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If you’re looking to save money on airfare, where you fly from can make a bigger difference than you might think. Travel deal platform Going has released its 2026 Top Airports and Airlines for Flight Deals. It analyzed flight offers sent to members over the past year across more than 200 US airports and 500 destinations worldwide. The rankings factor in average ticket prices, deal frequency, and overall savings to identify the airports offering travelers the best value.
Among large and medium-sized US airports, Denver International Airport (DEN) claimed the top spot for domestic flight deals followed by Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) and Orlando International Airport (MCO).
The best international deals came out of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). According to Going, these airports consistently offered travelers a combination of competitive fares and a high volume of discounted flights.
The report also ranked US airlines based on how often they offered attractive domestic fares. The top carriers were:
- American Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Southwest Airlines
- United Airlines
- Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines (tie)
- JetBlue
Budget airlines were excluded from the comparison to focus on full-service carriers.
For travelers redeeming frequent flyer miles, New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) once again ranked as the nation’s best airport for points and miles deals. The top 10 airports for award travel were:
- New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
Miami made its first appearance in the top 10 and bumped out Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). It was helped by strong award availability to Spain, Latin America, and the Caribbean along with an impressive selection of premium cabin redemption opportunities.
The study also highlighted airports where bargain fares are much harder to find. Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG) and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) ranked among the least favorable for both domestic and international deals with relatively high average fares and few discounted flights available each week. Oakland International Airport (OAK) also appeared near the bottom for international bargains.
Willis Orlando, flight expert at Going, said:
A single cheap fare doesn’t tell the whole story. We built these rankings around what actually matters to travelers: not just the price of the ticket, but how deep the discount is and how often a good deal comes around. An airport that has one amazing fare a year isn’t as valuable to travelers as one that delivers solid deals every week.”
Anthony’s Take: Going analyzed more than 45,000 routes between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026 using a weighted formula that considered average fares, savings on full-service airlines, and the number of deals available to determine the rankings. It’s interesting to view the results, which pretty much align with what I have been seeing.
(Image Credits: Andrii Yalanskyi via iStock Photo and Going.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
