LEGO City Airport and Cheap Airport Play Sets for Christmas

The LEGO City Airport is predicted to be a Christmas bestseller. At least an airport play set won't charge you for WiFi, but see what you get for over $100 and consider these 5 cheaper toy planes and airports.

LEGO City Airport: This airport play set for kids 6 to 12 contains a toy plane (20 by 7 inches), control tower and terminal (10 by 10 inches) with 5 mini-figures. A reviewer at Amazon says her 3rd grader enjoys it and it's impressively large, but it's not very sturdy and pieces get knocked off easily. (starting at $99.99)

Plan City Airport: For a great value, this set includes a toy plane, terminal, control tower and working elevator plus a cargo trailer and 2 figures. It's recommended for ages 3 to 10. Parents love its eco-friendly design and durability being made from recycled rubber wood rather than plastic. It's also nicely detailed and easy to assemble. ($54.99)

Little People Airport: For the tiniest aviators, this Fisher-Price set is recommended for ages 2 to 5 years. You get 3 vehicles including a jumbo jet and 3 figures, a terminal, and control tower. Most Amazon reviewers give it 4 to 5 stars. Kids enjoy it, and many parents prefer the absence of batteries and built-in noises so kids can use their own imagination. There's also a lot of praise for its durable construction. ($54.08)

Learning Resources Airport Play Set: This lower-priced set for ages 3 to 6 features 4 figures and 4 vehicles including a toy plane, a terminal, and a control tower 9 inches tall. The consensus from parents is that it's fun but small and relatively poor quality. Plus, one figure has a bad 70s haircut. The plastic is brittle and pieces snap off during normal play. ($29.32)

Fisher-Price Transportation System GeoAir High-Flyin' Airport Play Set: Another bestseller is this complement to the popular GeoTrax systems. For ages 30 months and up, you get a tower with an elevator, three bays for the toy plane, and a pilot Jim figure. The plane clips onto the flexible track and flies around the entire set. There's a controller that's easy for kids to operate to activate the toy plane and make sound effects. Batteries are required. ($49.99)

You can have a high flying Christmas with an airport play set even if you don't want to pay full price for the LEGO City Airport.