Out Of Three, This Is The Cheapest Airport In New York City (2024)

The New York metropolitan area is serviced by three airports - the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and LaGuardia Airport (LGA). Of these, the cheapest airport is LaGuardia - but there are a number of limitations that restrict its ability to be a viable alternative to the other airports (especially until 2025).

The world's best airport is considered Qatar's Doha Hamad airport. Feel free to question the methodology, but none of the best airlines or airports are considered to be in the United States by World Airline Awards. The best-ranked airline in the United States is Delta Air Lines - which so happens to be the main airline operating out of LaGuardia.

What To Know Of The Three Main Airports Of The New York Area

Taken together, the three airports of New York City make up the busiest airport system in the United States. It is also the second-busiest airport system in the world (the busiest in the world is London with its Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, London City, Luton, and Southend airports).

JFK is one of the largest airports in the United States (although the busiest airport is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia). JFK is notable for having a rare rooftop swimming pool overlooking the runway. If one is afraid of getting stuck in traffic, it is also possible to order an Uber Helicopter to the airport from Manhattan. JFK is regarded as "The" New York City airport. Before the pandemic, it received over 60 million passengers. Its busiest domestic destination was Los Angeles, and its busiest international destination was London's Heathrow.

With well over 100 million people using these airports every year, the airspace is extremely congested, and the airports suffer from some of the worst delays in the country.

Airport with an airport parked

But JFK is not the cheapest of the three airports. The cheapest airport in the New York metro area is LaGuardia Airport - which is also the smallest of the three. Before the pandemic, LaGuardia was receiving around 30 million passengers annually.

The LaGuardia Airport is located in NYC in northern Queens, around six miles from downtown Manhattan. It is the closest airport to Manhattan.

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LaGuardia Airport: New York's Cheapest, Smallest, & Rather Limited Airport

LaGuardia Airport is the cheapest airport, but there is a catch. LaGuardia is also the smallest airport and is mostly a domestic airport (it also handles flights to Canada). The airport lacks U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities, which limits its international operations to airports with the United States border preclearance (like some airports in Canada).

It has a perimeter rule that prohibits most nonstop flights from destinations more than 1,500 miles away. So if one is looking for cheap flights to Europe, one may have to look elsewhere.

A traveler silhouetted in front of an airport window

• Type: Domestic Flights & Limited International Flights

LaGuardia basically only handles narrow-body aircraft, with even aircraft like the Boeing 767 and the Airbus A310 rarely seen at the airport.

The airport is also limited by seasonal curfews to reduce the impact of aircraft noise pollution. During warm months of the year, operations are prohibited during the night (midnight to 6 am).

The cheapest month to fly to New York from elsewhere in the United States is February, with flight prices averaging around $237, according to Momondo.com. The cheapest day of the week is Wednesday, and the most expensive is Sunday.

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Getting To LaGuardia Airport & What To Expect There

It is cheaper to get to LaGuardia from downtown New York as it is only around half the distance away from the other airports. However, there is a catch. Thanks to the powerful NYC Taxi Lobby of the 1970s, the airport was denied a subway connection (unlike the other airports). Today the subway lines are less-than-helpful and only get to around a mile from the airport. So one will also need to take a bus connection or walk the rest of the way.

• Taxi/Lyft Fare: Approx. $40 From Manhattan

LaGuardia is a hub for Delta Air Lines and American Airlines (accounting for 40% and 25% of the flight share of the airport, respectively). There may be another reason for being the cheaper airport. During the 2000s and 2010s, it was becoming notable for having obsolete and even dirty facilities. To remedy this, it was announced in 2015 that there would be an extensive reconstructive of its infrastructure. These works are ongoing and due to be completed by 2025.

But for now, expect interference and delays from the construction. Also, note that the airport is very spread out, and it takes around 15 minutes to walk from one terminal to another, and the airport is not serviced by a tram or shuttle.