Detroit Metro Airport is among the most expensive to fly from
Why it matters: Nothing beats the February blues like planning your summer travel — and being smart about which airports you use might help you save a buck.
By the numbers: Average domestic airfare out of Detroit ran $404 in the third quarter of 2024.
That's 10% over the average for all U.S. airports, $366.
Yes, but: Consider all your options — there might be a better deal not too far away, according to the same federal statistics.
Flint Bishop International Airport, an hour from downtown Detroit, offers nonstop flights to Florida, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland and elsewhere, with an average domestic fare of $238.
The Lansing airport, about an hour and a half from downtown, has a higher average, $439, but may still be worth checking.
The Grand Rapids airport, just over two hours from downtown, has an average similar to Detroit's, at $401.
State of play: Lots of factors affect airports' average fares.
If an airport has more work travelers buying business- or first-class tickets, for example, that could drive up the average fare.
Conversely, a heavy presence of budget airlines could reduce the average fare.
What they're saying: Competition among airlines is another major factor, says Zach Griff, senior reporter at The Points Guy — especially at hubs dominated by one carrier, like United at Washington Dulles International Airport, which had an average fare of $473.
"If you're based at Dulles, you're at a disadvantage because very few other airlines are flying many of the routes that United flies. And United has monopoly pricing power, and so it raises airfares — it's a strict game of supply and demand."
Zoom in: Detroit Metro Airport is a top Delta hub, seen as the airline's "primary gateway to its Asian market," per Delta's website.
Caveat: This is a snapshot in time, and airfare can rise and fall over the year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
More than 250 flights canceled at Atlanta's airport, 400+ delayed
The Brief More than 240 flights canceled and 400+ flights delayed at Hartsfield-Jackson early Friday afternoon. Thunderstorms across the East Coast caused significant flight delays and cancellations, with Atlanta's airport experiencing 424 delays and 53 cancellations by Thursday evening. Major airports like Philadelphia, LaGuardia, and JFK faced severe delays, with ground stops in effect at several locations due to the storms and flash flooding. Travelers were advised to check with airlines for real-time updates as disruptions were expected to continue into Friday. ATLANTA - More than 200 flights out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had been canceled as of 8:45 a.m. Friday, according to FlightAware. Additionally, there were more than 170 flights flying in or going out that were delayed. The majority of the flights belong to Delta, which is based out of Atlanta and has the most planes flying in and out of the airport. A Delta spokesperson confirmed the delays and cancellations are a result of the "ongoing severe summer weather." Almost 250 cancellations were being reported by FlightAware at 1:15 p.m. Friday, with 406 delays. Almost all of the flights appear to belong to Delta. Travelers should check with their individual airlines for current information. ORIGINAL STORY Thunderstorms across the East Coast wreaked havoc on air travel Thursday, grounding flights and stranding passengers across the country, with ripple effects hitting hard at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. A ground stop at Atlanta's airport further delayed issues with delays of over 2 hours. Storms cause flight delays What we know By late afternoon, average departure delays from Atlanta reached 30 minutes and were increasing, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA warned that a full ground stop or delay program could be issued depending on developing weather patterns. DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP FOR THE LATEST FORECASTS Flight delays in Atlanta Local perspective The delays in Atlanta reflect a broader disruption in the nation's airspace. According to FlightAware, more than 28,000 flights were delayed across the country on Thursday, with over 7,000 of those within, into or out of the United States. At least 1,803 flights were canceled nationwide, including 1,448 in the U.S. In Atlanta alone, 424 flights were delayed and 53 were canceled by Thursday evening. Delta, Atlanta's largest carrier, reported 274 delayed flights and 18 cancellations. Other airlines heavily impacted at Hartsfield-Jackson included Southwest with 44 delays and 10 cancellations, and Frontier with 23 delays and 11 cancellations. Flooding rains cause delays along East Coast Big picture view Major destinations out of Atlanta were hit with even more severe delays. Philadelphia International Airport reported average delays of up to 135 minutes, while flights into New York's LaGuardia and JFK airports faced delays ranging from 90 to 120 minutes. Ground stops were in effect at several airports including Newark, Philadelphia, Reagan National in Washington, and Baltimore-Washington International. The storms also unleashed flash flooding in the Northeast. In New York City, major roadways flooded and stranded drivers were seen standing atop submerged cars. Emergency responders in Baltimore rescued people from flooded vehicles, and Pennsylvania saw several inches of rain within an hour, flooding city streets and low-lying areas. Officials across the Northeast urged residents to stay home unless travel was absolutely necessary. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman warned suburban Long Islanders to avoid evening travel, citing ongoing flood risks. Atlanta airport traffic What's next Meanwhile, in Atlanta, air traffic remained backed up into the evening as airport operations struggled to adjust. While the city avoided the worst of the physical storm damage, its role as a central hub meant weather issues in other regions caused significant secondary impacts. Check your flights What you can do Travelers were advised to check with airlines for real-time updates and expect further disruptions into Friday as severe weather continues to affect flight routes up and down the East Coast. The Source The FOX 5 Storm Team, the FAA, and FlightAware provided the details for this article. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was updated Friday morning with current information. Solve the daily Crossword
Business Insider
6 hours ago
- Business Insider
I upgraded to premium economy on an 8-hour Norse Airlines flight. It surpassed my expectations in so many ways.
A few months ago, my procrastination caught up to me as I tried booking a last-minute flight home from Paris back to the US. I'm typically a loyal Delta flyer, but I experienced sticker shock when I saw the prices of its last-minute economy flights back home. So, although I don't usually fly with budget airlines, I found myself researching flights on Norse Atlantic Airways. The Norwegian airline is known for having affordable transatlantic flights, and its nonstop options to get me back to the US were hundreds of dollars cheaper than what I'd seen elsewhere. So, I paid $670 for an eight-hour flight in premium from Paris to New York City. (From there, I'd take a cheap flight home to Texas.) Although I was skeptical about the low prices — my premium Norse seat was still way cheaper than a similar flight in Delta's economy section — I ended up being pleasantly surprised. My ticket came with priority check-in, which I loved I chose to upgrade to a premium ticket because economy didn't include amenities I wanted and would otherwise have to pay out of pocket for, like meals and a checked bag. Fortunately, my premium ticket even came with priority check-in, which I was very grateful to have. When I arrived at my gate at Charles de Gaulle, the check-in line for my flight looked incredibly long. Instead of waiting with the masses, I used my status to quickly board the shuttle bus to the plane. I was pleasantly surprised by how spacious my seat felt Norse doesn't have first-class cabins — its Boeing 787 Dreamliners are divided into premium and economy. Walking to my seat didn't take long, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw how spacious my premium-cabin seat looked. The seat pitch is 43 inches and the width is 19.5 inches, much larger compared to the 31-inch seat pitch and 17-inch width in economy class. My seat was so comfortable that I had no issues relaxing. I also had tons of extra legroom, though not having enough is rarely an issue for me at 5'1". Still, it was nice having so much space that my feet didn't even accidentally kick my bag, which was tucked under the seat in front of me. In premium, the in-flight entertainment screen could be pulled out from the armrest. On it, Norse offered an assortment of movies, TV shows, and music. I opted to watch "Gilmore Girls." The screen was easy to maneuver, and I liked that I could tuck it away when I wasn't using it. The flight had fairly standard amenities — but I couldn't reach some of the seat controls The flight attendants came by and handed everyone in my cabin a complimentary set of headphones, earplugs, an eye mask, and a soft Norse blanket. I didn't have to pay for my sodas, water, wine, or two in-flight meals since they were included in my premium upgrade. At one point, flight attendants even came by the premium section and offered to top off my wine, free of charge. It was such a nice touch. Although the spacious premium seats provided plenty of room for me to curl up and nap, I couldn't reach the buttons to control the fans or reading lights. Unfortunately, I wouldn't have been able to reach the call button from my seat, either. I also had to ask for help retrieving my carry-on when the plane arrived in New York. On other airlines, I've been able to stand on my tip-toes to grab my luggage, but I would have needed a stepladder to grab my things from Norse's bulkheads. None of that was a major issue, but it's something worth keeping in mind if you're a similar height. I'd fly internationally with Norse again — and I'd stick with my upgrade All in all, the low-cost airline impressed me. I was especially grateful I'd splurged for a premium ticket, even though economy ones were hundreds of dollars cheaper. The extra space alone (not to mention the checked bag, food, drinks, and priority check-in) made the upgrade well worth it. Prices may vary (especially for last-minute bookings), but I'm still impressed that my upgraded Norse Atlantic ticket cost me less than what I'd have paid to fly Delta in economy. Plus, my overall experience was more pleasant than I expected. My seat felt pretty top-notch for a low-cost carrier, and I commend the entire staff for being so friendly, helpful, and welcoming throughout the flight. However, I won't be committing my loyalty to Norse Airlines anytime soon. It has a limited selection of routes, no direct flights to my home airport in Texas, and no frequent-flyer rewards program. So, for now, I think I'll stick with Delta and rack up miles for future rewards — but if I end up needing another short-notice international flight, I'd definitely fly premium with Norse Airlines.
Business Insider
7 hours ago
- Business Insider
Backlash to Delta's AI pricing shows the tightrope companies walk when it comes to AI
When Delta last month said it was ramping up its use of AI to set fares, the backlash from customers was swift. It demonstrated a common problem companies face in the age of AI: how to adopt new technology (and brag about it to please shareholders) without freaking out consumers. Delta has said it is not using AI to set different prices for different individuals based on their personal data. Instead, the airline says AI is being used to improve existing dynamic pricing practices that are already used across the industry. "There is no fare product Delta has ever used, is testing, or plans to use that targets customers with individualized offers based on personal information or otherwise," the company said in a statement provided to Business Insider. Travelers were still spooked. Online, they complained about the potential for price gouging, and lawmakers sent a letter demanding answers from Delta, citing concerns about data privacy and the potential for price discrimination. "It sounds very dystopian to me," Brent McDonald, a lawyer based in Salt Lake City and a frequent Delta flyer, told Business Insider. McDonald said in cities like Salt Lake, which is a major hub for Delta, there are not a lot of options for direct flights. "With that monopoly power, it could be very abusive to use AI to maximize the amount of money they'll get from each customer," he said. Tim Sanders, vice president of research insights at G2, told Business Insider, "When you say you have artificial intelligence in a consumer product, it raises red flags with consumers." Investors, on the other hand, tend to love it since it can lead to efficiency gains. "Delta, in an effort to impress its investors, stepped into a PR backlash," he said. Consumers don't trust AI, so messaging is key Industry experts who spoke to Business Insider said Delta's lack of details in its initial public discussions of using AI led some consumers to worry about potential worst-case scenarios. On Investor Day in November, Delta said about 1% of its network had fares set using AI. Delta President Glen Hauenstein said, "The initial results show amazingly favorable unit revenues" and that, eventually, "we will have a price that's available on that flight, on that time to you, the individual." On Delta's second-quarter earnings call in July, Hauenstein said AI was now being used to set prices on about 3% of its domestic network and that the goal was to get to 20% by the end of the year. "We're in heavy testing phase," he said. "We like what we see." After Sen. Ruben Gallego sent a letter to Delta requesting answers about its AI pricing, the airline responded and said much of what was being said about their process was false. "Your letter presupposes that we are using, and intend to use, AI for 'individualized' pricing or 'surveillance' pricing, leveraging consumer-specific personal data, such as sensitive personal circumstances or prior purchasing activity to set individualized prices," the airline said in a letter dated July 31. "To clarify, this is incorrect, and this assumption, unfortunately, has created confusion and misinformation in the public discourse." Delta also shared more details about how it's using AI. The airline said AI is assisting human analysts by forecasting demand for specific routes, aggregating purchasing data, and factoring in thousands of variables at once — though not personal data. Sanders said being transparent about how AI is being used could help address the issue of consumer trust. He said companies should look toward the transparency practices at AI industry leaders like OpenAI, which he noted has introduced features that have ChatGPT show its work and explain its reasoning. One way airlines could do that would be to show fare factors on its ticket prices, or to provide some explanation about how a price was set. He also said airlines could allow users to opt out of AI-priced seats and make it clear that could mean some seats may not be offered to them. Companies should talk about how they're using AI to improve their service Clint Henderson, managing editor at the travel website The Points Guy, said he's worried that AI being used in pricing could actually lead airlines to penalize their most loyal customers by upcharging them because they will pay more to stick to the airline and get the points. But he said AI pricing could potentially be used for good, too, like by giving a discount to a new customer or offering cheaper upgrades to first or business class by finding just the right price for someone to splurge. Zack Kass, an AI advisor and former head of go-to-market at OpenAI, said rather than talk vaguely about how AI is boosting profits, companies need to talk about how they are using AI to improve the customer experience. "Talk about how your wait time on customer support is coming down. Talk about how you're improving on time arrivals. Talk about how you're using AI to lose fewer bags," Kass told Business Insider. Kass said many consumers might even approve of an airline charging wealthy passengers, like those who always opt for first-class, a bit more in order to provide lower prices to others. However AI is being used to improve the actual product or provide goods and services at a lower cost, he said it's incumbent on companies to tell that story. The way individual companies talk about AI doesn't just impact their business either, Sanders said, but can also slow adoption across the board if it creates broader distrust among consumers. "Trust in AI arrives by a mule," he said. "It leaves on a Maserati."
