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I read an article the other day referencing a new ranking of the top 101 cheapest airfares, from Cheapflights.com.  Called the 2015 Airport Affordability Report, it looks at the average airfares searched for by users on their website during the month of June to a variety of destinations.

When I saw the cheapest airport on the list, I was totally blown away – it’s Cincinnati (CVG)!  The same Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport that was just ranked as having the 3rd HIGHEST AIRFARES a few months ago!

Rank Airport Ave Airfare 2014 Rank
1 Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, OH (CVG) $199 77
2 Atlanta International, GA (ATL) $231 73
3 Dallas Love Field, TX (DAL) $251 4
4 La Guardia, NY (LGA) $251 31
5 Chicago-O’Hare International, IL (ORD) $265 65
6 Philadelphia International, PA (PHL) $267 48
7 Long Beach (Daugherty Field), CA (LGB) $267 2
8 Cleveland-Hopkins International, OH (CLE) $278 66
9 Orlando International, FL (MCO) $281 29
10 Metropolitan Oakland International, CA (OAK) $282 12

Now, I am always a LITTLE skeptical of studies like this, without any real idea of how exactly those averages are calculated, because who knows how scientific it is.  Still, there are a few things that CVG has going for it recently

Low prices at Cincinnati / CVG Airport

It is true that CVG has for years has among the highest prices in the country.  Part of that is due to its unique situation with Delta, wherein CVG was NOT a Delta hub, and therefore did not get hub-related sale prices, but it had a big enough presence that it scared away many of the low-cost airlines

(SEE ALSO: The curious case of Delta and CVG)

Even to this day Southwest Airlines does not fly out of CVG, so if I want to use my Southwest Companion Pass, we have to fly to Indianapolis, Dayton or Columbus.

But Frontier and Allegiant have slowly been ramping up their presence at CVG, and recently announced that it will make Cincinnati its Midwestern home of operations.  Allegiant currently flies to 11 locations non-stop from Cincinnati, including Phoenix, Las Vegas and Ft. Lauderdale.

You can check the full list of 101 airports ranked by average airfare here.


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