travel woes

Houston's IAH Airport ranks among priciest American airports in 2025

Flights at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston will run travelers about $392 on average.

Before booking that next flight from Houston, you may want to double check those ticket prices: A new report has revealed George Bush Intercontinental Airport is one of the most expensive airports in America in 2025.

IAH climbed into the 11th spot in travel magazine LocalsInsider's rankings of "The Most and Least Affordable U.S. Airports," published March 4. The report ranked 50 of the busiest U.S. airports based on average ticket prices for domestic flights using the latest available data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

The average price of a domestic flight at IAH came out to $391.86, which is the 11th priciest fare nationwide. That's also higher than the national average airfare.

"In 2025, airline ticket prices have increased by 7.1 percent year-over-year, and the average airfare is $365.64, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics," the report said.

William P. Hobby Airport also appeared among the top 50 priciest airports, ranking 34th. The average price for a domestic flight at HOU is $341.28, the report found.

Unfortunately for travelers booking flights in Washington, D.C., Washington Dulles International Airport is the No. 1 most expensive U.S. airport in 2025. Average airfares at IAD come out to $472.61, which is 1.4 percent more expensive than last year.

All major Texas airports
IAH wasn't the only expensive Texas airport that appeared in LocalsInsider's top 15 least affordable American airports.

Dallas/Fort Worth Internatinal Airport ranked one spot above Houston, appearing as the 10th least affordable airport nationally, with airfares soaring to $392.31 on average.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and San Antonio International Airport weren't too far behind, landing in the No. 14 and No. 15 spots, respectively. Average ticket prices in Austin are just 12 cents cheaper than San Antonio's, at $384.64 versus $384.52 in the Alamo City.

However, Austin airport ticket prices have skyrocketed higher than nearly every other U.S. airport. Year-over-year BTS data found AUS airfare has risen nearly 8 percent. Only John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California eclipsed Austin with a near 12 percent price increase since 2024.

Popular travel hack
With flights becoming more expensive, many travelers are turning towards an unusual method of getting to their destination.

The report unveiled "skip-lagging" – the process of booking a flight with a layover and exiting during the layover rather than continuing to travel to the final destination – is becoming more popular in three major Texas cities.

Houston, Dallas, and Austin all appeared among the report's list of top 25 U.S. cities where "skip-lagging" is gaining popularity, since flights with layovers are often more affordable than nonstop flights to the same city.

Even though travelers may save money using this "hack," the report warns that they may get in trouble for it.

"Although skip-lagging provides travelers with the opportunity to bypass higher fares, it’s important to keep in mind that airlines discourage this travel hack, and they may even impose penalties on repeat offenders," the report said.

Instead, LocalsInsider suggests travelers book midweek flights one to three months in advance that depart on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (which tend to be cheaper than weekend flights), and search for any regional airports that may offer more affordable airfare than major travel hubs. Google Flights also offers a helpful feature to help budget-savvy travelers track their flight pricing.

The top 10 most expensive American airports are:

No. 1 – Washington Dulles International Airport
No. 2 – John Wayne Airport–Orange County Airport
No. 3 – San Francisco International Airport
No. 4 – Salt Lake City International Airport
No. 5 – Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport
No. 6 – Newark Liberty International Airport
No. 7 – Charlotte Douglas International Airport
No. 8 – John F. Kennedy International Airport
No. 9 – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
No. 10 – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

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holiday travel news

Houston's IAH flops in new ranking of least stressful U.S. airports

Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash

Flight delays and cancellations at George Bush Intercontinental Airport can be a stress-inducing experience for some travelers this holiday season.

Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) has some work to do to improve its stress-inducing environment during the peak holiday travel season, a new study has revealed.

European tour company Travel by Luxe compared 30 major airports across several stress-inducing flight factors, such as security wait times, flight delays, cancellation rates, passenger traffic, and average airfare prices to determine the least stressful departure points. The airports were then ranked based on which were the "best equipped to keep travelers calm rather than frazzled."

The No. 1 most stress-free U.S. airport to travel over the holidays is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona, the report said.

George Bush Intercontinental was dubbed the 27th "least stressful" American airport with longer security wait times and more flight cancellations than most other major U.S. airports.

According to passenger traffic data from December 2024, more than 2.1 million travelers flew through IAH for the holidays last year. Nearly a quarter of all flights were delayed, and IAH had the fourth-highest rate of cancelled flights (1.18 percent) out of all 30 airports analyzed during the same period.

Average flight costs at IAH came out to $419.19 in the final quarter of 2024, which the report determined was the 11th most expensive airfare out of all 30 U.S. airports analyzed. However, the report states flight fares are not "the biggest drivers of airport stress," but flight delays and security wait times are.

Travelers heading out of Houston should always plan extra time to get through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines during peak travel times, as the report found travelers waited about 22 minutes on average to get through IAH security lines in December 2023 (where the latest data was available). That's the fourth-highest wait time nationwide.

The report's author says the 2025 holiday travel season is expected to be one of the busiest on record, and stresses that "choosing the right airport could make or break" a traveler's trip. Nearly 4.6 million travelers are expected to fly through IAH during the final two months of the year.

"Holiday travel is supposed to be joyful. [T]hink of all the twinkling lights, family reunions and much-needed downtime," the author wrote. "But anyone who has battled chaotic airport lines, last-minute cancellations or a departure board full of red delay warnings knows how quickly that festive spirit can evaporate."

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was ranked the 9th most stress-free airport in the U.S. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport was deemed the worst of the airports studied; it ranked at the bottom of the list at No. 30.

The top 10 U.S. airports with the smoothest travel during the 2025 holiday season are:

No. 1 – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
No. 2 – Salt Lake City International Airport
No. 3 – Washington Dulles International Airport
No. 4 – Tampa International Airport
No. 5 – Harry Reid International Airport
No. 6 – Chicago Midway International Airport
No. 7 – Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
No. 8 – Philadelphia International Airport
No. 9 – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
No. 10 – LaGuardia Airport

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