Houston travelers may have myriad options for direct service to foreign and domestic destinations, but a recent study reveals that we're paying a pretty penny for those air fares.
Online travel site Lets Fly Cheaper looked at data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to rank the 20 most expensive major airports to travel into and out of, and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport came in as the priciest airport in America.
A round trip ticket from IAH averaged $517.50, significantly higher than the national average of $384.81.
A domestic, round trip ticket from IAH averaged $517.50 in 2012, significantly higher than the national average of $384.81.
Washington's Dulles International Airport took No. 2 with average fares of $504.20, Newark Liberty International Airport took No. 3 at $480.30, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport ranked No. 4 at $449.40 and San Francisco International Airport took No. 5 with average fares of $425.70.
Ramon van Meer, CEO of Lets Fly Cheaper, noted that the top three airports on the list are United Airlines hubs, and as New York Times numbers-cruncher Nate Silver indicated in a 2011 blog post, "[Prices] tend to be higher when any one airline dominates an airport, regardless of whether it is a legacy carrier or a low-cost one."
