I live in Cincinnati, and we have long been cursed with the #1 position in a very unflattering category: highest average airfares. Part of that has been due to the fact that as a (former) Delta hub, airline competition at the airport has been quite low. In fact, the current contract between CVG and the airlines is structured in such a way that Delta has veto power over just about anything that goes on at the airport, which has served to keep out low-cost carriers.
(SEE ALSO: The curious case of Delta and CVG)
While the airline contract expires at the end of 2015, things are at least moving in the right direction – with the introduction of several non-stop flights from CVG on Allegiant and Frontier, CVG no longer has the #1 highest airfares in the country!
The new leader
The new leader for highest airfare is Madison, Wisconsin (MSN), followed by Newark, NJ (EWR). CVG is still in the top at #3, but we’ll take any progress we can get!
Here’s the data from the Department of Transportation.
I can’t seem to win as my secondary airport of Dayton, OH (DAY) was #1 for the highest year over year increase, with a 15% increase from the 4th quarter of 2013, from $374 to $431.
Of course, one way to solve this problem is to learn the tricks of miles and points like I have – that way you don’t have to actually (GASP!) pay for airfare 😀
This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as thepointsguy.com. This may impact how and where links appear on this site. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them
User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I quit considering Cincinnati for Delta flights for a long time because of its reputation in regards to the highest average airfare. However, I started whistling a different tune when I found non-stop airfare from CVG to CDG in Paris for 60,000 SkyMiles per person. NON-STOP!
We live in Columbus, but it was definitely worth it to drive the two hours to Cincinnati to hop a FREE flight to Europe a few weeks ago.
And here I am always driving from Cincinnati TO COLUMBUS 😛 Maybe we’ve crossed paths on I-71 a time or two…
That can be a great flight if you can find availability. You might also be interested in my post – The Curious Case of Delta and CVG