JFK vs Newark vs LaGuardia: which New York airport should you fly into?

New York’s three airports at a glance

New York City is served by three major airports, all run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. JFK and LaGuardia are in Queens, on the city side of the Hudson; Newark Liberty is across the river in New Jersey. Flights from the UK use JFK and Newark; LaGuardia handles mostly domestic traffic.

JFK: the main international gateway

JFK is New York’s largest international airport. Its own site lists more than 70 airlines across several terminals: Terminal 1 for many foreign airlines, Terminal 4 with Delta as its main tenant, Terminal 5 for JetBlue and Terminal 8 for American, British Airways and other oneworld airlines. Large rebuilding works are under way, including the New Terminal One and a new Terminal 6, so check your terminal before you set off.

To get into the city, take the AirTrain from your terminal to Jamaica or Howard Beach. At Jamaica you can change to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), the fastest option to Penn Station or Grand Central, or to the E, J and Z subway lines. At Howard Beach you change to the A train. The AirTrain is paid when you enter or leave at Jamaica or Howard Beach: the airport’s AirTrain page gives the fare as $8.75, on top of the subway or train fare, and OMNY or a contactless card works at the gates.

Unlimited-ride MetroCards don’t cover the AirTrain, and rides between terminals are free.

Newark Liberty: United’s hub in New Jersey

Newark is United’s main New York hub. United uses Terminal C, with more than 350 daily flights to over 160 destinations, and also flies from Terminal A, which opened in 2022. Terminal B has more than 25 airlines, including Lufthansa. Many transatlantic flights from London and Manchester arrive here, and fares can be lower than to JFK.

Despite being in another state, Newark is easy to reach. Take the AirTrain to the Newark Liberty International Airport rail station, then an NJ TRANSIT or Amtrak train to New York Penn Station. NJ TRANSIT says Penn Station is about 30 minutes away by train, and your NJ TRANSIT ticket to or from the airport includes the AirTrain fee. Buy a ticket to New York Penn Station, not to Newark Penn Station, which is a different station in New Jersey.

The AirTrain itself is being replaced. While the new system is built, the Port Authority runs shuttle buses on part of the line at some times of day, so check the airport’s alerts page before you travel and allow extra time.

LaGuardia: closest to Manhattan, mostly domestic

LaGuardia is the closest of the three to Midtown, but it isn’t an option for flights from the UK. A perimeter rule set by the Port Authority prohibits nonstop flights of more than 1,500 miles into and out of LaGuardia, with an exception for Denver. In practice that means flights within the eastern and central US, plus routes to Canada and parts of the Caribbean.

If you’re connecting onwards in the US, LaGuardia matters. The Q70 LaGuardia Link bus is free to board, runs 24 hours a day and, the MTA says, comes about every 10 minutes during the day. It links Terminals B and C to the subway at Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue and to the LIRR at Woodside; from Terminal A, take the airport shuttle to Terminal B first. You still pay the normal fare when you enter the subway. The M60 Select Bus Service runs from all three terminals towards upper Manhattan.

Which New York airport should you choose?

Start with the whole-city search, then compare the total trip. These are our rules of thumb, based on the facts above:

• Flying from London: compare JFK and Newark. Both have many daily nonstop flights; take whichever is cheaper once you add the trip into town
• Staying in Midtown West or near Penn Station: Newark is often as quick as JFK, because the train arrives at Penn Station
• Staying in Brooklyn or Queens: JFK is usually more convenient
• Connecting to another US city: check whether your onward flight leaves from LaGuardia, and never book a connection between airports on a tight schedule
• Arriving late at night: check that trains are running, and allow for longer gaps between services

Before you fly to New York

UK travellers need an approved ESTA before boarding a flight to the US; see our guide to the ESTA and the UK ETA. Allow time for US immigration on arrival, especially at JFK in the afternoon when many transatlantic flights land.

For fares and flight times, see our London to New York and New York to London route pages, and our New York city guide for where to stay. Flying home, our guide to how early to get to the airport applies at all three airports, and if you’re comparing the London end too, see our London airports guide.

Questions people ask