These 2 NYC Airports Saw the Country's Steepest Price Drops Since 2019

The study found major price drops amidst an environment of rising airfare.

2022 hasn't exactly been easy for most travelers, with rising ticket prices and airport delays around the world causing headaches and stretching budgets. For residents of one part of the country, however, airfare prices were surprisingly low in the early part of this year compared to pre-pandemic times.

According to a recent study by CouponFollow—a website helping customers save money on online deals—two NYC-area airports saw the steepest drop in ticket prices since before the pandemic began. Newark Liberty International Airport wins the prize, with a 18.6% drop in prices when comparing the first quarter of 2019 and that of 2022. It ties with Queens' LaGuardia Airport, which also shows a 18.6% decrease in prices. Miami International Airport comes in third place, with a 16.2% decrease.

"Americans traveling earlier this year may have found that flight prices were lower than pre-pandemic levels," reads the report. "We observed that in the first quarter of 2022, prices were actually down at 50 of the 60 most popular airports in America since 2019."

Notably, many of these savings may have been reversed this summer as airlines began to charge more to cope with rising fuel costs and other inflation-related expenses. Even before that, however, some airports had already seen rising prices. Portland International Airport topped that list, with a 7.9% increase in prices when compared to 2019's first quarter. Airports in Minneapolis and Boise came in second and third, with respective increases of 2.5% and 2%.

To come up with the results, CouponFollow analyzed and processed the Average Domestic Airline Itinerary Fares data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), taking into account specifics from the year 2000 to the first quarter of 2022. The company also surveyed 1,000 Americans about their travel preferences and experiences in 2022. It is important to note that data was collected only through the first quarter of 2022, and doesn't reflect changes from this spring and summer.

To take a look at the entire report, you can head over to this website.

Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.

Serena Tara is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.