Summary

  • JFK is the busiest NYC airport, serving large international airlines and long-haul flights.
  • LGA is ideal for domestic travel and close to NYC, but has slot restrictions on longer flights.
  • EWR suits those flying on United Airlines and international travelers, and also benefits from good public transport.

When flying to New York, travelers often have a variety of options when passing in and out of the city’s airport system. Consisting of John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in Queens, and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) across the Hudson River in New Jersey, the area has a variety of airports to choose from.

American Airlines Airbus A319 (N9017P)

Photo: Phillip Pilosian | Shutterstock

But which airport is best for your specific needs? Furthermore, while most people will use cost to determine which airport to fly out of, what other factors could you use to decide to travel through JFK, LGA, or EWR?

1

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is the busiest airport in the New York City area, and the sixth-busiest in the US. For long-haul travel on many large international airlines, JFK can often be the only show in town. Airlines such as Cathay Pacific, All Nippon Airways, and Qatar Airways only operate through JFK in the New York area, although their codeshare partners can often fly to the other two airports.

New York JFK Airport

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

In terms of facilities, JFK is by far the largest of the region’s major airports, with four runways, five terminals, and 130 operating gates. Furthermore, JFK is the only airport in the area capable of accommodating the Airbus A380. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines both maintain a hub at JFK, while JetBlue uses the airport as a focus city. For long-distance travel on these carriers, JFK is usually your best bet. The table below shows the largest airlines at JFK and their market share last year:

Airline

Passengers

Market Share

Delta Air Lines

18,379,000

29.6%

JetBlue

16,345,000

26.3%

American Airlines

7,960,000

12.8%

Alaska Airlines

1,286,000

2.1%

British Airways

1,267,000

2.0%

When it comes to the busiest routes to and from JFK last year, the top 5 consisted of a mixture of domestic and international routes:

  1. London Heathrow (LHR) – 2,316,000 passengers
  2. Paris (CDG) – 1,446,000 passengers
  3. Los Angeles (LAX) – 1,395,000 passengers
  4. San Francisco (SFO) – 971,000 passengers
  5. Santiago de los Caballeros (STI) – 893,000 passengers.

JFK does come with its downsides, however. Primarily, the airport is often the least accessible of the city’s three airports from Manhattan, with no direct subway service to the city’s business and tourist hubs. Additionally driving to the airport can involve the Belt Parkway, notorious for its traffic. For those in Queens and Long Island, the airport can be more convenient, but for many others, JFK can take upwards of two hours to get to.

2

LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

Of the area’s three major airports, LaGuardia is by far the most focused on domestic travel, with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines both operating large domestic hubs. While there are limited flights from some international destinations, the airport lacks US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities. Therefore, the airport can only accommodate arrivals from international destinations with preclearance facilities.

LaGuardia Airport

Photo: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
 

LaGuardia is the closest of New York’s three airports to Manhattan, and as such, is the most easily accessible by car transportation. Business travelers from domestic US destinations tend to favor LGA due to its proximity to the city’s central business districts. Due to its location near Manhattan, however, the airport is heavily slot-restricted and flights longer than 1,500 miles (which are louder due weight of the larger amount of fuel carried) are almost always prohibited.

The table below shows the largest airlines at LGA and their market share last year:

Airline

Passengers

Market Share

Delta Air Lines

13,084,000

40.6%

American Airlines

7,108,000

22.1%

JetBlue

3,374,000

10.5%

Southwest Airlines

3,131,000

9.7%

United Airlines

2,219,000

6.9%

When it comes to the busiest routes to and from LGA last year, the top 5 was made up of:

  1. Atlanta (ATL) – 1,134,000 passengers
  2. Chicago (ORD) – 1,097,000 passengers
  3. Orlando (MCO) – 862,000 passengers
  4. Miami (MIA) – 846,000 passengers
  5. Dallas (DFW) – 776,000 passengers.

3

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Newark is a bit of a hybrid between LaGuardia and JFK, with significant long-haul international service and a large domestic route network as well. It is challenging to discuss EWR without mentioning United Airlines, which maintains a massive hub at the airport and acts as the carrier’s primary gateway to Europe. If you’re hoping to fly United or are a Star Alliance loyalist, more likely than not, Newark will be your only choice.

A United Airlines Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner just above the runway at Newark Liberty Airport.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

In terms of transportation, Newark can be a bit of a drive from Manhattan and does involve navigating New Jersey traffic. However, EWR is likely the city’s best-connected airport via public transportation with both NJ Transit commuter rail and Amtrak providing rapid, frequent, and affordable service from the airport to midtown’s Penn Station.

The table below shows the largest airlines at EWR and their market share last year:

Airline

Passengers

Market Share

United Airlines

33,414,000

68.1%

Spirit Airlines

2,804,000

5.7%

JetBlue

2,375,000

4.8%

American Airlines

2,355,000

4.8%

Delta Air Lines

1,771,000

3.6%

Just like at JFK, when it comes to the busiest routes to and from EWR last year, the top 5 consisted of a mixture of domestic and international routes:

  1. Orlando (MCO) – 1,071,000 passengers
  2. Los Angeles (LAX) – 1,048,000 passengers
  3. San Francisco (SFO) – 868,000 passengers
  4. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – 814,000 passengers
  5. London Heathrow (LHR) – 789,000 passengers.

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