A $44 booking fee that Sun Country started tacking on to every roundtrip ticket in 2022 became a hot topic last week when Thrifty Traveler wrote about it and exposed a workaround: The airline does not charge this fee—$22 per flight segment—on tickets purchased at the airport. Which raises the question: Who buys airline tickets at the airport these days? We decided to find out.

I drove to the airport on a bustling Sunday afternoon with the intention of purchasing a ticket. I had clearance from TCB to buy the cheapest ticket available—I’m an intern, after all—and that was a one-way nonstop flight to Las Vegas on the evening of Dec. 10 listed online for $39. The assignment: See if I could get that same ticket at the airport for $17—minus the $22 processing fee.

Locating the Sun Country ticket booth at the Humphrey Terminal was easily the most challenging aspect of the mission. After several fruitless minutes of searching, I flagged down a Sun Country employee who pointed me to the “expedited and priority” check-in lanes, none of which were labeled with signs for ticket sales.

“I’d like to purchase a one-way ticket to Las Vegas for Dec. 10,” I told the agent when I got to the front of the line. The look she gave me could only be described as surprised with a hint of dread as she summoned another agent, and then another. Together, they were able to piece together a ticket sale. Their hesitation suggested this is not a typical request, but I also wasn’t the first to try it on this busy Sunday afternoon. I overheard two of the agents talking about the number of people who’d come in to buy tickets in recent days. “Did you see that recent article about Sun Country?” one of them said to the other. “Now everyone wants to come to the airport to see if they can get a cheaper ticket. I would just save my time and buy it online.”

I busied myself with my wallet to avoid eye contact.

Later, when I called Sun Country headquarters to discuss the experience, chief marketing officer Brian Davis told me that “agents are prepared and trained to facilitate any ticket transactions.” He did acknowledge though, that the request is rare. “The vast majority of our transactions happen on our website or through our call center.”

After 20 minutes and two credit cards (as I learned the hard way, Sun Country doesn’t accept Discover), the Sun Country agents did manage to sell me a ticket. And I did avoid the $22 “passenger interface charge.” I walked away with a $17 Sun Country airline ticket that would have cost me $39 had I purchased it online.

Satisfying, to be sure. But was it worth it? Let’s assess.

My travel time to the airport from St. Paul’s  Como Park neighborhood was about 25 minutes, and, according to my math, I’d say gas roundtrip in my 2013 Kia Soul cost $2.25. Parking, payable by credit card only, cost $5 at the Humphrey Terminal. So that’s still less than I would have paid for the online booking fee. Door-to-door, the mission took one hour and 15 minutes to complete.

For my money and time, I’d do it again (as mentioned, I’m an intern). If you live in the metro area within easy access of the airport, and you’re willing to put up with some funny looks from agents, go for it—you can indeed buy plane tickets at the airport. Don’t forget your ID.

Now I just need to figure out how I’m getting home from Vegas.