St. Pete-Clearwater Airport ranked 2nd most affordable in U.S.

PIE named second-most affordable airport in U.S.

FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports. 

Clearwater, Fla. - St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) has earned the No. 2 spot for the lowest round-trip domestic airfare in the country, according to recent Kayak data.

"St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport is averaging about $161 for a roundtrip flight anywhere in our 63 non-stop destinations," PIE spokesperson Michele Routh said. 

Only Orlando Sanford International Airport is more affordable than PIE, according to Kayak data published in Travel + Leisure. 

Wisconsin couple Don and Colleen Roznowski were flying out of PIE for the first time Wednesday. 

"We had to escape the below zeroes in the Green Bay weather," Colleen Roznowski said. "Allegiant started doing these two-and-a-half-hour flights from Appleton, Wisconsin. It’s nonstop and it’s very affordable, like $200 round trip."

By the Numbers:

In 2025, PIE welcomed nearly 2.8 million passengers, marking 12 consecutive months of record-breaking traffic. To accommodate the surge, the airport continues to grow and make progress on expansion and modernization projects: 

• A new 2,000-space parking garage is currently in the design phase and will eventually be built in the current Economy Strawberry lot.
• The airport is also working to update aging infrastructure, add new jet bridges, and expand restrooms as part of its terminal improvement project.
• Allegiant recently launched three new nonstop routes connecting PIE to Atlantic City, NJ (starting Feb. 13); Trenton, NJ (starting Feb. 20); and Huntsville, AL (starting March 5).

What you can do:

Online travel agency, Expedia, published its 2026 Air Hacks this week. 

Tips include: 

• Friday is the cheapest day to book flights but is the busiest day of the week to fly.
• If you are trying to avoid crowds, February is the least busy month for air travel. July is the busiest.
• Believe it or not: The most affordable booking window for domestic economy flights is 15–30 days before departure.

If you’re flying in or out of PIE, the airport’s busiest month is July, followed by June and March.