The number of deals we send depends on the prices airlines have available and how many of those deals meet our rigorous quality standards. To better understand why there aren’t more cheap flights from certain cities, it’s helpful to look at why cheap flights pop up in the first place. There are two main factors:
- Size: It’s no coincidence that New York City is both the most populous city in the country and the capital of cheap flights. The more flyers there are, the more flights there are and thus, the more opportunity for deals.
- Competition: Though the two are often correlated, large cities don’t always have a lot of competition between airlines. (And, of course, more competition = cheaper flights.)
Two of the cheapest cities for flights, New York City and Los Angeles, are also hubs for all three major American carriers (Delta, United, and American). On the contrary, many other large cities have just one dominant carrier, like Houston (United), Dallas (American), Atlanta (Delta), or Phoenix (American)—thus, great deals are sometimes a bit more difficult to come by in those cities.
Though large international carriers also fly to these cities, they’re not as direct in competition as other major American carriers.
These are general principles, not hard rules. Sometimes airlines try to undersell flights in each others’ hubs, and sometimes cheap flights pop up by mistake.
If you’re a Premium member and you’re wondering why you might not be receiving more cheap flights departing from certain cities, it’s most likely because there isn’t enough competition between the airlines.
It’s for this reason that we recommend adding a couple of high-volume cities to your membership, as it’s highly likely that a cheap flight from a major hub will save you enough money to cover the cost of a connecting flight and then some (vs. flying direct).
To give you a better idea of different airport options, check out this article on the Best and Worst US Airports for Cheap Flights.
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