CLT Ranks As The 4th Most Expensive Airport Nationwide

Some people love to fly, others hate it. Put me in the love category. I always enjoy traveling but when you are flying it can add to the cost of the trip for sure. Especially if you're flying out of Charlotte. It's not your imagination either. New data ranked CLT as the 4th most expensive airport in the continental US.

This is according to new research shared with us by our friends at FinanceBuzz. They looked at average domestic airfares from the 45 busiest airports in the U.S.

Finance Buzz reports that "the national average airfare cost decreased by 3.1% from 2022 to 2023 when adjusted for inflation". This marks the first time airfare prices have fallen since 2020. Now THAT is some good news!

Unfortunately, it doesn't quite apply to Charlotte.

2. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) - $444.59

3. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) - $438.34

4. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) - $436.80

5. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) - $427.05

If you happen to be in the middle it may be worth your while to fly out of Raleigh. I can speak from experience as well that RDU is also very easy to navigate and security was a breeze. There is a good chance you may have to connect possibly in CLT depending on your airline. I still do and will fly out of Charlotte most often for the sheer convenience of it.

On the opposite end of the spectrum Orlando's MCO is the most affordable airport to fly out of! Good news for all you theme park lovers out there!

If you fly a lot and are looking to save money an airline credit card is definitely the way to go! Booking further out can also help you get more affordable fares as well.

Thanks to our friends at Finance Buzz for sharing their research on the most expensive airport with us. You can view the full study here.

Are you ready for summer vacation? Between the two area airports, there are 16 airlines you can fly from Charlotte and Concord. Yes, spring break just ended but that doesn't mean the travel or the trip planning needs to end. In fact it's the perfect time to plan a getaway. Luckily for us in Charlotte, we have plenty of easy options for you to travel to a wide variety of destinations both internationally and domestically.

Whether you are looking for international destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Asia, or Europe. Perhaps cheap flights to major US destinations like New York, Orlando, or Chicago. Or the option to fly directly to almost any major US airport. You'll find it all out of one of the two area airports.

One of the largest and busiest airports in the world is Charlotte Douglas International Airport. CLT averages 1,400 arrivals and departures per day. That equates to around 118,000 people traveling through the airport daily. That's a lot of people. Because of that you'll find a wide variety of flights leaving from here. In fact, 14 of the 16 airlines on this list operate out of CLT. And the airport continues to grow and expand to accommodate even more flights and passengers. I know I travel every few months and the airport looks different every time I visit!

Concord mainly serves private flights but does operate two commercial airlines out of the airport. While destinations are limited, this can be a great affordable option for those traveling.

So give this list a once over and learn a little more about the 16 airlines you can fly from Charlotte and Concord to destinations worldwide. It's the perfect time to plan that next vacation. Because what's better than traveling?

Listed below in alphabetical order.

Traveling to Canada from Charlotte? You can get two different direct flights from the Queen City to the eastern part of Canada. One direct route goes to Toronto and the other to Quebec. Learn more here.

Flying out of Concord Regional Airport Allegiant offers some great deals on flights. They offer 4 flights from Concord to different Florida Airports. These include Orlando's Sanford International, St. Pete-Clearwater International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, and Punta Gorda Airport (Fort Myers/Naples area). Learn more here.

Charlotte is an American Airlines hub which means the flight possibilities are endless on this airline. You can find direct flights to almost every major US Airport and numerous regional ones. American also offers a variety of flights to destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and other international destinations. If you're looking for the most direct flight options out of Charlotte American is by far the best choice. Learn more here.

Avelo is fairly new to the North Carolina market. They have several flights out of Raleigh's RDU. And have just added one flight out of Concord Regional to New Haven, CT with access to the greater New York and New England area. Expect more to be added soon as well on this low-cost airline. Learn more here.

Contour is a regional airline offering direct flights, interline check-in connectivity to American Airlines flights, as well as charter opportunities. The offer flights from Charlotte to four West Virginia destinations- Beckley, Lewisburg, Parkersburg, and Clarksburg. Additional flights go to Muscle Shoals, AL, Paducah, KY, and Shenandoah, VA. Learn more here.

If you're willing to connect in Atlanta, Delta offers a wide variety of flights from Charlotte. There are 7 direct options. These include Boston, Atlanta, Detroit, New York's JFK and Laguardia, Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City. Learn more here.

Affordable airline Frontier offers 14 direct flights from Charlotte. Choose from east coast destinations like Philadelphia, Orlando, or New York's Laguardia. Perhaps you want to head out west to Dallas, Las Vegas, on Denver. Or take a tropical vacation to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Learn more here.

I've flown JetBlue once out of Raleigh and I was impressed by the airline. They offer around 40 flights from Charlotte. Choose from domestic destinations like San Francisco, San Diego, Austin, or Kansas City. Or travel internationally to places like Aruba, Nassau Bahamas, or Liberia Costa Rica. Learn more here.

Lufthansa services a variety of European and African destinations. Direct flight options from Charlotte include places like Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich Germany, Japan, and Korea. You can also fly to Chicago, Denver, or Washington DC to catch a flight to one of the other numerous international destinations. Learn more here.

Southwest certainly has some die-hard fans thanks in part to the airline charging no bag fees. They fly to a variety of destinations. Non-stop options from Charlotte include places like Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, Houston, St. Louis, and Denver. Learn more here.

Spirit is another option for a great deal on a flight. They fly to 12 destinations direct from Charlotte. This includes Orlando, Tampa, and Ft. Lauderdale in Florida. But also destinations like Boston, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York's Laguardia. Learn more here.

Sun Country operates one flight out of Charlotte. So if you need or want to visit Minneapolis Minnesota give them a look! Learn more here. 

United is another great option to get you to 18 different destinations from Charlotte. Some of these include Phoenix, San Jose, Toronto, Tampa, and San Francisco. Learn more here.

Vacation Express offers flights and all inclusive vacation packages to Mexico and the Caribbean. Destinations include Cancun, Riviera Maya, Punta Cana, Jamaica, Cozumel, and Los Cabos. Learn more here.

Mexican airline Viva Aerobus operates one flight out of Charlotte. It goes directly to Cancun Mexico perfect for a summer getaway. And the prices can't be beaten for this flight! Learn more here.

Volaris is another airline offering flights from Charlotte to Mexico. They fly to three different destinations- Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Cancun. They describe themselves as an "ultra-low-cost airline". Learn more here.