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Notice the quotation marks in phrase, cheap destinations. The reason is there are no cheap destinations this year – no amazing bargains – just crazy, crazy prices. However, some cities are definitely cheaper than others.

Summer Flights: Your Shopping Tip List

Six Cheaper Summer Vacation Destinations

Here are my top six in alphabetical order:

• Boston
• Denver
• Florida panhandle region
• Los Angeles area
• Orlando
• Washington, D.C.

Plenty of Competition and Discount Airlines

Leisure travelers are drawn to the Florida destinations in particular – enough of them so airlines hotly compete for their travel dollars. The other locations enjoy an abundance of competition from legacy carriers and the low-cost carriers – and sometimes even airports.

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Check Prices to All Los Angeles-Area Airports

In Los Angeles, take your pick. The sprawling hub that is Los Angeles International (LAX) is often cheapest, but not always and it pays to investigate pricing to these airports:

• Burbank (BUR) – Served by JetBlue, Southwest and more airlines
• Long Beach (LGB) – Focus city for JetBlue, served by three other airlines
• Orange County in Santa Ana (SNA) – Served by AirTran, Frontier, Southwest and other airlines

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More Competition for D.C.’s Reagan National

Washington, D.C., also makes my list because Reagan National is expected to see a lot more competition soon. Several carriers have applied for slots to the airport – which is just 3 miles outside the nation’s capital compared to 26 miles for Dulles – and these include discounters like JetBlue, Southwest and Virgin America plus Alaska. The airlines hope to begin flights to Reagan this summer.