To assume that your larger, hub airports — think LAX, JFK, and Atlanta — have better overall travel prices could wind up being a disappointment for your wallet.
Without factoring in the cost of travel to and from the airport, the cost of extended parking, valet, shuttle service and the time lost due to your commute, you can easily be swayed by the cheaper airfare prices of larger airports — which, quite frankly, may not always be the case.
But looking at the bigger picture, you’ll see that smaller, local airports like South Bend International Airport (SBN) could save you money and stress in the long run.
Why SBN Has Better Cost-Effective Travel
If you’re between a small airport or a much larger airport 70 miles away, you might find more relief from choosing the smaller airport, cutting down your driving stress, transit time, and fellow fliers standing between you and the plane.
Plus, time spent in the car commuting to the larger airport is lost time, and for business professionals on the go, time is money. A connecting flight from the smaller airport to the larger airport saves you time, provides some much-needed travel downtime, and a safer way for business professionals to type an email — without risking their lives or others.
Parking (At a Better Price Point)
Compared to other larger airports, like Chicago O’Hare, SBN is much more cost-efficient for short-term and long-term parking. SBN’s daily valet parking is only $14 a day. O’Hare charges $40.
One week of long-term parking with SBN is $45, whereas O’Hare charges $70. Choosing SBN nets you an immediate $25 in savings for parking. If that isn’t enough of an incentive, the walk to our terminal clocks out at less than five minutes, which means you don’t have to wait on a shuttle to pick you up from a remote lot.
SBN’s Trip Cost Calculator
On our website is a Trip Cost Calculator where you can crunch the numbers and calculate the total price of your trip (and not just airfare). The calculator includes ticket price, fuel costs for travel to and from the airport and parking rates to determine your trip’s final cost.
Using the calculator is easy. Once you have your destination roundtrip ticket price from South Bend International, Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway, you can see the cost breakdown for each airport. Although the airfare might be cheaper for these larger airports, you’ll be surprised to see that, at the end of the day, you might save more money to fly local.
Cheap Flights Daily
Of course, SBN also offers cheap airfare from our growing list of airlines. Allegiant, one of our largest airline partners, offers great nonstops destinations and affordable fares to vacation destinations, like Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa, and more.
We also offer daily flights from American Airlines, Delta and United. No matter where you want to go, SBN can connect you there with 12 nonstop destinations and connections worldwide.
Check out the list of our airlines and nonstop flights.
Save Money, Fly Local
Flying local gets a bad rap for being more expensive than larger airports. But when you step back and see the bigger picture, taking into account the price of mileage, parking, and commute time, electing to use smaller, local airports may be a better investment overall.
Flying local is a vote for smaller airports, like SBN, to continue to grow, offering more routes and more flights. And more flights means more seats, which means more options at cheaper fares. So when you fly SBN, you’re encouraging a bright future for the airport — and your wallet.
Discover Cheaper Travel By Flying Local with South Bend International in South Bend, IN.
South Bend International Airport offers nonstop daily flights to 12 destinations and connections worldwide. We offer affordable parking options, great eats and better commuting to and from your destination. Want to learn more about our flights or want to crunch the numbers? Contact us at (574) 282-4590 ext. 230, or check out flysbn.com! Fast. Smart. Affordable.
