The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
SDF might be one of the best options for cheap flights
Airfares in and out of Louisville dropped 9.5%
Traveling out of the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport this holiday season?
While you may have to withstand long lines of travelers heading to destinations around the country, you likely snagged your domestic flight airfare for a cheaper rate than what you could have found at most other major airports in the U.S.
According to a survey from SmartAsset, a financial technology company, the Louisville International Airport saw domestic airfare prices decrease by 9.5% in the third quarter of 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022.
“This means anyone looking to fly out this holiday season will have more room in their budget than they might otherwise expect,” said SmartAsset Managing Editor for Economic Analysis, Jaclyn DeJohn. “Overall, Louisville has seen outsized price movements relative to average.”
SmartAsset used U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics data to track average airfare prices at U.S. airports that served at least 100,000 or more passengers in 2022. The Louisville airport served more than 106,000 passengers in 2022.
Of the 72 major airports studied by SmartAsset, the nearly 10% decrease in airfare costs in Louisville was the greatest, with the average airfare for a domestic flight going from $414 last year to $374 this year. The next closest decrease in airfare costs comes out of Orlando International Airport which saw a 7% price decrease.
Last year, prices for airfare in Louisville were about $21 above the national average, but now Louisville falls $14 below the national average cost, according to DeJohn. This decrease in airfare costs benefits travelers both coming in and leaving Louisville, said Anthony Gilmer, vice president of Air Service Development and Strategic Marketing in Louisville.
“This is significant because as the cost to fly decreases, more and more people now have the ability on the financial side to fly and subsequently choose to do so,” Gilmer said.
Having lower-than-average flights isn’t just good for the traveler on a budget, but it’s helpful for the city and can bolster economic development, business growth and tourism.
“Overall, it’s advantageous to the local economy to have lower airfare,” DeJohn said. “Lower airfare facilitates more travel, transactions with local businesses and more room in the budget for those living in and passing through Louisville. This can benefit Louisville as a whole, even if some residents don’t fly often.”
What to know about Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
The Louisville airport is currently amid a multi-year, $400 million renovation project which has already added improvements for travelers such as refreshed signage, covered walkways between parking and terminals, replaced elevators, escalators, and moving sidewalks, just to name a few.
Eight airlines are serviced out of Louisville: Allegiant, American Airlines, Breeze, Delta, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country Airlines, and United. Additionally, the airport offers 37 nonstop flights, three of which are seasonal and can take fliers to a beachy location in Florida,
Georgia, or South Carolina.
In the past two years, the Louisville airport has been intentional in recruiting low-cost airlines including Spirit, Breeze and Sun Country which has raised capacity for “ultra-low-cost carriers” by 148% since 2019, Gilmer told the Courier Journal.
The Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport’s “airline seat capacity is the fastest growing of the top 75 airports in the U.S.,” Gilmer said.
“The drop in airfare tells us that [Louisville International Airport] is a quickly growing air service option for the community and region,” Gilmer said. “The increased number of airlines, nonstop destinations and overall flight capacity from the airlines has caused a tremendous increase in competition in our market, which has led to lower airfares.”
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