Can we talk about flying into smaller airports near big cities?

Everyone says to fly into the main hub like Atlanta or Denver to save money on flights. But I tried flying into Chattanooga instead of Atlanta last month for a trip to the Smokies. The flight cost $40 more but I saved $80 on rental car fees and two hours of traffic. Nobody mentions the hidden costs of big airports. Has anyone else found a smaller airport that worked out better?

3 comments

3 Comments

charlesanderson1mo agoMost Upvoted

Has anyone else noticed how much cheaper the parking is at smaller airports too? I flew into Manchester, New Hampshire instead of Boston last fall and the whole experience was just calmer and less stressful for way less money... Felt like I was actually saving time and sanity instead of fighting crowds.

young.spencer28d ago

Flew into Manchester once. Cheap parking, worse coffee.

hollyramirez1mo ago

Wow, I gotta disagree hard here, @charlesanderson. I'll take a big airport any day over those little regional ones. The parking might be pricier but the savings disappear when you factor in the limited flight options and having to drive an extra hour each way to get to some tiny town like Manchester. I had a layover at a small airport once and got stranded there for 6 hours because they only had two flights a day and both were weather delayed. Those bigger hubs have way more backup flights and better maintenance crews, so you're less likely to sit around waiting. Plus the food choices are better and the terminals are just more familiar which cuts down on my stress. You traded one kind of headache for another in my book.