News & Politics  |  Transportation  |  Travel

Sadly, Dulles Is the Most Expensive Airport for Domestic Travel

A recent survey found that IAD is the priciest place to depart.

Photograph by Skyhobo/Getty Images Plus.

Here’s some bad news for local travelers: Dulles was named the most expensive American airport to fly out of. Using Department of Transportation data, financial advice website FinanceBuzz found that domestic flights out of Dulles cost travelers an average of $494.78, which is the most expensive in the country. And we thought taking the Silver Line extension to Dulles was saving us money.

After Dulles, the priciest departure hubs are San Francisco International Airport ($456.86) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport ($444.42). Portland International Airport and Detroit Metro Airport are tied at $425.35. In our area, domestic flights out of Reagan National cost an average of $379.01, while flights out of BWI cost an average of $351.26.

According to data from the Department of Transportation, the average fare in 2022 was $378, about a 14 percent jump from the average airfares of $332 and $330 in 2021 and 2020, respectively (when fare prices plummeted due to the pandemic).

Nick Pasion
Editorial Fellow