Cheap Domestic Flights within the USA
- Trusted Choice
- Secure Booking
Search and Book Domestic Flights in the USA
Alternative Airlines is a flight-search and booking platform where you can quickly and easily book domestic flights within the USA. We ticket hundreds of airlines, including the major carriers that you've heard of, as well as smaller regional airlines. Fly with United, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Spirit, and many other airlines flying within the US. To book a domestic flight, use the search form at the top of the page to search for flights between any 2 destinations within the US.
Pay for your domestic flight in the way that you want
We have over 40 different payment methods to choose from. Pay using one of our payment plan options such as Afterpay, Affirm or Klarna. Perfect if you're looking to budget for your trip.
Or, pay using an e-wallet like PayPal, bank transfer, or even cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and more.
Looking for Cheap Domestic Flights?
Here at Alternative Airlines we ticket hundreds of airlines, operating routes across the US. Our clever flight algorithm makes it easier to book will find you the best value flights by default (the most direct route for the best price), however, if you're looking for really cheap flights, you can use our filters to sort the results by cheapest flight.
Which airlines fly within the USA?
There are a number of airlines that fly within the USA, with both large international carriers that offer connections to other parts of the world and smaller regional airlines that fly state-to-state.
Here are all the airlines that fly within the US and are available to book on our site:
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is one of the larger airlines in the US, offering internal flights from its main bases at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Portland International Airport (PDX), Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), as well as several other destinations.
The airline offers flight to destinations in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Allegiant Air
Allegiant Airlines offers domestic flights all around the US. It has a number of hubs and flies all across the country, however, has a strong focus on flying to destinations including Asheville (NC), Bellington (Washington), Cincinnati (Ohio), Ft. Lauderdale (FL), Fort Walton Beach (FL), Grand Rapids (Michigan), Indianapolis (Indiana), Knoxville (TN), Las Vegas (Nevada), Los Angeles (CA), Myrtle Beach (SC), Oakland (CA), Orlando Sanford (FL), Phoenix (AZ), Pinellas County (FL), Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) and Punta Gorda (FL).
American Airlines
American Airlines is one of the world's largest carriers. It has a massive domestic route network, flying to almost every state. It has hubs in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Miami, Chicago, New York City, Charlotte, Philadelphia and Dallas and flies to more than 100 destinations within the US.
Avelo Airlines
Avelo Airlines is one of the newest US carriers. It focuses purely on domestic flights and doesn't fly any international routes. From its bases in Burbank, New Haven and Orlando, Avelo flies to more than 20 destinations, including Nashville, Chicago, Tampa, Fort Myers, Phoenix and more.
Breeze Airways
Created by one of the co-founders of JetBlue, Breeze Airways is another newer airline in the US. The airline offers domestic flights only and flies point-to-point flights. This means that, unlike many other US domestic airlines, it isn't based at a particular airport. Instead, it flies between lots of different US cities.
Overall, Breeze flies to more than 20 destinations. Although, its route network is growing very quickly. Some of the key US cities that it flies to include Charleston, Hartford, New Orleans, Norfolk, Provo and Tampa.
Delta Air Lines
Delta is one of the biggest carriers in the US, and — along with its regional subsidiary Delta Connection — has one of the most complete domestic route networks in the country. It flies to over 200 destinations within the US in total.
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines is a low-cost US carrier that flies to more than 100 destinations across the US, with hubs in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham and Trenton. Flying domestic with Frontier is a great option if you're looking for cheap airfares across the US.
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines is the main airline in the US connecting Hawaii with the rest of the country and is based at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). As well as flying from Hawaii to other states in the US, the airline also offers flights to several destinations on the island.
JetBlue
JetBlue is a US airline that has its main base at John F. Kennedy International Airport and flies to more than 80 destinations across 30 states.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines is a low-cost airline with bases in Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orlando and Phoenix. Not only is the airline the largest low-cost carrier in the US, but it's also the largest airline in the world.
Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines is a US airline that flies all throughout the US. It flies to around 50 destinations overall, with bases at Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
United Airlines
United Airlines and — in particular — its domestic subsidiary, United Express, flies to over 90 destinations across the US. It has hubs at Denver, Chicago and Washington D.C but flies all across the country and reaches a total of over 30 states.
United Express is made up of seven different individual airlines that operate on its behalf, under the United brand. These seven airlines are Air Wisconsin, CommutAir, ExpressJet, GoJet Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines.
Why book domestic flights in the USA?
Whether you are travelling home for the holidays, booking a holiday or travelling for work, domestic flights could be the travel option for you. There is so much to see and do in the USA, that sometimes a ‘staycation’ is the perfect option for you to keep costs down rather than travelling internationally.
There are so many different places and cities to experience within this one country, whether you are wanting a weekend city break in Los Angeles, a culture trip to New Orleans or a relaxing beach holiday in the Florida Keys. A domestic flight can be the perfect holiday or get away that you need. Use our search engine now to explore the different places that you could get away to on your next break. Commuter flights are often domestic, as they depart from a small regional airport and land after a short flight in a larger airport.
Domestic flights within the USA are also popular with business travellers, especially red eye flights. Airlines that operate red eye flights within the US include JetBlue, Delta, Sun Country and more.
Internal USA Flights Check-in Time
Internal USA flight check-in time will always depend on the airline that you're flying on and your airport of departure (if you choose to check-in at the airport).
However, generally, online check-in opens 24 hours before scheduled flight departure time and closes one hour before. If you check-in at the airport, most domestic flights within the USA close check-in around 30—45 minutes before scheduled flight departure time.
Take a look at the check-in times for these airline flying domestically within the USA:
Alaska Airlines
Online: Available between 24—1 hour before flight.
Airport: Closes 40 minutes before flight.
Allegiant Air
Online: Available between 24 hours—45 minutes before flight.
Airport: Closes 45 minutes before flight.
American Airlines
Online: Available between 24 hours—45 minutes before flight.
Airport: Closes 45 minutes before flight.
Delta Air Lines
Online: Available from 24 hours before flight up until 30—60 minutes (depending on route flown).
Airport: Closes 30 minutes before flight at most airports. At some other airports, closes between 30—60 minutes before.
Frontier Airlines
Online: Available up until 60 minutes before flight departure time.
Airport: Closes 45 minutes before flight departure time.
Hawaiian Airlines
Online: Available from 24—1 hour ;before flight time.
Airport: Closes 30 minutes before flight for Neighbor Island destinations and 45 minutes before flight for North American destinations.
JetBlue
Online: Available between 24 hours—90 minutes before flight departure time.
Airport: Closes 30 minutes before flight departure time on most flights. 40 minutes before flight departure time on flights from Fort Lauderdale (FLL), New York (JFK) and Tampa (TPA).
Southwest Airlines
Online: Available between 24—1 hour before flight departure time.
Airport: Closes 30 minutes—1 hour before flight departure time.
Spirit Airlines
Airport: Available between 24–1 hour before flight departure
Online: Closes 30 minutes before flight departure time.
United Airlines
Airport: Airport check-in is available between 24—1 hour before flight departure time.
Online: Closes 30 minutes before without checked baggage. Closes 45 minutes before with checked baggage.
Popular Routes in USA
Flights to Hawaii
Best Airport to Fly Into:
The major airport in Hawaii is Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), which is located on the island of Oahu. This is also known as Honolulu International Airport.
Airlines that fly there:
Airlines that fly into Honolulu International Airport from domestic locations in the US include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and United Airlines.
Flights to Las Vegas
Best Airport to Fly Into:
McCarran International Airport is the best airport for flying into Las Vegas
Airlines that fly there:
There are a number of airlines that fly into Las Vegas from elsewhere in the US. These include Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Contour Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Global Crossing Airlines, JSX, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Express, among many others.
Flights to Miami
Best Airport to Fly Into:
To get to Miami, the best option is to fly into Miami International Airport (MIA). This airport operates over 1,000 flights a day to 167 destinations, many of which are domestic destinations.
Airlines that fly there:
There are many airlines which fly within the USA to Miami Airport. These include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and United Airlines.
Flights to Florida
Best Airport to Fly Into:
There are many airports which have domestic flights from elsewhere in the US into the state of Florida. To fly into Miami, please see above. To fly into Orlando, you’ll need to use Orlando International Airport. For Fort Lauderdale, you can use Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood International Airport. For Tampa; Tampa International Airport.
Airlines that fly there:
All the major American carriers fly into the majority of these airports from domestic US destinations. Airlines that commonly fly to Florida include Alaska Airlines, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Spirit Airline and United.
What are Domestic Flights?
Domestic flights, also known as internal flights, are flights which depart and land in the same country.
Domestic flights are much more popular in larger countries such as the USA. An example of a domestic flight in the USA is one which may depart from New York and land in Los Angeles, therefore staying within the USA.
Internal flights are often cheaper than their international alternatives, due to their typically shorter travel time and costs. Some common airlines that run domestic flights within the USA are Delta, Spirit Airlines, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines.
Search for domestic U.S. flights using the Alternative Airlines search bar at the top of the page to see what cheap domestic flights we offer. Perhaps you want to visit lots of cities within America, in which case our multi-city flight planner will be very handy! If you prefer to fly directly from one city to another without any stopovers and may want to check out our direct flight guide.
Domestic Flights in USA: FAQs
What is the Baggage Allowance on Domestic Flights within the USA?
You don’t need a passport when flying domestically within the USA, however you will need some form of acceptable photo identification(ID) for adult travellers aged over 18. This can include a passport or passport card, driver's license or a DMV-issued photo ID card.
However, identification requirements will be changing and getting more secure as of October 2020. If you are planning on using a state-issued ID or license when flying domestically within the USA, they will have to be Real-ID compliant. This has already been enforced in 28 states, including Texas, Arizona and Florida, are beginning to require a Real-ID approved driver’s license, which will roll out to the whole of the USA in October 2020.
Children under 18 are not required to provide ID when flying domestically and travelling with an adult. It may be a good idea to contact the airline you are travelling with to ensure that they don’t have any additional policies, or be prepared to have identification ready to show in case you are asked.
How early do I need to arrive for domestic flights in the USA?
Check-in times for domestic flights in the USA vary depending on the airline. The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) recommends arriving at the airport 2 hours prior to departure for domestic flights to allow time for check-in, bag drop and security. However, different airlines have different cut-off times for check-in so be sure to check with the airline you are flying with if you are unsure.
We have compiled a list of some common airlines which fly popular domestic routes, along with their recommended arrival time for check-in for domestic flight within the USA:
American Airlines - 1.5 hours, closing 45 minutes prior to departure
Delta Airlines - 2 hours, closing at least 30 minutes prior to departure
Spirit Airlines - 2 hours, closing at least 30 minutes prior to departure
Alaska Airlines - No later than 40 minutes prior to departure
United Airlines - At least 30 minutes without checked baggage and at least 45 minutes with checked baggage.
Are there defunct airlines in the U.S. that no longer fly?
Over the years there have been many airlines that have unfortunately ceased operations. The current airlines listed above now operate many of the routes that these defunct airlines would have flown. Defunct airlines include Pan American World Airlines (ceased in 1991), Continental Airlines (ceased in 2003), North American Airlines (ceased in 2014), and Trans States Airlines. Find out more in our blog: Airlines that we loved and lost.
When is the best time to find cheap domestic flights?
As explored in our blog regarding the cheapest day to buy flights, there is no set time or day to buy the best domestic flights in the USA. Regardless, this blog provides many tips which can make sure that you are getting the best deal using Alternative Airlines. You can also get cheap domestic flights in the USA by choosing to buy a red eye flight. Because of their obscure flying times, red eye flights are often cheaper than other flights.
If you're looking for an affordable way to pay for domestic flights within the USA, why not choose Affirm as a payment method? Affirm allows you to pay off your flights in monthly payments.
Where is my closest international airport?
Alternative Airlines is here to help. Take a look at our guide to international airports in the USA to help you plan your journey.
How much baggage can I take on domestic flights within the USA?
Most airlines will offer free hand luggage when travelling domestically within the USA. Some also offer one piece of checked baggage, typically weighing up to 23kg / 51lbs.
However, this is very general and it is best to check with the airline that you are travelling with to see their individual policies regarding baggage for domestic flights in the USA, checking both weights and dimensions permitted as part of the baggage rules.
Can I book domestic flights online?
Alternative Airlines offer online booking for your domestic flights. Use our search bar to search and buy domestic flights with different airlines to destinations across the USA. You can select a currency you wish to pay in whether such as U.S. Dollars, GBP, or Euros.
Are domestic flights the same as interstate flights?
Interstate flights are flights between different states. All interstate flights in the US are domestic flights, however, not all domestic flights can considered interstate flights. For example, a flight departing from Los Angeles and arriving in San Francisco cannot be considered 'interstate' as both cities are in the same state of California. Read our guide on interstate flights in the USA to find out more information.
Book Now, Pay Later and Finance
Do you want a finance option to make your domestic flights within the USA more affordable? We have listed a few of our popular payment plan options below, but why not check out all our many Buy Now Pay Later payment methods.
Affirm is a payment option available to our US customers which gives the option to split your payments into manageable monthly installments.
Klarna is available in the US and a few other European countries allowing you to Buy Now, pay back your flights later in either 14, 30, or 60 days or Pay in 3 or 4.
Afterpay is only available to US and Canadian residents and allows you to split the total cost of your flights into 4 monthly payments over 6 weeks.
Zip allows customers the option to book now and pay in 4 installments over 6 weeks. Available in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand.
