When it comes to finding cheap domestic flights, heading to typical tourist destinations can be the best place to start looking and booking.
That’s one reason why some like flying to New Jersey and Connecticut when trying to get to New York, because it can be a little cheaper if you’re willing to take secondary transportation to get to your final destination.
But what about getting to the wide open state of California, where the best places to visit are spread out among 840 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline.
Using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, BetCalifornia.com took a break from covering California sports betting and ranked the states based on total average airfare at every airport in each state for the year 2022 and first quarter of 2023.
Cheapest States To Fly To
California Ranks in Top 10
The Golden State comes in at No. 9 when ranking states by the cheapest fares at $362.70. East Coast states Delaware ($129.25), New Jersey ($238.20) and Connecticut ($272.27) rank Nos. 1-3 and tourist hotspot Florida ($358.58) comes in at No. 7.
Alaska ranks No. 51 with an average fare of $655.85. Washington, D.C. falls in at No. 17 at $438.20, so that’s why there are 51 in the rankings.
California is the only state with three cities among the top 20 in total number of domestic passengers during 2022. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) ranks No. 1, while San Francisco comes in at No. 11 and San Diego is No. 18.
The average fare for Los Angeles is $389.46. It’s $422.84 for San Francisco and $359.08 for San Diego.
California’s overall ranking at No. 9 in airfare costs is helped out because three of the bottom five airports are in the state — even if there are no California betting apps when you get there.
San Bernardino ranks 369th in passenger rank, but it’s got the lowest average fare at $92.17. Santa Maria ranks 322nd in passenger rank, but it’s the second-lowest average fare at $114.65. And then Stockton is 216th in passenger rank, and it’s the fifth-lowest average fare at $131.73.
Author
Douglas Pils has been a sports journalist for 30 years in Texas, Arkansas and New York having worked for the San Antonio Express-News, the Associated Press, The Dallas Morning News and Newsday. He most recently ran the Student Media Department at Texas A&M for eight years.
