Long Beach Airport Ranked Second-Most Affordable in U.S., But John Wayne is No. 6?

The surprising thing is not that Long Beach Airport wound up No. 2 on Cheapflights' 2012 Airport Affordability Index. Besides being easy to get in and out of, having plenty of parking and being the regional hub for JetBlue and its individual passenger teevees, LGB often proves to be a departure point for screaming low fares. Heck, it wouldn't have been surprising if Long Beach was No. 1 instead of Bob Hope of Burbank. No, what is most shocking is where our own John Wayne Airport finished on the list.

No. 6 shooter

No. 6.

WTF?

Don't know about everyone else, but when yours truly is scanning the Interwebs for the lowest-priced flights, they are inevitably found to be leaving out of Long Beach or, if it's international or opposite-coast travel, LAX (which did not crack the Top 10). The SNA flights are often too rich for my un-blue blood.

Must be checking the wrong websites because Cheapflights claims John Wayne is among the tops when it comes to offering "wonderfully affordable fares to both domestic and international destinations," and proving "low-cost travel is out there," although choosing them requires "the flexibility and know-how to consider alternative airports:"

1. Bob Hope Airport, CA (BUR) - $221
2. Long Beach (Daugherty Field), CA (LGB) - $250
3. Fresno Air Terminal, CA (FAT) - $290
4. Harrisburg International, PA (MDT) - $304
5. Lehigh Valley, PA (ABE) - $307
6. John Wayne/Orange County, CA (SNA) - $316
7. White Plains, NY (HPN) - $324
8. Metropolitan Oakland International, CA (OAK) - $330
9. Chicago Midway, IL (MDW) - $339
10. Bellingham International, WA (BLI) - $342

Cheapflights actually ranked 101 of the nation's 101 most popular fields in its third annual Airport Affordability Index.

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