Louisiana Airports – Which is The Most Expensive to Fly From?

Louisiana has just experienced a major travel holiday. Perhaps you were one of the tens of thousands who booked flights from Lake Charles, Lafayette, Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria, Baton Rouge, or New Orleans over the Thanksgiving weekend. If you did, I am going to assume arrived safely and in a timely manner. But let me ask you this, did you research which airport you were going to depart from before you booked your fare?

Along I-10 if you're traveling in the westbound lanes near the Atchafalaya Basin you may have noticed a billboard advertisement that suggested " If you'd Flown Lafayette, You'd Be Home by Now". Convenience plays a major part in how regional airports such as those in Lafayette, Shreveport, and Lake Charles compete with larger facilities such as the airports in New Orleans or Houston.

Which Louisiana Airport Has The Highest Average Fare?

If you've flown more than a few times you've probably debated which airport offers you the best travel arrangements.  Most of the time when we book flights our decision is based on availability and cost. Smaller airports generally have less of one of those and more of the other, if you know what I mean.

But, do you really save more flying out of New Orleans versus flying out of Lafayette? What about flying out of Houston as compared to flying from Lake Charles? If you'd like to see some numbers we can show you the data from the United States Department of Transportation. But I will caution you, don't look at the "number" and think that's the cost.

According to the US DOT seven airports in Louisiana had enough passenger volume to qualify for this report. The report lists the "average fare"  a passenger will pay to fly from that airport. The seven Louisiana airports that are included in this report are New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria, and Lake Charles.

According to the Department of Transportation, the highest average fare for a flight out of Louisiana was in Alexandria. The average price was $627.53. Meanwhile, the lowest average fare was attributed to Louis Armstrong International in New Orleans. The average cost of a flight out of MSY was listed at $327.31.

Here's the breakdown of average fares for the other five Louisiana airports. After New Orleans, the least expensive place to book a flight from is Baton Rouge. The average fare from there was listed at $498.48.

If your flight originated in Lake Charles your average fare would be $508.64  If you flew from Shreveport that number becomes $528.28. If you flew out of Lafayette the average fare there was $597.79. And, finally, there is Monroe. If you want to fly out of Monroe your average fare is listed at $603.40.

Please remember these numbers only reflect the cost of airfare. There are other considerations you need to make before booking your flight. For example travel time to your departure airport. Parking at your departure airport. Do the flights match your travel schedule? And how much will I spend on fuel to get to an out-of-town airport?

When you put pencil to paper you can see some airports might have a higher "average fare" but because of the convenience, flight schedules, and proximity to your home, you might be money ahead flying from closer to home than you would be if you drove to a larger city.

Since I know you're wondering, the average fare out of IAH in Houston is $398.41 and $417.35 out of DFW in Dallas. The most expensive airport in the United States? That honor belongs to Unalakleet Alaska. The average fare from there is $1,405.50. In the "Lower 48" that distinction belongs to Dothan Alabama's airport. The average price to leave Dothan is $829.94 and from what I understand from people who live there, it's worth every penny.

Happy flying, fly local. Seriously, support your hometown airport whenever you can because if it goes away then we are all going to be looking a lot like Dothan, if you know what I mean.