They’re the first and second busiest airports serving New York City – John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International. Sitting in different states on either side of the Big Apple, the two opposing airports handled over 100 million passenger trips between them in 2018. But which is best?
If you’re flying to New York City, you have three options – JFK, Newark or LaGuardia. Unfortunately, a lack of border control facilities and a 1,500-mile perimeter rule for incoming and outgoing flights at LaGuardia limits your options if you’re a far-flung international traveler.
This leaves you with a choice between the two busiest airports in the New York metropolitan area. Each has its own upsides and downsides, and ultimately the question of which is best may come down to individual preference and circumstance.
However, there are some key considerations to bear in mind if you haven’t had enough experience of the two to pick a favorite yet. So let’s run through them to decide which is best.
John F. Kennedy International
Although it’s not the busiest airport in the United States by a significant margin, JFK International is the busiest when it comes to international passenger journeys. It is also the airport of choice for airlines who are looking to expand their offering to NYC, as Asiana Airlines recently showed.
In the twelve months ending May 2019, JFK handled 34,123,280 international passengers. That’s more than double the number handled by Newark over the same time period, at just 14,286,066.
The difference between the two when it comes to passenger numbers does have an impact on the services you can expect at each. Because of its higher passenger volumes, JFK is better equipped to deal with incoming international flights.
Out of the top 20 airlines using JFK International during the 12 months ending May 2019, only four are domestic carriers. By comparison, eight of the top 20 at Newark Liberty International are domestic.
JFK is also the ‘home away from home’ for British Airways, who earlier in the year announced plans for $65 million worth of improvements to their gate and services at the airport.
Newark Liberty International
Newark Liberty International lies to the west of New York City, and is considerably smaller than JFK, with just three terminals to JFK’s six. If your eventual destination is on the west side of Manhattan, a journey from Newark Liberty International will be considerably easier than one from JFK.
That being said, if you’re traveling into the city via car, you’ll have to pay a toll on the bridges into Manhattan. JFK International also has a better connection to the NYC subway system than Newark.
JFK International is a bigger hub for many airlines, apart from United. Despite suggestions United may return to JFK, Newark is their hub. If you’re a United fan this means you’ll get a wider selection of flights at Newark Liberty International.
Unfortunately, Newark ranked rock bottom in the J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey for 2018. Although JFK didn’t fare too much better.
Although JFK International has a wider selection of carriers and marginally better customer satisfaction, when push comes to shove, your final destination in NYC will most likely be what decides which is best between the two.