A Simple Way To Save on Flights? Book Them at the Airport. Yes, Really.

It might sound like a myth in 2026, but it’s true: You can often buy your flights at the airport and save money on the extra fees typically added to online bookings.

Of course, there’s a catch. This workaround applies only to U.S. ultra-low-cost carriers, including Allegiant Air, Avelo Airlines, Breeze Airways, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines. Each of these airlines also has its own rules for how its discounts work.

For families or larger groups, this simple trick can be the difference between saving hundreds of dollars and paying significantly more when booking online. At a time when flight prices are uncertain, it’s worth understanding exactly how this works.

Is It Cheaper To Buy Airline Tickets at the Airport?

Yes — in some cases.

Many U.S. budget airlines add a “passenger usage fee” or “technology development charge” at checkout. The actual phrasing may vary, but it’s essentially the same thing: an additional fee for booking your ticket online or over the phone.

If you purchase your ticket at the airport, that fee is waived entirely, no matter what fare class you book. The fee usually ranges from about $10 to $40 per flight. Skip the fee, and you can shave a noticeable chunk off your ticket. The savings add up with the more passengers you fly with.

Better yet, you don’t have to be the one traveling to go to the airport counter. Here’s what you should know before showing up.

Tips for Buying Your Flights at the Airport Counter

It’s not always as easy as showing up at the airport and scoring a discount. Some airlines have limited hours at each airport for in-person ticket purchases. If that’s the case, you should expect to wait in a long line.

It may feel eerily similar to waiting your turn at the DMV, as people often come prepared with lawn chairs, blankets, headphones, and other ways to pass the time. For the best chance of making the queue, plan to arrive before the ticketing window opens.

Arrive well-prepared, with the flight date, flight number, and passenger information typed or written down. This includes everyone’s first, middle, and last names, gender, date of birth, email address, cell phone number, and Known Traveler Number (KTN), if applicable.

You may need to pay for airport parking or a ride-sharing service unless you can get dropped off and picked up. The time you spend waiting, parking fees, and rideshare costs could easily cut into (or even cancel out) your fee savings.

Bottom Line:

If you need to change or cancel your flight later, you may have to pay a fee. Whether it’s worth buying tickets in person depends on how much you save, factoring in time and airport transportation costs.

How To Buy Allegiant Tickets In Person

Allegiant charges roughly $22 per flight segment for its online booking fee, which can be avoided entirely by booking in person.

The airline publishes very specific times when you can buy your flights in person in its Airport Ticket Purchase Hours guide. As you’ll notice, most purchasing windows are pretty short (around 2 hours), and are typically offered once or twice weekly.

For example, if your home airport is Provo, UT (PVU), you can book Allegiant flights to destinations including Las Vegas (LAS) and Phoenix/Mesa (AZA), but you can only buy tickets at PVU from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays.

Still, the savings may be worth it. A $142 round-trip flight on Allegiant Air can drop to just $98 once the carrier usage charge is removed.

Airport agents generally limit you to 1 or 2 reservations, so you may need to rejoin the line if you want to book multiple trips. Allegiant does not accept cash, checks, or money orders at airport locations. Come prepared with a travel rewards card, such as some of our favorite options that earn generous rewards on flights:

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How To Buy Avelo Tickets In Person

You can avoid paying a $20 carrier electronic usage charge on your next Avelo Airlines flight by buying those tickets in person.

Avelo doesn’t publish a dedicated window for in-person ticket sales. Instead, its counters generally open about 2 hours before each departure and close 40 minutes prior. Check the day’s flight schedule to determine the best time to stop by the airport.

Assisting passengers with upcoming flights takes priority, and agents may pause ticket sales to help travelers check in. As with Allegiant, Avelo does not accept cash, checks, or money orders, so plan to pay with a credit or debit card (Source: Avelo).

While buying Avelo tickets in person can help you avoid the electronic fee, keep in mind that making changes to your reservation later could result in that fee being added back.

How To Buy Breeze Tickets In Person

Breeze Airways charges a technology development fee that’s dynamically priced based on the fare, but typically ranges from $10 to $40.

For example, this $64 flight includes a $14 carrier charge, which is 20% of the flight cost alone.

Breeze airport ticket purchases are available only on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Time where Breeze currently operates flights. There are 2 exceptions: Ogdensburg (OGS) ticket purchases are available only on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Eastern Time, and Provo (PVU) ticket purchases are available only on Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Mountain Time (Source: Breeze Airways).

Other major restrictions to know:

• Airport ticket purchases cannot be modified without the carrier fee being added back in, and customers are advised to cancel the reservation and rebook.
• You can typically book flights for up to 9 passengers on 1 reservation.
• Only 1 round-trip or one-way itinerary may be booked at a time, so you’ll be asked to line up again if you need to book multiple reservations.

How To Buy Frontier Tickets In Person

Frontier Airlines charges a $23 per person, per segment carrier interface charge. Fees are higher when booking a connecting flight than when booking a nonstop route.

For example, a round-trip itinerary from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Raleigh-Durham (RDU) with a connection in Denver (DEN) has a $92 carrier interface charge on a $404 fare. The itinerary technically includes 4 total flight segments with a $23 fee per leg.

Unlike Allegiant or Breeze, Frontier doesn’t publish specific days or times that these tickets are available for purchase. Some airports do not have agents available daily to purchase tickets, the seats are limited, and not all fares may be available on all flights (Source: Frontier).

You can try your luck at the counter throughout the day, not just during a specific booking window. For the best chance of purchasing Frontier Airlines tickets in person, aim to go when a flight is departing within the next 2 to 3 hours so you’re not stuck waiting for available staff.

Keep in mind that only standard fares are sold in person and not Discount Den tickets, including Kids Fly Free fares.

How To Buy Spirit Tickets In Person

Spirit Airlines has been in the news a lot recently, but you can save on its passenger usage charge by purchasing tickets at the airport counter. These fees appear to be dynamically priced and tacked on per segment.

You should be able to buy tickets in person anytime the ticket counter is open, and Spirit outlines those hours in more detail in its published guide.

How To Buy Sun Country Tickets In Person

Sun Country Airlines, which has announced plans to merge with Allegiant Airlines, charges a $22 passenger interface fee per one-way ticket.

Unlike Allegiant, Sun Country’s in-person ticket sales work a bit differently (Source: Sun Country Airlines):

• Tickets can only be purchased at domestic airports, and not at international locations.
• For its Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) hub specifically, ticket sales are only available at Terminal 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
• At all other airports Sun Country serves, it’s advised to arrive at the ticket counter 45 minutes to 2.5 hours before a scheduled departure.

Final Thoughts

Budget carriers are famed for those eye-catching $19 or $29 fares, and you can often save around $10 per ticket by purchasing in person.

If you take this route, arrive prepared and know when the ticket counters open. Time is money, and depending on the airline, you may wait at the airport for a couple of hours just to buy flights. Still, in the right situation — especially when booking for multiple travelers — it can make sense to show up during the designated ticketing window and walk away with meaningful savings.