GSP ranks low for domestic airfare costs in region

Out of 418 U.S. airports, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport ranked 90th in low domestic airfares in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s second-quarter 2015 domestic airfare study.

The ranking was based on the total number of domestic passengers in 2014. The average airfare for domestic passengers departing from GSP was $424.32.

Fares out of GSP were approximately 7% lower than the $458.06 average flight out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport and nearly 8.5% lower than the $460.30 average flight from Columbia Metropolitan Airport. There are 35 nonstop flights to eight markets from Columbia.

There are 49 nonstop daily departures from GSP to 15 major cities and 18 airports domestically. The report indicated GSP passengers have seen a 38.6% drop in average fares since 2000. According to its website, GSP airport has direct flights to Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Punta Gorda in Florida by Allegiant Air; Charlotte, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington-Dulles through American Airlines; Atlanta, Detroit and New York-LaGuardia via Delta; and Washington-Dulles, Houston, Chicago-O’Hare and Newark via United Airlines.

Passenger traffic in and out of GSP has increased. According to the most recent data available, the airport had a 7.6% increase in total passengers from November 2014 to November 2015. From July 2015 through November, GSP had year-over-year increases in passenger traffic.