Compare New York flights

New York means city breaks, business trips, Christmas shopping jaunts, rural journeys upstate or into Pennsylvania; it's popular for all sorts of reasons, and you can find direct flights from several UK airports.

There's also plenty of competition, with Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Delta just a few of the airlines offering New York flights. Spread across the mainland and a series of connected islands, the city's five boroughs are home to some of the mot iconic sights in the world, from the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty to Central Park.

While no British low-cost airlines travel to New York from the UK, it is possible to save on flights in a number of different ways. One good option is to fly to one of the airports outside of New York City: Newark Airport, which is in New Jersey, or Stewart Airport, which is in Newburgh.

Some of the cheapest non-stop flights to New York tend to be offered by Scandinavian airlines, including Norwegian, Primera Air Scandinavia, Finnair, and the Icelandic budget airline WOW. You can find an even better deal if you’re willing to have a stopover rather than going direct.

Whether your destination airport is Newark, JFK, or Stewart, a direct flight from the UK to New York will generally take between 7 hours and around 8 hours 30 minutes.

This is the case no matter which airport you’re departing from. Of course, if your route has a stopover, this can sometimes significantly increase the journey time. You’re most likely to stop in a European destination, such as Belfast or Reykjavik.

The cheapest flights to New York are certainly indirect, but nonstop flights can also be fairly reasonably priced. Whether the potential savings are worth the extended journey time will depend on your own budget and priorities.

Popular stopover locations for New York include:

• Reykjavik: You can expect a flight from London to Reykjavik to take around 3 hours, leaving you with a 6-hour flight to New York after your stopover. If you have the time to spare, the Icelandic capital is an excellent place for a few days’ holiday. And with a population of only 122,000, it offers a startling contrast with hectic New York.
• Belfast: Fly via Belfast and the first leg of your journey can be as short as 1 hour 15 minutes. The next flight will then usually take slightly more than 7 hours. This is the Northern Irish capital, so if you end up with a bit of extra time, you’ll find plenty to do among the historic sights and lively restaurants and bars of the city centre.

The best place to stay in New York depends on your budget and exactly what it is you’re hoping to get out of your trip. Manhattan, with its iconic skyscrapers and busy streets, remains an unflagging favourite with tourists seeking hotels in the heart of the action. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is popular with those looking for a more laid-back vibe. Its wealth of cool bars, cafés and independent shops means there’s no less to do here than in frenetic Manhattan. Visit our New York holidays page to search for package deals.

While the subway means you won’t need a car within the city itself, if you hire a car you’ll have the freedom to go on a road trip around some of New York’s State’s further-flung sights, which include the famous Niagara Falls.