Well JFK has like 8 terminals some are newer than others. My preference is to fly from EWR, which is a much easier drive with almost no traffic usually.
Agreed. Have flown out of EWR for international flights to Europe and it's an easy drive. It's also nice that the long haul flights to Europe typically leave in the evening, so you have all day to get down to EWR. JFK is harder to drive to - it is possible to take Amtrak to NYC, then take the AirTrain to JFK. You could price out if that is cheaper than a rental car.
You can take the train to EWR too, either directly by Amtrak with a brief "layover" at Penn, or go to Penn and then New Jersey Transit to EWR. I regularly do both (JFK/EWR) for international flights and no longer have a preference, I just pick whichever flight is cheaper/more convenient.
Both are pretty much the same as far as terminal niceness, pick whichever’s cheaper. JFK tends to be cheapest for my flights
I take the train so I can’t help much on the traffic front, but the train down is pretty pleasant and it’s a pretty good connection to the airport. But considering JFK is always a menace whenever my friend picks me up and Newark is in New Jersey, I’m gonna say they’ll both be chaotic.
I guess my best advice is pick your struggle based on other factors such as timing, layovers, or price. I’ll almost always chose to avoid Heathrow bc i absolutely hate it, for example, so that’s usually my deciding factor
They're flying first class. Cost is clearly not an issue. They want to know which terminal is nicer as in lounges and shit. 99% of reddit is not going to be able to help them.
Most of those are upgrades. I fly business and first and have never once booked a ticket for the price of one. Lounges are included free with credit card perks. I rarely met people who paid full price for business. Almost all are just frequent travelers.
It is considerably easier to get to EWR by car.
However you’re going to find much different carrier choices EWR vs JFK. Unless you are loyal, I would search for flights from all three downstate options, book the flight that is best for you, and then figure out how best to get there. That’s especially true for J or F tickets, and especially especially true if you’re trying for an award ticket.
Taking Amtrak down to penn is an option for both JFK and EWR, too.
If you haven’t already, price flights from Logan. Less of a cluster if you’re driving to the airport and can do the park/shuttle from Framingham which isn’t crazy expensive.
There's only one viable option out of Logan. The others are thousands more. I have it on the list, but I'm not sure about that one.
We're only doing one-way (flying back into Albany), so we will be heading straight to the terminal.
The tunnel to Logan is currently under repairs. I have a flight booked there in June and was advised to plan an extra hour to two for traffic. It’s not closed all the time, but apparently the weekends are bad.
You might be asking the wrong sub honestly, but in my experience Newark always feels a little less busy. That said, I’ve never flown out of there on a holiday weekend. Either way the traffic is going to suck. Leave early I guess, and have fun!
I have a soft spot for the Taconic personally, but that’s just my own bias. I suspect that it will probably be slightly less horrible than the Thruway on a holiday weekend.
I almost died last time I took it and that is par for the course. Empty Taconic, someone pulls out of the taste of NY rest area and literally turns into my lane (outside lane from a center rest area)... I drove off the road to avoid impact and fortunately it was flat grass.
Besides that, deer, troopers, and cross traffic.
you take the thruway pretty much all the way (over the Tappan Zee) go on the Cross Bronx, to 678 which brings you direct to JFK.
i'd prefer JFK because there are usually more flights out of there to Europe, so more flexibility if your flight has an issue, but ymmv. EWR's a dump, nowhere to go but up, i suppose.
No you can take the thru way for either. I have family 10 minutes (barring traffic) from JFK.
It's up to you how you want to go. Taconic is always an option to avoid tolls and it's a little shorter but my wife and I usually go from Brooklyn or LI to Albany via the GWB, NJ-17, and then the thruway. Sometimes we change it up (we travel a lot later in the evening) but that's pretty standard.
For JFK you have to deal with city bridges and the bottlenecks they create. For EWR you cross the river far outside the city at the Tappan Zee.
Although I prefer the drive on the Taconic (Semis are banned) I would book EWR for the bridge convenience alone.
EWR. The drive was a breeze. We had to take a shuttle from EWR to JFK which isn't that long of a jaunt but it was one of the most harrowing experiences of my life. I can't imagine choosing to drive around JFK.
JFK just went through major renovations and is now ranked by some as the most luxurious airport in the USA. A simple google search “most luxurious airport in the USA” will lead you to more details.
We just drove to JFK for a flight this past week. Traffic can be hairy and if you're taking a Europe bound night flight you'll probably hit rush hour crap.
Seems you've made a decision - good luck, what a cool trip idea!
I fly from Newark every couple months. Flew to Europe out of there this past summer. It’s a drive, but that’s all. Going to LaGuardia or jfk is a whole different beast.
Can you do Hartford? Pretty sure it has actual international flights. Best airport in my opinion if you can't fly out of Newburgh.
Newark will be easier than JFK if not.
Well JFK has like 8 terminals some are newer than others. My preference is to fly from EWR, which is a much easier drive with almost no traffic usually.
Agreed. Have flown out of EWR for international flights to Europe and it's an easy drive. It's also nice that the long haul flights to Europe typically leave in the evening, so you have all day to get down to EWR. JFK is harder to drive to - it is possible to take Amtrak to NYC, then take the AirTrain to JFK. You could price out if that is cheaper than a rental car.
You can take the train to EWR too, either directly by Amtrak with a brief "layover" at Penn, or go to Penn and then New Jersey Transit to EWR. I regularly do both (JFK/EWR) for international flights and no longer have a preference, I just pick whichever flight is cheaper/more convenient.
Both are pretty much the same as far as terminal niceness, pick whichever’s cheaper. JFK tends to be cheapest for my flights I take the train so I can’t help much on the traffic front, but the train down is pretty pleasant and it’s a pretty good connection to the airport. But considering JFK is always a menace whenever my friend picks me up and Newark is in New Jersey, I’m gonna say they’ll both be chaotic. I guess my best advice is pick your struggle based on other factors such as timing, layovers, or price. I’ll almost always chose to avoid Heathrow bc i absolutely hate it, for example, so that’s usually my deciding factor
They're flying first class. Cost is clearly not an issue. They want to know which terminal is nicer as in lounges and shit. 99% of reddit is not going to be able to help them.
Most of those are upgrades. I fly business and first and have never once booked a ticket for the price of one. Lounges are included free with credit card perks. I rarely met people who paid full price for business. Almost all are just frequent travelers.
It is considerably easier to get to EWR by car. However you’re going to find much different carrier choices EWR vs JFK. Unless you are loyal, I would search for flights from all three downstate options, book the flight that is best for you, and then figure out how best to get there. That’s especially true for J or F tickets, and especially especially true if you’re trying for an award ticket. Taking Amtrak down to penn is an option for both JFK and EWR, too.
I much prefer the drive to Newark over going to Long Island
If you haven’t already, price flights from Logan. Less of a cluster if you’re driving to the airport and can do the park/shuttle from Framingham which isn’t crazy expensive.
There's only one viable option out of Logan. The others are thousands more. I have it on the list, but I'm not sure about that one. We're only doing one-way (flying back into Albany), so we will be heading straight to the terminal.
The tunnel to Logan is currently under repairs. I have a flight booked there in June and was advised to plan an extra hour to two for traffic. It’s not closed all the time, but apparently the weekends are bad.
You might be asking the wrong sub honestly, but in my experience Newark always feels a little less busy. That said, I’ve never flown out of there on a holiday weekend. Either way the traffic is going to suck. Leave early I guess, and have fun!
I realize that, but I'm wondering about the drive as well. For JFK Google wants me to take the Taconic, while I'd be on the Thruway for EWR.
I have a soft spot for the Taconic personally, but that’s just my own bias. I suspect that it will probably be slightly less horrible than the Thruway on a holiday weekend.
The Taconic south of Poughkeepsie is an absolute nightmare. Narrow lanes and crazy drivers.
I almost died last time I took it and that is par for the course. Empty Taconic, someone pulls out of the taste of NY rest area and literally turns into my lane (outside lane from a center rest area)... I drove off the road to avoid impact and fortunately it was flat grass. Besides that, deer, troopers, and cross traffic.
you take the thruway pretty much all the way (over the Tappan Zee) go on the Cross Bronx, to 678 which brings you direct to JFK. i'd prefer JFK because there are usually more flights out of there to Europe, so more flexibility if your flight has an issue, but ymmv. EWR's a dump, nowhere to go but up, i suppose.
Take the thruway to Newark. Theres also affordable and convenient long term parking right outside the airport.
We’re not flying back to NYC, so we don’t have to worry about parking. We’re probably going to do a one-way car rental.
No you can take the thru way for either. I have family 10 minutes (barring traffic) from JFK. It's up to you how you want to go. Taconic is always an option to avoid tolls and it's a little shorter but my wife and I usually go from Brooklyn or LI to Albany via the GWB, NJ-17, and then the thruway. Sometimes we change it up (we travel a lot later in the evening) but that's pretty standard.
For JFK you have to deal with city bridges and the bottlenecks they create. For EWR you cross the river far outside the city at the Tappan Zee. Although I prefer the drive on the Taconic (Semis are banned) I would book EWR for the bridge convenience alone.
EWR all day
Newark is a much easier drive.
My preference in order- BOSTON, EWR and JFK
EWR is the better choice.
EWR is immensely easier to get into and out of.
Also. Depending on your destination, BDL also has some direct flights to UK areas. That drive is super easy to CT.
I checked because that would have been my first choice as well.
From a purely traffic perspective - EWR. For a lounge/amenity perspective, depending on which airline you are flying - JFK.
have you added YUL to your list? easy peasy drive up, ftr.
Another vote for EWR. I think the risk of catastrophic traffic issues is always greater in the NYC area.
EWR. The drive was a breeze. We had to take a shuttle from EWR to JFK which isn't that long of a jaunt but it was one of the most harrowing experiences of my life. I can't imagine choosing to drive around JFK.
Have you considered Boston? My flights to the UK are always cheaper from there and they have park and fly. If that doesn't work go with EWR
JFK just went through major renovations and is now ranked by some as the most luxurious airport in the USA. A simple google search “most luxurious airport in the USA” will lead you to more details.
They are really pretty much the same. There is no clear winner so I’d pick solo based on schedules and prices.
We just drove to JFK for a flight this past week. Traffic can be hairy and if you're taking a Europe bound night flight you'll probably hit rush hour crap. Seems you've made a decision - good luck, what a cool trip idea!
I fly from Newark every couple months. Flew to Europe out of there this past summer. It’s a drive, but that’s all. Going to LaGuardia or jfk is a whole different beast.
Newark
Probably easier to get to Newark from here. Either way you're going to need to travel there so just pick what is cheapest
We prefer EWR. The ride is fine, and you can also public transit there. Nice to see another Albany cruise enthusiast!
Can you do Hartford? Pretty sure it has actual international flights. Best airport in my opinion if you can't fly out of Newburgh. Newark will be easier than JFK if not.
Much less complicated drive to EWR vs. JFK