“It’s because both airports, Dayton and Akron, have enjoyed for a long time service from low fare carriers,” said Terry Slaybaugh the director of aviation at the Dayton International Airport.
The data is based on domestic itinerary fares which consist of round trip flights, and one way trips, if a return trip is not included at the time of purchase.
Slaybaugh noted that 80 percent of airplanes leaving Dayton are full, which means a profit for the airline.
“Airlines do make a lot of money here. They know in Dayton if they price a product right, they are going to fill up their airplanes,” Slaybaugh said.
The highest average U.S. fare of $514.41 can be found at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
“The message to consumers is to fly out of Dayton because you are going to on average save $187 over our competitor airport in Cincinnati,” Slaybaugh said.
Frequent flier Lynn Vanderburg from Texas said she was surprised that Dayton offered a better deal on average.
“Typically a smaller airport ends up being more expensive,” Vanderburg said.
Departures and arrival at Dayton are down compared to 2013. Both are down 9 percent for the first quarter, according to BOT. The top destination site from Dayton in Atlanta, Ga.
The lowest average fare in the U.S. can be found at the airport in Sanford, Fla. at $119.
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