Cheapest flights in California? Flying out of these airports is likely to cost less

Cortlynn Stark, The Sum
·2 min read
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Is it time to make your 2024 travel plans? The average price of a flight nationally is up slightly, but you can fly out of some California cities for significantly less than others.

The average domestic flight fare has neared pre-pandemic prices, rising 1.5% in the second quarter of 2023 to $392, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That’s an increase of $6 from the first quarter’s $386, adjusted for inflation. (Data from the third quarter isn’t available yet).

The $392 is down 5.1% from the second quarter of 2022. It’s also down 7.1% from the fourth quarter of 2019.

The Consumer Price Index, a common measure of inflation, increased 3.1% since November 2022, according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

We compared the average cost of flights in Q2 of 2023 from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to find the cheapest airports in California.

Some flight averages may be lower because the airports offer more regional destinations or aren’t as heavily-trafficked.

Santa Maria Public Airport — which had the third fewest passengers on planes in the state in 2022 — had the cheapest flights at $112, up 19% from the year before. Stockton had the second cheapest prices at $131, down 5.55%.

Flights out of Sacramento jumped up with an average around $408. Prices in Fresno were higher at $461. And San Luis Obispo flights were the second most expensive at $583.

Here’s the full list:

  • SMX — Santa Maria — $112

  • SCK — Stockton — $131

  • BUR — Burbank — $304

  • OAK — Oakland — $314

  • LGB — Long Beach — $322

  • STS — Santa Rosa — $333

  • SJC — San Jose — $347

  • SAN — San Diego — $390

  • ONT — Ontario — $393

  • SNA — Santa Ana — $401

  • SMF — Sacramento — $408

  • LAX — Los Angeles — $425

  • PSP — Palm Springs — $441

  • RDD — Redding — $446

  • FAT — Fresno — $461

  • SFO — San Francisco — $466

  • SBA — Santa Barbara — $472

  • LBL — Liberal — $475

  • MRY — Monterey — $494

  • LEB — Lebanon-Hanover — $524

  • ACV — Arcata/Eureka — $532

  • SBP — San Luis Obispo — $583

  • BFL — Bakersfield — $588

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