Flying into New York City
New York City is served by 3 major airports:
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
(Domestic & International Flights) - LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
(Predominantly Domestic Flights & Canadian Flights) - Newark Airport (EWR)
(Domestic & International Flights)
Finding an affordable fare to New York City.
The truly frugal might want to try Priceline or Hotwire to get the best fares, however they don't always offer the best deals and it pays to research.
How to look for the best airfare:
- Price your fare on Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline and Orbitz. This gives you a pretty good idea of how much you should be planning to spend. Surprisingly, there can be better prices on one engine or the other and there are often variations in the price over several days or weeks. Fares are almost always better if you stay for a Saturday night, fly Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, are willing to change planes and/or fly early in the morning or late at night. Depending on the flexibility of your plans, consider these options when searching for fares. Consider airports slightly further away from your home if you're really budget conscious. Definitely consider flights into any of New York City's three major airports (LGA, JFK, and EWR), as they are all convenient if Manhattan is your final destination. Make a note of the best fare (or two) available on each service.
- Next, check Hotwire's fares. Unless you plan to stay beyond your course duration, you might prefer not to book with Hotwire, because you have no idea what time your flights will be on a particular day and often services like Priceline and Hotwire put you on a very early morning or very late flight. Early morning flights to your destination present a problem when you are hoping to work during all or part of a day before departure or for returning, it can result in effectively losing a day in your destination. Likewise, late night flights can mean you miss out on a day in your destination upon departure. Essentially, this can result in up to two days less time at your destination, and the savings can easily be lost in having to pay for a night in your hotel while you end up with a day less in New York City. Also, you can see better fares on the major fare booking engines. Regardless, Hotwire's bid gives you the possibility of seeing a lower fare "goal."
- Since not all airlines are included in the fare search engines, it can often be helpful to check the websites of smaller airlines. Check the airlines for each airport that service your departure city and record the fares you find.
- LaGuardia is home to AirTran, ATA, Frontier, Midwest Express, and Spirit.
- John F. Kennedy Airport is home to Jet Blue, PACE, Sun Country.
- Newark Airport is home to AirTran, America West, ATA, Hooters Air, Midwest Express, and Song.
- Next, check several smaller flight search engines, namely: Qixo, CheapTickets, Travel Now, Fly4Less and Sidestep.
- With all of this information, you can generally wait a week or so and re-check the fares before making a purchasing decision.
