Many cities have more than one airport, and many travelers live within reach of several. Prices between them can differ a lot because different airlines, especially low-cost carriers, choose different bases.
Search the city code, not the airport
Most search engines accept a metropolitan code: NYC (JFK, Newark, LaGuardia), LON (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City, Southend), PAR (CDG, Orly, Beauvais), TYO (Haneda, Narita), MIL (Malpensa, Linate, Bergamo), CHI (O'Hare, Midway), WAS (Dulles, Reagan National, BWI is often listed separately). One search shows every option.
Look one ring further out
Check airports one to two hours away by train or car. A budget base or a smaller airport with a sale can beat the big hub, especially for short-haul trips in Europe and North America.
Do the real math
- Add the ground transfer both ways (train, bus, parking, taxi).
- Add the time, and an early start that needs a hotel the night before.
- Check where the budget airline really lands: "Paris Beauvais" is about 85 km from Paris.
Arrival airports matter too
Flying into a secondary airport, or an "open-jaw" into one city and out of another, can be cheaper and save backtracking. Our route pages list every airport at both ends and how far each is from the city centre.