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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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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
CVG has become cheaper. But I do not know if I want to fly with either Allegiant or
Frontier airlines.
good for CVG…. have been noticing frequent “low ball” fares from Frontier from Dulles…. may yet to the run.
What’s alarming about Frontier is they’ve increasingly gone over to the dark spirit side on fees, charging for everything. Today, they’ve rolled out something called the “Discount Den” — but as per usual, you’ll be hard pressed to figure out just what you get for the $49 annual fee.
A Frontier rep. on the phone tried to tell me that the new Discount Den fares will be cheaper than economy, yet have the same benefits as the old “classic plus” fares…. (which would actually be great — IF that includes a bag underneath) But again, can’t find this even in the fine print t&c for the “discount den”
Anybody have a clue?