23 cities where you can fly for $100 or less round trip from Phoenix in May 2024

Airfares will go up in May as the summer travel season begins, but deals are abundant this month for people flying from Phoenix.

New data from Hopper, the travel website that tracks airfares, showed 23 domestic routes out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with round-trip airfares at or below $100 for some May itineraries.

Domestic round-trip airfares are expected to average $307 in May, around the same as 2023 fares (and 3% below pre-pandemic fares) but $17 more than the average for April, according to Hopper.

Hopper expects fares will peak in late May and early June because of consumer demand for summer vacations. Here's where you can find cheap flights from Phoenix in May 2024.

Also of interest if you're planning to fly from Phoenix this year, airlines continue to add new routes, like Frontier Airlines' new cheap flights to Missoula, Montana, and Los Cabos, Mexico, and Breeze Airways' seasonal flights to Norfolk, Virginia.

Is May a cheap time to fly?

Hopper reported finding round-trip airfares at or below $100 to 23 cities from Phoenix, up from 15 cities in April.

But May is generally among the most expensive times to fly, according to Hopper's lead economist Hayley Berg. She found round-trip airfares averaging around $307 for the month, the most expensive average in the travel website's most recent six-month airfare forecast.

"Airfare will peak this summer at $315 per round trip domestic ticket, before falling as low as $264 per ticket into the shoulder season," Berg said. "Prices will remain in line with or just slightly higher than prices in 2023. Prices will remain lower than 2019 levels across the next six months."

Where is the cheapest place to fly right now?

Las Vegas is the cheapest place to fly from Phoenix, with round-trip tickets as low as $50 in May, according to Hopper.

Five destinations follow with fares at or near $60 round trip: Ontario, California; Los Angeles; San Diego; Salt Lake City and Denver.

The Arizona Republic found $41 round-trip fares between Phoenix and Las Vegas, $9 less than Hopper's forecasted low price, for May 7-9 and May 11-14 itineraries with Spirit Airlines.

We found $58 fares for Ontario on May 7-8; Los Angeles for May 14-17 and May 20-23; San Diego for May 7-8 and May 14-16; and Salt Lake City for May 7-11 and May 14-18, all with Frontier Airlines.

Be aware that both Frontier and Spirit, which are ultra-low-cost carriers, charge low base fares with additional fees for seat assignments, carry-on and checked bags and other amenities.

Cheap places to fly from Phoenix in May 2024

Hopper said these destinations will be the cheapest to fly to from Phoenix in May 2024:

• Las Vegas: $50.
• Ontario, California: $57.
• Los Angeles: $57.
• San Diego: $57.
• Salt Lake City: $57.
• Denver: $60.
• Orange County, California: $63.
• Seattle: $66.
• Portland, Oregon: $67.
• San Francisco: $68.
• Dallas: $71.
• Houston: $76.
• Minneapolis: $89.
• St. Louis: $90.
• Sacramento: $90.
• Chicago: $90.
• Boise: $90.
• Burbank, California: $90.
• Reno, Nevada: $96.
• Cincinnati: $100.
• Austin: $100.
• Fargo, North Dakota: $100.
• Little Rock, Arkansas: $100.

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.