When looking to book a flight to Florida, one of the first questions many travelers ask is: What part of Florida is cheapest to fly into? The answer depends on a variety of factors, including your home airport, travel dates, and preferred Florida destination. Generally speaking, flying into a major hub airport like Miami or Orlando often offers the most flight options and competitive fares. However, exploring routes into smaller regional airports can sometimes yield significant savings as well.
Flying into Major Florida Airports
Florida has several large international airports that serve as major transportation hubs for the state. These include:
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
These airports have flights arriving daily from hundreds of cities across the United States and around the world. As a result, competition between airlines is strong, which helps keep fares relatively low.
Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport primarily cater to South Florida travelers. Orlando International Airport is the main gateway for Central Florida destinations like Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and nearby beaches. And Tampa International Airport serves the city of Tampa and the Gulf Coast region, including St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
When searching for cheap flights into Florida on sites like Expedia, Travelocity, or Kayak, be sure to check routes into all of these major airports. Fares can vary significantly between them depending on your specific dates and points of origin and destination.
Flying into Regional Airports
Beyond the main international airports, Florida has dozens of smaller regional airports. These include airports in popular tourism destinations like Key West, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Pensacola, Sarasota, and West Palm Beach. Flying into these smaller airports sometimes offers substantial savings over the larger hubs.
For example, a flight from Chicago to Key West via Miami could cost $500 round-trip. But a direct flight from Chicago to Key West International Airport might cost just $300 round-trip. The trade-off is there are usually far fewer daily flight options into regional airports, so your travel dates and times may be much more limited.
Here are some of Florida’s most popular regional airports to check when searching for cheap inbound flights:
- Key West International Airport (EYW)
- Fort Myers Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
- Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
- Pensacola International Airport (PNS)
- Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ)
- Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
Be flexible with your travel dates and check pricing for both major hubs and regional airports. In some cases, a budget airline like Spirit or Frontier may offer very low base fares into a regional airport. But you’ll need to pay extra fees for seat selections, carry-on bags, etc. Always factor these additional costs into your fare comparison.
Airfare Trends by Florida Region
Average airfares to different parts of Florida can vary significantly based on things like tourism demand. Here is an overview of typical airfare cost patterns to key regions:
| Region | Average Round-Trip Fare |
|---|---|
| Miami/Fort Lauderdale | $250 – $400 |
| Orlando | $200 – $350 |
| Tampa | $180 – $300 |
| Florida Keys | $280 – $450 |
| Fort Myers/Naples | $250 – $400 |
| Jacksonville | $190 – $300 |
| Florida Panhandle | $220 – $350 |
As you can see, average fares are lowest for destinations like Tampa and Orlando. More remote regions like the Florida Keys have less competition and higher average ticket costs. Still, deals can be found to any part of Florida if you research diligently and have flexible travel plans.
Factors Influencing Florida Airfare Costs
Several key factors determine the price of airfare to Florida destinations, including:
- Route competition – The more airlines flying a particular route, generally the lower fares will be.
- Travel dates – Flying midweek during shoulder seasons offers the lowest rates.
- Time of booking – Booking early and tracking fares can yield deals.
- Airport size – Regional airports tend to be cheaper than big hubs.
- Destination demand – More popular locations like Miami see higher average fares.
Being flexible and strategic with these factors allows you to minimize the cost of flying to Florida. Signing up for fare alerts and comparing all possible airport options are key best practices.
Tips for Finding Cheap Flights
Here are some tips for getting the best possible deal on airfare to Florida:
- Book early – Airfares tend to get more expensive closer to the travel date. Booking 4-8 weeks in advance offers a good balance of price and flexibility.
- Consider budget airlines – Carriers like Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant offer very low base fares, but charge extra fees for amenities.
- Be flexible with dates – Flying midweek on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday is generally cheaper than weekends.
- Compare alternate airports – Check pricing for both nearby major and regional airports, which can differ significantly.
- Use flight search tools – Sites like Kayak and Google Flights make it easy to quickly compare fare options across airlines and dates.
- Look for sales and coupons – Many airlines offer periodic fare sales and coupons for specific routes.
- Avoid peak seasons – Flying early January, September, or October means missing the huge summer and winter crowds.
Being open-minded and flexible with your Florida travel plans makes it much easier to score an affordable fare. Flying midweek through a smaller regional airport typically offers major savings versus the peak weekends and big hubs like Miami and Orlando.
Conclusion
Finding cheap flights to Florida starts with being flexible on both your destination airport and travel dates. Comparing fares across major hubs like Miami and Orlando as well as smaller regional airports can uncover major savings. Peak season flights will always be expensive – aim for shoulder seasons in the spring or fall instead. Use flight search tools and fare alerts to find deals as soon as they become available. And don’t forget to factor in extra fees from budget airlines when comparing base fares. With some research and smart planning, you can discover great flight deals to almost any part of Florida you wish to visit.
