NYC airports, which airline and when to book

Rach3975

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 12, 2018
We live near DC, but on our next trip to WDW we'll be flying in and out from a relative's house in Westchester. We can fly out of LaGuardia, JFK, or Newark. Because it will be a short trip (3 days) and we have no flexibility in travel dates, we want to make sure we book early so we don't have a problem booking the times and dates we want to fly.

Which airlines should I look into? We want an airline that has lots of flights in and out of NYC. Cost matters, but we're willing to pay a little more for a more reliable airline or a better choice of flights. (If it helps, from home we almost always fly Southwest.) About how far in advance will airlines open their schedules? We're going Nov. 2019 and flying the Sat of Jersey week, which I'm worried will make it hard to get flights down to MCO. (We need to fly back on Tues. morning, so I'm not worried about that one.) Thanks!
 
Southwest and JetBlue. LGA is still a mess. JFK and Newark. Newark is probably easier from Westchester.
I dont think southwest has nonstop service
 


As mentioned above, HPN, the Westchester airport near White Plains would be a great choice. It's a small airport - but with mutiple daily, non-stop flights to Orlando on JetBlue.

Lines are short to non existent. Just don't plan on any airport shopping/eating. There's just one store there - offerings similar to a convenience store.

I've flown out of there twice with kiddos - far easier than the larger airports in the metro area.
 
One more thought - get the hopper app for your phone. It will monitor airfares, check against trends and historical data - then make recommendations on when to purchase your tickets.
 
I live in a borough of NY and usually fly out of EWR. JetBlue and United have a ton of flights from EWR/MCO. Southwest has flights but maybe 1-2 non stop

My trip next month to MCO, is on JetBlue. It use to be JetBlue prices were better out of JFK, but I have noticed the last few years, this isnt always the case.
 


Westchester Airport is a bit pricier because it’s a much smaller airport but it’s much, much more convenient than JFK, LGA, or EWR. It’s closer, easier to navigate, traffic getting there is almost never a worry, and security seems to go much more smoothly. And yeah, JetBlue has multiple flights out of HPN a day. Unless there is an insane price difference (which will happen the closer you get to your departure date) I always pick HPN.
 
Sadly Southwest dropped non-stops to MCO from Newark in 2019. JetBlue is best option there (I personally HATE United, but they have a Hub at Newark and lots of flights, so maybe look at United). My 2nd option that I use at Newark is Spirit. I hate them TOO, but many flights, and sometimes they work out to be a fair deal even AFTER all their ridiculous fees. Planes are squishy but it is a short flight.
 
If you’re staying in Westchester, look into Westchester County Airport/White Plains (HPN). JetBlue flies a few nonstops a day to and from MCO.

Yes, this! We live 20 minutes from White Plains/Westchester airport and only fly Jetblue nonstop from that airport. It is SUPER convenient. It typically prices out around the same price as Jetblue JFK flights and, if you have to factor in ground transportation costs, it can price out less. If you want to look into other NYC airports, I would recommend JFK, EWR or Stewart airport in Newburgh. Avoid LaGuardia. In terms of airlines, I would recommend Jetblue (highly recommend) and Delta. Jetblue typically prices out much less.
 
I live in NYC> We usually fly United from EWR. But for our 2 upcoming trips to MCO we are doing Delta from LGA and JFK. It was must cheaper. We usually buy 4 months ahead.
 
I do JetBlue from JFK but if you're going to do JetBlue, like said above, it's probably worth it to fly from Westchester. By the time you add up getting to JFK, paying for parking (or is someone dropping you off?), travel time to/from the airport and whatnot, Westchester is probably the better bet. BUT, the JetBlue terminal at JFK is one of the better ones and I've never had a problem using it, so if the price difference is significant, at least it's an okay experience at JFK.
 
I do JetBlue from JFK but if you're going to do JetBlue, like said above, it's probably worth it to fly from Westchester. By the time you add up getting to JFK, paying for parking (or is someone dropping you off?), travel time to/from the airport and whatnot, Westchester is probably the better bet. BUT, the JetBlue terminal at JFK is one of the better ones and I've never had a problem using it, so if the price difference is significant, at least it's an okay experience at JFK.

Thanks! Not sure exactly what our transportation to the airport will be yet, but it will either be someone dropping us off or a ground transportation service. We're a lot more likely to be able to get a ride from my parents if we go to Westchester, so I'll have to figure that into the pricing, too.
 
Of course flying out of HPN is probably the most convenient but it all depends on your the dates as since Jetblue is the only "discount" airline out of HPN
they tend to be pricey at times. We live very very close to HPN and the price sends us to JFK,LGA,EWR or ISP...best prices will be JetBlue to/from EWR
but just check them all.
 
Given the shorter duration of your trip, it might be worth considering what happens if something goes wrong. If your flight gets canceled or severely delayed, you'll have far more options that get you to Orlando at a major airport.

For example, checking a random Saturday (June 15), there are only three non-stop flights on JetBlue between White Plains (HPN) and Orlando. The times are 6:30am, 10:25am, and 2:35pm.

Over at Newark (EWR), United has nine non-stop flights. All of those extra flights means you'll have a better chance of getting to Orlando in the event of a flight cancelation.

Additionally, it's much easier for an airline to fix a problem at a hub than at a smaller airport with only a couple of daily flights. If a plane goes mechanical, they have dozens of others from which to swap. Similarly, if a crew member suddenly gets sick, they can easily find someone else to fill in. At an outstation like HPN, getting a replacement crew member might take hours.

It's probably also worth noting that JetBlue doesn't have a stellar reputation when it comes to Irregular Operations (IROPs). (IROPs, also abbreviated as IRROPs, is anytime something major happens that affects multiple flights. Examples include major weather systems, computer malfunctions, or air traffic control issues.) The legacy carriers (American, Delta, United) tend to handle IROPs better than JetBlue. That's particularly true at their hubs. Airline hubs typically have multiple staffed customer service locations. At an outstation like HPN, your only option to speak to someone in person will be at the gate. (Or, at the main ticket counter should you decide to leave the secured area.)

Tip: If you ever have a severely delayed or canceled flight at an airport, get in line and call the airline while you wait. The folks on the phone may be able to help resolve the problem before you reach the front of the line.

Finally, some people don't realize that you don't need to use the same airport or even the same airline. For domestic tickets, airlines typically do not offer any sort of "round trip" discount. As long as you aren't driving your personal car to the airport, you can depart from one and return to another. [One of the only reasons to stick to one airline would be if you plan on making changes to the tickets. One airline (on one reservation) means you'd only pay a single change fee.]
 
If the flights from HPN fit in your budget, take advantage of them, even if the price is a little higher than what you find from the New York airports. The time you'll save is worth some extra money -- within reason, of course.
 
I would check the prices on websites like Orbitz as well as individual airlines (like Southwest), that don't show on Orbitz. Check departing from various local airports as airlines often change their routes and which cities they service, sometimes it's a seasonal thing. If the airport you are leaving from has a cancellation and you can't fly that day, you just go back home, so I don't see that as any big deal. Flights are usually cheaper if you buy them far enough in advance. Once the lowest price tickets are sold out, the fare jumps to the next higher price.
 
Given the shorter duration of your trip, it might be worth considering what happens if something goes wrong. If your flight gets canceled or severely delayed, you'll have far more options that get you to Orlando at a major airport.

Good point. If Jet Blue has that few flights scheduled out of HPN during our dates, we'll probably stick with one of the bigger airports. For now the United flights are crazy expensive ($700+ per person RT) but I'm guessing they'll come down. The other carriers I've looked at don't have their schedules released yet, so I'll have to keep checking back.
 

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