The airport which is closest and most convenient to Murcia, Spain is San Javier airport, about 17 kilometers from the city. The airport has become very busy in the last few years, which means that there is more of a choice of flights to and from Murcia. This airport serves as a military airport, as well as a civilian airport for the region. Because of this, large planes such as the 757 or 767 are able to land on the runways there.

The main reason for the popularity of the Murcia airport is the throngs of visitors who are now frequenting the southern cities of the Costa Blanca, Murcia among them. Tourists who want to visit the popular town of Torrevieja find the l location of San Javier airport more convenient than some of the larger airports.

In addition, this airport is the main hub for visitors to the Costa Calida area. One can travel by train from this region to many areas in Spain, including the popular region of La Manga. There is train service to Madrid which make it convenient to travel to this large metropolitan area.

There are today many discounted flights to the Murcia area, since the European Union deregulated fares a few years ago. Airlines can now set their own airfares and this has encouraged many lost cost carriers to compete in this area. This phenomenon was at first limited to the larger airports, which could support a number of airlines. But as the popularity of the region has grown,the discount airlines are now operating in smaller airports such as Murcia's. This is a major benefit for the budget traveler, since there is now more competition and lower fares, with a wider selection of fares. The largest choice of discount airfares to Murcia are from within Europe, but discount flights from North America do exist, but you may have to look a little harder for them. One of the problems is that a lot of these discount flights are not listed on the large travel sites on the Internet. You have to do a lot of the research yourself, contacting the airlines and then comparing all of the available flights.

This is certainly more work than just letting a website find the cheapest airfare among the major airlines, but if you have the time and patience for it, you will be rewarded by saving a lot of money. Since discount airlines do not have direct flights from cities in North America, you will have to make at least one, and probably more than one connecting flight. Make sure you take this into account when reserving flights and leave ample time for connections. You will definitely save money on a discount flight, but you have to keep in mind that you will not have the convinces and amenities that larger airlines offer. For instance, a large airline will through check your baggage to your connecting flight, but with a discount airline, you will have to pick up your baggage and recheck it on the next flight. Waiting for baggage can be time consuming, so it is another thing that you have to make an allowance for. The time of day you fly can make a difference in the price of your airline ticket. Many times, very early morning flights are among the cheapest. Also, the day of the week you travel matters; midweek flights are traditionally cheaper than weekend flights. So make sure you take advantage of the time of day and the day of the week if you really want to save.