Best Airports In the US for International Travel (& Worst): Top-Rated for Flyers

Key takeaways

• Due to a number of factors, including the amount of airlines serving the airport and the amount of competition on various routes from that airport, some airports see more frequent flight deals than others.
• The best airports in the US for cheap international flights: NYC (JFK), Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Washington Dulles (IAD), San Francisco (SFO), Miami (MIA), Newark (EWR), Denver (DEN), Seattle (SEA). 
• The worst airports in the US for cheap international flights: Chicago Midway (MDW), New York City (LGA), Salt Lake City (SLC), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Washington Reagan (DCA), Phoenix (PHX), Charlotte (CLT), Baltimore (BWI), Austin (AUS), and Minneapolis (MSP). 
• If you live near one of the best US airports, you won't have a hard time finding good deals, as long as you don't have too many restrictions over when and where you fly. But if you live near one of the worst US airports, there are some tactics that you can use to increase your chances of scoring a cheap flight. 
• With a Going membership, you can get notified about the cheapest flight prices, and by setting price alerts, you can let us know which airports you'd like to receive deals for. Once you receive a deal that you'd like to book, you can use Google Flights or another app to book your flight. 

Going sends flight deals—but not just any flight deal. Our travel experts have high standards for the cheap flights we send members. We don’t send deals on certain budget airlines (like Spirit or Frontier), we don’t send flights with terrible routing, and we don’t typically send super-last-minute flights—unless that deal is really, really good. 

In short, we only send truly great deals, with an average savings of $550 per international economy ticket. Because virtually every deal we send is miles better than the average price you’ll find on Google Flights, we classify the “best” airports as the ones where you’ll find the most deals. More deals equals more chances to lock in a great fare, and that’s what matters when you might only have a few chances to travel throughout the year. (Conversely, the “worst” airports on this list are the ones with the fewest deals.)

Some airports, usually the largest ones, see more frequent flight deals than others, thanks to factors like how many airlines serve the airport and competition on routes. If you live near one of the best airports, you’re in luck. Even if you can reasonably get to one by car, bus, train, or a short repositioning flight, it’s worth keeping an eye out for deals. 

To determine the airports on this list, we looked at the airports the FAA deems “large” based on the number of enplanements. Then, we counted up the number of deals sent to Going members departing from those airports over the past year.

Here are our rankings.

The best US airports for cheap international flights

10. Seattle (SEA)

SEA punches above its weight when it comes to international deals. It's a hub for Alaska Airlines and a focus city for Delta, with direct flights to 33 international destinations across Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia.

It’s served by 36 airlines, including budget-friendly options like WestJet, Icelandair, and Condor. That variety of carriers—and SEA's location as a key gateway to Asia and the Pacific Northwest—helps drive down prices and increase competition, especially on transpacific routes. We see more than 20 international economy deals per month from Seattle on average.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Seattle:

• Seattle to Toronto for $232 roundtrip
• Seattle to Helsinki for $361 roundtrip
• Seattle to Hong Kong for $508 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Seattle

9. Denver (DEN)

Denver is one of the top-3 busiest airports in the country and a hub for United and Frontier, which keeps prices in check. DEN offers nonstop service to 35 international destinations and is served by about two dozen airlines including Lufthansa, British Airways, and Air Canada, meaning it offers solid international connectivity.

While it’s located in the center of the US—far from most foreign destinations—the central location can work in your favor. It’s a major connection point, so airlines often drop prices to fill planes. We average 20+ international economy deals per month from Denver, with deals regularly popping up to Europe, Central America, and Canada.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Denver:

• Denver to Tulum for $261 roundtrip
• Denver to Vancouver Island for $274 roundtrip
• Denver to Norway for $392 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Denver

8. Newark (EWR)

A major hub for United, Newark is served by more than 30 airlines with direct flights to about 100 international destinations in Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. 

If you can’t get to a place on a cheap flight from Newark, you probably can’t get there on a cheap flight from anywhere. All those options for airlines and routes means increased competition and more chances for cheap flights.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Newark:

• Newark to Nicaragua for $244 roundtrip
• Newark to Rome for $319 roundtrip
• Newark to Lithuania for $339 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Newark

7. Miami (MIA)

Miami is the tenth-busiest airport in the US by number of passengers. It’s served by 58 airlines and is a hub for American Airlines; a focus city for Avianca and LATAM; and an operating base for Spirit, Frontier, and Norse, which makes it a great city for scoring deals, especially to the Caribbean and Latin America.

The airport offers direct flights to 100 international destinations, including cities in Europe and the Middle East; connections to other major hubs make it easier to travel extensively throughout Asia, Africa, and Oceania. In the past year, we’ve sent 275 international economy deals from Miami, which averages out to about 23 deals per month.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Miami:

• Miami to the Dominican Republic for $220 roundtrip
• Miami to Bogotá for $238 roundtrip
• Miami to Cancún for $256 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Miami

6. San Francisco (SFO)

We see an average of 23 international economy deals per month from SFO, thanks to a plethora of routes and airlines serving more than 130 destinations in Canada, Mexico, Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania.

SFO is the second-busiest airport in California, the 13th-busiest airport in the US, and the fifth-largest hub for United Airlines. It’s also served by another 50+ airlines, which helps keep prices down.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from San Francisco:

• San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta for $277 roundtrip
• San Francisco to New Delhi for $453 roundtrip
• San Francisco to French Polynesia for $459 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from San Francisco

5. Washington Dulles (IAD)

Dulles serves the greater Baltimore and Washington, DC, area. It offers direct flights to more than 60 international destinations on five continents, serving Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

It’s a hub for United Airlines, but it’s also served by more than 40 airlines, and that competition helps ensure frequent economy class international deals—about 25 per month on average.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Washington Dulles:

• Washington Dulles to Vancouver for $206 roundtrip
• Washington Dulles to Madrid for $300 roundtrip
• Washington Dulles to Istanbul for $453 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Washington Dulles

4. Chicago O’Hare (ORD)

Chicago O’Hare is one of the busiest airports in the world. It’s a hub for both United and American and an operating base for Frontier and Spirit Airlines (the presence of Frontier and Spirit helps increase competition, but Going doesn’t send deals on those airlines for a number of reasons).

O’Hare offers nonstop service to about 250 cities (68 of them international) on nearly 50 airlines. The abundance of international airlines and routes means pretty healthy competition, and the frequency of flights to US cities means that if you can’t fly direct to a major destination from Chicago, chances are you can get there with one connection—and both of those things mean lots of deals for travelers.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Chicago:

• Chicago O’Hare to Puerto Rico for $224 roundtrip
• Chicago O’Hare to Cartagena for $270 roundtrip
• Chicago O’Hare to Iceland for $329 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Chicago O’Hare

3. Los Angeles (LAX)

LAX holds a lot of superlatives: the largest and busiest airport on the West Coast, the fifth-busiest international airport in the US, and one of the busiest airports in the world. It’s also a hub or focus city for tons of airlines, including Alaska, American, Delta, United, JetBlue, and Southwest. Its presence continues to grow, as airlines (notably Delta and JetBlue) have aggressively expanded their footprint on transpacific and leisure routes over the past year. 

LAX is investing heavily in expansions and infrastructure updates, as well, in part to prepare for the 2028 Olympics, so expect more deals going forward. 

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Los Angeles:

• LA to Mexico City for $262 roundtrip
• LA to Sweden for $324 roundtrip
• LA to Tokyo for $425 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Los Angeles

2. Boston (BOS)

Boston has seen major growth over the past year, with Delta and JetBlue expanding international and domestic routes to cities like Honolulu, Milan, and Barcelona. Additional routes from Frontier and regional airline Cape Air have also contributed to the airport’s growth, and the Terminal E expansion and new premium lounges have improved logistics for the increased flow of passengers. 

More competition and record passenger volume have driven a wave of deals out of the transatlantic hub over the past year, making it a solid one to follow if you’re hoping to travel to the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Canada, Latin America, and beyond.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Boston:

• Boston to Calgary for $154 roundtrip
• Boston to Guatemala City for $282 roundtrip
• Boston to Dublin for $293 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Boston

1. New York City (JFK)

The best airport for international deals, JFK is a hub for American and Delta, a focus city for JetBlue, and an operating base for Norse, but it serves a whole lot of other international airlines—more than 70 in total—meaning there is tons of competition on routes. Additionally, several of these airlines, such as Delta and SAS, have added or resumed transatlantic and Middle Eastern routes over the past year. 

JFK is the busiest international air passenger gateway into North America, as well as the sixth-busiest airport in the US by passenger number. A massive $19 billion project will continue to drive passengers and air traffic through JFK in the coming year, so if you live near JFK—or can get there by plane, train, bus, or car relatively cheaply—you can take advantage of some amazing flight deals.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from JFK:

• New York City (JFK) to London for $59 one-way
• New York City (JFK) to Costa Rica for $193 roundtrip
• New York City (JFK) to Barcelona for $237 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from New York City (JFK)

It’s important to note, though, that airports outside the top ten large ones still receive many, many deals.

Atlanta (ATL), Orlando (MCO), Nashville (BNA), Philadelphia (PHL), Dallas (DFW), Tampa (TPA), Detroit (DTW), Las Vegas (LAS), and Houston (IAH) all receive 4–5 economy international deals in an average month.

Plus, some of the top medium-sized airports are right up there or follow closely behind the large airports, ones like Raleigh–Durham (RDU), Pittsburgh (PIT), and Portland (PDX), which receive 4–6 international economy deals per week. 

Even smaller airports like Billings (BIL), Tucson (TUS), and Myrtle Beach (MYR) receive an average of 2 international economy class deals per week. Meaning, there’s a whole lot of airports on the list before we get down to the “worst” airports for international deals.

Wondering which airports to fly out of for cheap domestic flights? Check out our guide!

The worst US airports for cheap international flights

“Worst” may seem harsh, but it’s all relative. Since we’re talking sheer volume of flights, it all comes down to numbers. You may be able to snag a good deal price-wise from one of these airports, but dig a little deeper and the deal may come with some baggage, so to speak. 

Several of the airports on this list are secondary airports in a market with another major airport: Chicago Midway to O’Hare, Fort Lauderdale to Miami, Baltimore and Reagan National to Dulles. When we see a deal from Chicago, that deal may be available from both O’Hare and Midway. Then it comes down to routing. Often, routing from secondary airports is not up to snuff. You may be able to get from O’Hare to Dublin nonstop, but from Midway it might require one or two stops. If given the choice—and pricing is the same—we send the deal with optimal routing. Doesn’t mean the deals don’t exist. It just means the deals are lower quality. 

If you live near one of the worst airports, it doesn’t mean you need to give up your dreams of affordable international flights. For each airport on the list, we give examples of the types of deals you’ll see from your airport and tips on how you can score even more cheap international flights without moving to a new city.

10. Minneapolis–St. Paul (MSP)

Minneapolis is Delta’s second-largest hub, with nonstop flights to more than 30 international destinations in Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia. While that sounds impressive, Delta’s dominance here means limited airline competition—and fewer opportunities for fares to drop.

We do occasionally spot good deals from MSP, especially to Europe, but they’re less frequent than from other similarly sized airports. Travelers based in Minnesota often find more options by looking at Chicago O’Hare, which is only about an hour’s flight away and sees a far higher deal volume. 

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Minneapolis:

• Minneapolis to the Cayman Islands for $338 roundtrip
• Minneapolis to Barcelona for $389 roundtrip
• Minneapolis to Istanbul for $598 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Minneapolis

9. Austin (AUS)

Austin is a growing airport with a steadily expanding list of international destinations—about a dozen in total, mostly in Mexico, Canada, and Europe. It’s served by around 20 airlines, including Delta, American, Southwest, Lufthansa, and British Airways.

But while AUS has added more long-haul flights in recent years, it still sees relatively few international deals overall. That’s partly because many routes are dominated by single carriers, keeping competition (and price drops) limited. For more frequent deals, you might find better luck connecting through nearby Dallas–Fort Worth or Houston. 

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Austin:

• Austin to Guatemala for $250 roundtrip
• Austin to Rio de Janeiro for $395 roundtrip
• Austin to London for $473 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Austin

8. Baltimore (BWI)

Although BWI serves the greater Baltimore–Washington area and offers nonstop flights to more than a dozen international destinations, mostly in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, it still trails its neighbors (like Washington Dulles) in terms of international deal volume.

It’s a hub for Southwest, which heavily emphasizes domestic travel, and while international carriers like British Airways and Icelandair do operate from BWI, there just aren’t as many routes or airlines competing for international traffic. As a result, deal frequency tends to be lower—around 16–17 international economy deals per month. If you’re based in the area, you’ll have better luck expanding your search to include IAD (maybe even DCA) when hunting for deals.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Baltimore:

• Baltimore to the Bahamas for $261 roundtrip
• Baltimore to Cartagena for $264 roundtrip
• Baltimore to Stockholm for $361 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Baltimore/Washington

7. Charlotte (CLT)

Charlotte is a major hub for American Airlines, and while it has solid connectivity—more than 40 international destinations served by more than a dozen airlines—deal frequency is lower than you might expect for a hub of this size.

American dominates the market here, and without much competition on many international routes, fares often stay high. A lack of price pressure means fewer deals overall. If you’re flying out of Charlotte, you may find better prices by looking at other East Coast hubs like Atlanta, Miami, or Dulles.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Charlotte:

• Charlotte to Quebec City for $186 roundtrip
• Charlotte to Medellín for $353 roundtrip
• Charlotte to Amsterdam for $430 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Charlotte

6. Phoenix (PHX)

Phoenix is a hub for American and a base for Southwest, with international flights primarily serving Mexico and Canada. About a dozen airlines operate international routes here, but the overall number of long-haul destinations is limited, and transatlantic flights don’t come around often.

While it’s a convenient airport for domestic travel, international deal volume remains low—especially compared to nearby West Coast airports like LAX or SFO. For more variety and frequent deals, consider connecting through those larger gateways.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Phoenix:

• Phoenix to Vancouver Island for $163 roundtrip
• Phoenix to Mexico City for $343 roundtrip
• Phoenix to Paris for $386 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Phoenix

5. Washington, DC (DCA)

Reagan National (DCA) is the smallest of the three DC-area airports and primarily focused on domestic travel, with just a few international routes to Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. It’s heavily slot-controlled and constrained by a perimeter rule that limits the distance of most flights, which further reduces the chances of international deals.

Your best bet for international travel in the DC area? Washington Dulles (IAD), which has far more nonstop options and sees a bunch more deals (about two times as many as DCA). Luckily, it’s less than an hour away by car or train.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from DCA:

• Washington, DC (DCA) to Puerto Rico for $157 roundtrip
• Washington, DC (DCA) to Tulum for $298 roundtrip
• Washington, DC (DCA) to Iceland for $326 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Washington, DC (DCA)

4. Fort Lauderdale (FLL)

Fort Lauderdale has long been known as a hub for low-cost carriers like Spirit and JetBlue, with decent international access to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. It's served by around two dozen airlines and offers nonstop flights to more than 50 international destinations.

But while the routes are there, many international flights from FLL are operated by ultra-low-cost carriers. Because Going doesn’t feature deals on most of those airlines—because we have standards—that limits how many we send from FLL overall. For more variety, as well as more deals, you may want to look just 30 miles south to Miami (MIA), which sees double the amount of international deals.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Fort Lauderdale:

• Fort Lauderdale to Toronto for $167 roundtrip
• Fort Lauderdale to Bogotá for $221 roundtrip
• Fort Lauderdale to Rome for $356 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Fort Lauderdale

3. Salt Lake City (SLC)

Salt Lake City is a hub for Delta, which offers direct flights to a handful of international destinations, including London, Paris, Amsterdam, and major cities in Canada and Mexico. But overall, international deal volume remains relatively low.

Why? Limited competition. Delta dominates the market here, and fewer airlines on international routes means fewer chances for price drops. If you’re based in Utah and looking for international deals, check flights from Denver or LA for more frequent (and cheaper) options—you’ll just need to take a short repositioning flight to get there.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Salt Lake City:

• Salt Lake City to Vancouver for $281 roundtrip
• Salt Lake City to Copenhagen for $535 roundtrip
• Salt Lake City to Morocco for $587 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Salt Lake City

2. New York City (LGA)

LaGuardia is one of the three major airports serving NYC, but it’s not really the one you want for international flights. While it recently underwent major renovations to improve its facilities, its route map is still almost entirely domestic.

Only a few international destinations—mostly in Canada and the Caribbean—are served directly from LGA. If you’re flying internationally from New York, JFK and Newark are your best bets for cheap flights and far more options. Luckily, they’ve both earned a spot on our top-10 list for international deals, and all are within a short drive or train ride of each other.

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from LaGuardia:

• New York City (LGA) to Montréal for $221 roundtrip
• New York City (LGA) to US Virgin Islands for $253 roundtrip
• New York City (LGA) to Dublin for $363 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from New York City (LaGuardia)

1. Chicago Midway (MDW)

Chicago Midway offers nonstop flights to about 75 domestic airports on six different airlines, including Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant, and Delta (Southwest dominates that list). MDW also offers nonstop flights to a number of destinations in Mexico, plus Toronto. 

To access just about every other place in the world, you’d need to connect through another major hub, such as LA, Boston, or Miami, to name a few. Or, even easier, you could depart from Chicago’s other airport, O’Hare, which sees about four times as many deals per month. 

Actual deals we've flagged for Going members from Chicago Midway:

• Chicago Midway to Cancún for $246 roundtrip
• Chicago Midway to St. Thomas for $279 roundtrip
• Chicago Midway to Madrid for $398 roundtrip

>> See cheap flights from Chicago Midway

Methodology

To reach our conclusions of the best and worst airports, we looked at the airports the FAA deems “large” based on the number of enplanements.

Once we had our list of airports, we tallied up the total number of international deal emails we sent to members departing from those airports between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. The airports that received the highest number of international deals per year were deemed to be the best airports for cheap international flights. And the airports that received the lowest number of deals were deemed to be the worst airports for cheap international flights. 

If two airports had the same number of deals, the tie was broken by which airport had the cheapest average economy flight price in that time frame. 

Learn more about our top hacks for scoring cheap flights and how to set up a Google Flight alert so you never miss a deal.