Living in smaller cities doesn't have to mean sky-high prices … or driving to a major hub in the name of a better deal. Live in Fargo? Aberdeen? Bemidji? Greenville? There are still flight deals out there.
While they may be less frequent and harder to find, cheap flights from smaller regional airports around the country do, in fact, exist. We search for flight deals from over 160 U.S. and Canadian airports – and yes, that includes your home airport. And we're already seeing cheap fares for travel this year through February 2022.
But what's considered a “cheap flight” from these smaller cities? And just how low can prices go? Buckle up, “flyover” towns: See for yourself.
100+ U.S. Cities to Europe…Under $500
There's truly nothing we love more than a nationwide flash sale to Europe. And while Europe remains closed to most travelers, there's hope on the horizon – and cheap flights! – for later in 2021.
One flight deal, in particular, was available from over 100 U.S. and Canadian cities for peak summer – starting as low as $241 roundtrip! Yep, that's $600 off average fares from small towns to Europe.
Here's a look at the flight deal alert that was sent to Thrifty Traveler Premium members when this deal dropped:
Want cheap flights like this one delivered straight to you? Try Thrifty Traveler Premium for $5.99 a month!
The best part about this deal? Not only was it available from nearly every airport, but it had widespread availability into most major European cities as well! The hardest part about this flight deal was picking which one to see…
The list of departure cities you could fly from for under $500 roundtrip went all the way down to Williston! We heard from tons of Premium members in towns big and small who booked this European deal.
Ready for a little adventure? Iceland is open to travelers, and flights are cheap for peak summer and fall travel! Yes, even from your hometown. Take a look at this recent flight deal we found from 80+ cities with savings of $300+ flights!
While the screenshot above ends at Duluth (DLH), the flight deals didn't. Here are a *few* other cities included in this one deal:
- Eau Claire (EAU) – $597
- Edmonton (YEG) – $583
- Eugene (EUG) – $598
- Fargo (FAR) – $599
- Fayetteville (FAY) – $580
- Fort Myers (RSW) – $598
- Fresno (FAT) – $598
- Greensboro (GSO) – $578
- Greenville (GSP) – $574
- Harrisburg (MDT) – $598
- Hartford (BDL) – $587
- Honolulu (HNL) – $599
- Huntsville (HSV) – $580
- Jacksonville (JAX) – $598
- Kansas City (MCI) – $598
- Lexington (LEX) – $581
- Lincoln (LNK) – $598
- Little Rock (LIT) – $580
- Louisville (SDF) – $578
- Minot (MOT) – $599
- Montgomery (MGM) – $580
- Norfolk (ORF) – $598
- Omaha (OMA) – $598
- Portland (PWM) – $598
- Providence (PVD) – $598
- Rapid City (RAP) – $600
- Richmond (RIC) – $598
- Rochester (ROC) – $598
- Santa Fe (SAF) – $594
- Sioux Falls (FSD) – $598
- Spokane (GEG) – $598
- St. Louis (STL) – $590
- Syracuse (SYR) – $598
- Williston (XWA) – $597
- Wilmington (ILM) – $578
And yes, even small cities benefit from mistake fares. Back in 2019, we found a mistake fare from over 50 U.S. cities to Croatia for as little as $238 roundtrip – more than $1,000 off!
Domestic Travel for Less From Smalltown U.S.A
It's not just international flights where you can score big savings. We've been finding cheap domestic flight deals daily for as low as $49 roundtrip – even from regional airports.
Is Alaska on your bucket list? It doesn't have to cost and arm and a leg to get there. This nationwide sale from over 100 U.S. cities to Anchorage under $298 was a huge hit with Thrifty Traveler Premium members!
Here's a taste of the prices this deal was live from nationwide:
- Albuquerque (ABQ) – $227
- Appleton (ATW) – $227
- Augusta (AGS) – $286
- Bangor (BGR) – $283
- Bismarck (BIS) – $227
- Burlington (BTV) – $286
- Cedar Rapids (CID) – $227
- Colorado Springs (COS) – $227
- Columbia (CAE) – $286
- Columbus (CMH) – $284
- Corpus Christi (CRP) – $287
- Dayton (DAY) – $287
- Des Moines (DSM) – $227
- Dubuque (DBQ) – $227
- Duluth (DLH) – $293
- Fayetteville (FAY) – $286
- Gainesville (GNV) – $286
- Grand Forks (GFK) – $247
- Grand Rapids (GRR) – $287
- Green Bay (GRB) – $227
- Greensboro (GSO) – $286
- Harrisburg (MDT) – $286
- Hartford (BDL) – $286
- Knoxville (TYS) – $286
- La Crosse (LSE) – $227
- Lubbock (LBB) – $287
- Madison (MSN) – $227
- Ontario (ONT) – $227
- Ottawa (YOW) – $223
- Pensacola (PNS) – $286
- Peoria (PIA) – $287
- South Bend (SBN) – $259
- Toledo (TOL) – $287
- Tucson (TUS) – $227
- Wausau (CWA) – $227
- Wichita (ICT) – $287
- Wilmington (ILM) – $286
Tropical Getaways From Your Hometown
Flights from small towns across the U.S. to Hawaii can often cost $1,200 – or more. But not if you time it right!
If Hawaii is on your bucket list, this one's for you. This nationwide flash sale we found and sent to Thrifty Traveler Premium members weeks ago was under $400 roundtrip from ALL U.S. cities! Check it out:
Here's what roundtrip flight prices looked like from some small cities:
- Edmonton (YEG) – $280
- Fargo (FAR) – $389
- Gainesville (GNV) – $389
- Grand Rapids (GRR) – $389
- Hartford (BDL) – $325
- Kansas City (MCI) – $341
- Milwaukee (MKE) – $347
- Minneapolis (MSP) – $306
- Missoula (MSO) – $327
- Omaha (OMA) – $393
- Reno (RNO) – $288
- Rochester (ROC) – $389
- Rochester (RST) – $389
- Santa Ana (SNA) – $209
- Spokane (GEG) – $318
- Tucson (TUS) – $285
And yes, “flyover states” get cheap flights to places like Costa Rica, too! You could have booked this deal we found last month from over 100 cities for under $285 – roundtrip:
Try Thrifty Traveler Premium for just $5.99 a month and get the next deal from your home airpor we find!
Yep, these were over $600 off regular airfare to Costa Rica! Here's what roundtrip flights were at from a handful of the cities included on this deal:
Aberdeen (ABR) – $253
Akron (CAK) – $244
Bemidji (BJI) – $263
Billings (BIL) – $254
Boise (BOI) – $249
Bozeman (BZN) – $254
Burbank (BUR) – $253
Burlington (BTV) – $244
Cedar Rapids (CID) – $249
Des Moines (DSM) – $244
Duluth (DLH) – $253
Fresno (FAT) – $254
Hibbing (HIB) – $253
Lincoln (LNK) – $253
Minot (MOT) – $253
Missoula (MSO) – $253
Portland (PWM) – $244
Rhinelander (RHI) – $253
Rochester (ROC) – $244
Santa Ana (SNA) – $244
Santa Barbara (SBA) – $253
Sioux Falls (FSD) – $253
You can hardly fly from Sioux Falls to Chicago for those prices!
Bucket List Destinations for Less
We've heard it time and time again: Travelers living in small towns think they can't get cheap flights to far-away bucket list destinations. We're here to prove that wrong.
A prime example? This insane deal we found last year from small cities to South Africa for $1,200 off! Yep, you could have flown from Des Moines, Iowa to South Africa for what it typically costs to get to San Diego.
Eau Claire to Wisconsin for the price of a typical flight to New York? Yes, that's real.
Living in a smaller town doesn't mean you have to give up on your dreams of seeing the world. In fact, some of the best deals we've ever found have included regional airports! Take this deal to Thailand we found back in 2019, for example:
This deal was live from over 50 cities to Bangkok, Thailand from as low as $496 – roundtrip. Flights from towns like South Bend to Thailand are usually well over $1,300 – not $700! Oh, and that's flying a 5-star airline during peak season, too.
Another major bucket list destination that's usually crazy expensive? Tahiti. But that doesn't make us want to go any less! Normally, flights to Tahiti can cost well over $1,500 – especially from smaller airports. A few months back, we uncovered a nationwide flash sale to Tahiti with ALL flights under $893 roundtrip! That's savings of $500 or more:
From Burbank (BUR) for $799 to Wichita (ICT) for $893 and every city in between (on the alphabet – and the map!), we found half-off fares to Tahiti.
Bottom Line
It’s time to stop paying too much for airfare and get back out into the world – this summer, fall, or even winter 2022!
Most of these deals are no longer live: The hotter the deal, the shorter they last! But if you’re looking for the next cheap flight from your home airport, we've got you covered. Join Thrifty Traveler Premium and get instant notification of the next flight deals we find for you.
Any change you’ll add Santa Rosa CA (STS) to you list or are we too small. I haven’t seen our airport listed on any notices
Hi Jerry, we’d be happy to add STS to our list! When you subscribe, shoot us a reply to the Welcome email and we’ll add it 🙂 We’d definitely recommend adding other nearby airports to your flight deal preferences, just to be sure you don’t miss out on any! https://thriftytraveler.com/premium