on findings from SmartAsset, which looked at prices from 72 U.S. airports. The group, a fintech that provides consumer-focused information and advice, reviewed data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for its report.
Charlotte’s airport is one of the world’s busiest. In fact, it ranked as seventh-busiest in the world for arrivals and departures, according to Airport Council International’s preliminary rankings for 2022. Last year, the Charlotte airport had 505,589 arrivals and departures.
Charlotte Douglas is a hub for American Airlines and its American Eagle regional carrier, accounting for about 90% of the airport’s flights.
Bob Mann, an airline industry analyst with R.W. Mann & Company, Inc., cited American Airlines’ dominance when discussing the increase in fares. “Charlotte is a fairly concentrated, single-carrier dominant hub, with significant connecting revenue, so it is not surprising that it yielded one of the higher average fares,” Mann said in an email interview.
Mann said domestic fare averages from any city depend on many factors. Some of them include the size of the market, flight times, available seats, demand, and competition among airlines.
American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the study.
Which airports have the most expensive ticket prices?
The most expensive price for a ticket was Ted Stevens Anchorage International, with an average cost of $508, according to the SmartAsset report.
Washington Dulles International and Minneapolis-St. Paul International also had higher costs than Charlotte Douglas, at $487 and $455, respectively.
Although tickets out of Charlotte’s airport were among the most costly, it ranked 18th for the rate of domestic airfare increases at major airports.
Miami International was first with a 31% increase, with average flight prices going from $281 to $368. Southwest Florida International in Fort Myers, Florida, was second with a 25.8% change ($293 to $368), followed by Gerald R. Ford International in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a 22.5% increase ($349 to $427).
