Some people are surprised that I typically fly out of the Abilene airport. Isn’t it cheaper to fly out of Dallas or Houston?

Rarely.

Many times the price difference is negligible. Or Abilene is cheaper! I’m traveling with Carolina to Montevideo in a few weeks. It’s part of her work with Abilene Christian University, so the university made our arrangements. They automatically book out of DFW. When I got my reservation, I noticed that the price seemed a bit high. I looked and, sure enough, the price out of Abilene would have been $50 cheaper.

This morning, just to test, I looked for prices to Buenos Aires. I did one search on one itinerary that I hadn’t searched before, just to get an idea. Here’s what Kayak shows out of Abilene:

And here’s what they show out of Dallas:

I have status on American, so I would prefer to stay with them. But even if I didn’t, I’d be paying $250 for the privilege of flying out of Dallas!

Even when the fares are cheaper out of Dallas (which they often are), when I add in the cost of driving to Dallas and back, I rarely save money. Parking tends to cost more as well. And the frustrations involved with making the trip to Dallas… no thanks. I’ll sit on a plane, read a book, and skip the hassle.

One more reason: last week I got to the airport and realized I’d left my wallet at home. Drove home and back in less than 20 minutes. That’s not happening in Dallas or Houston!