Lure of Regional Airports

When engaging in international travel, most folks use the large airports like LAX, JFK, ORD, MIA DFW, SEA, ATL (and others). These airports are important since most all incoming and outgoing international travel routes through them. The terminals at the larger airports are roomy, have an abundance of amenities like restaurants and shopping, and generally host at least a couple lounges. And that's all fine and dandy.

As I've noted elsewhere, I don't like to give away my travel secrets very often. But since my blog posts aren't that popular anyhow, I guess it's not a big deal.

My secret for this post? Using regional airports. Especially if you live more than a couple/few hours away from an international airport. Why? I can offer a number of reasons, but a main one is they're not very crowded, meaning check-in and security lines are usually non-existent. Which means workers are generally less stressed, and that positive energy rubs off on you, making for a more pleasant experience.

Yes, it might mean making an extra connection – or potentially missing a connecting flight – but that can also occur at larger airports. Plus, parking is very cheap and sometimes free. And, being closer to your home means you can have a bit more time (e.g., sleep a little longer!) if you're taking a mid-morning flight. Of course, there are usually no swanky lounges, but I save those for the connection airports anyhow. Additionally, cancelled or late flights, if it's the airline's fault, can result in significant compensation anyhow, so why not have less stress? If you're using a regional airport near your home and a flight is cancelled, you can just go home instead of trying to find a hotel.

And then there's cost. In my experience, there's rarely much of difference between flying from a regional airport to an international destination than from the intentional airport itself. If there is more than a few hundred dollars difference, I decide if the extra stress and hassle of the international airport is worth it, and that often depends on time of year and who's paying for the ticket.

For example, when we lived in St. George, UT (SGU), we were shuttling a few times a year between there and Amman, Jordan (AMM) for a project. Every time I checked airfare from Las Vegas (LAS) or Salt Lake City (SLC) – the two closest international airports to us – I found airfare was usually less from SGU. The direct flight to AMM flies from ORD (Chicago O'Hare) anyhow, so flying from LAS or SLC would still require at least one connection. And from SGU, we usually routed through Phoenix (PHX) with a couple hour layover, and then had our choice of departure cities, which we could filter out depending on budget and time. Plus, it cost a mere $35 for a week – A WEEK! – of parking at SGU.

Traveling domestically is no different. I used to travel between Denver and Fayetteville, Arkansas a lot, and the closest airport to Fayetteville is Bentonville (XNA) – which was still more than a half-hour or so from where I needed to be in Fayetteville. While I would always check the direct DEN-XNA flight, it was often cheaper to fly to Fort Smith (FSM), and that added less than 20-minutes to my drive. Of course, it took an hour or two longer because I'd route through Dallas, but I would spend that time in the lounge working and, on my return trip, I could arrive at FSM a half-hour before departure, saunter through security, and walk right to my seat on the airplane. And, FSM has – I kid you not – award winning bathrooms! They are swanky, ranking right up there with first class lounges in Dubai!

All this to say, do not overlook your regional airport when booking your next trip. You might be surprised what you find! They can be very convenient.

#TravelHack #Travel #Airports #RegionalAriport

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