Best UK airports to New York
Heathrow is by far the widest-served UK origin. Norse flies from LGW. Dublin has US Preclearance — worth a look for Irish UK travellers.
| Departure airport | Lowest return seen | Typical return | Flight time | Live price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Gatwickto JFK | £337trip starting in March | £372 | 7h 22m | Check price |
| London (all airports)to NYC | £337trip starting in March | £372 | – | Check price |
| London Heathrowto JFK | £356trip starting in April | £422 | 7h 19m | Check price |
| Manchesterto JFK | £401trip starting in November | £435 | 7h 06m | Check price |
| Edinburghto JFK | £408trip starting in March | £441 | 6h 56m | Check price |
| Birminghamto JFK | £437trip starting in January | £466 | 7h 11m | Check price |
Return fares seen for each route, checked 12 Oct: the lowest seen and the typical fare, which is the middle of the lowest fares seen for each month. They are past observations, not live prices: use Check price for today's fare. London (all airports) combines every London airport (flight time shown from Heathrow). Flight time is an estimate from the great-circle distance at 800 km/h plus 24 minutes for taxi, climb and descent.
Dublin (DUB) has US Customs Preclearance — you enter the US in Ireland and land at JFK/EWR as a domestic passenger. Game-changer if you value skipping US immigration queues after an overnight flight.
Airlines to New York from the UK
Cheapest months to fly to New York
Lowest return fare seen for a trip starting in each month, from London (all airports), checked 12 Oct. These are past observations, not live prices: use the search box for today's fare. Green marks the cheapest third of the months shown, red the dearest third.
When to fly to NYC
From the fares we recorded, checked 12 Oct.
JFK vs Newark vs LaGuardia
Build your NYC trip
New York flight FAQs
The lowest return fare we saw to New York was £337, from London Gatwick, for a trip starting in March (checked 12 Oct). The typical return from London Gatwick is £372, the middle of the lowest fares seen for each of 12 months. These are return fares seen on those dates, not live prices.
From London (all airports), the lowest return fare we saw was for a trip starting in March: £337, against £482 for October. That is the lowest fare seen for each of 12 months, checked 12 Oct. These are return fares seen on those dates, not live prices.
In the return fares we recorded, checked 12 Oct, the lowest to New York was £337 from London Gatwick, then London Heathrow £356, Manchester £401 and Edinburgh £408. By typical return, the middle of each airport's monthly lowest fares, the lowest was £372 from London Gatwick, then London Heathrow £422 and Manchester £435. These are return fares seen on those dates, not live prices.
In the week to 12 Oct we saw non-stop flights to New York sold by Delta from 3 UK airports, Virgin Atlantic from 3 UK airports, American Airlines from 2 UK airports, JetBlue from 2 UK airports, British Airways from 1 UK airport and Norse Atlantic UK from 1 UK airport. These are airlines seen on non-stop fares when we checked, not a timetable.
Direct flights take 7h 30m London to New York (westbound, against jet stream) and 6h 30m eastbound. Manchester and Edinburgh add about 45 minutes. 20+ daily Heathrow-NYC frequencies make this the world's busiest transatlantic route.
UK passport holders need ESTA authorisation — apply at esta.cbp.dhs.gov, $21, approved usually within minutes. Valid for 2 years. You can stay up to 90 days per visit. Passport must be valid for the duration of your stay.
JFK is the traditional NYC airport — AirTrain + subway to Manhattan in 60m, $11. Newark (EWR) is in New Jersey — AirTrain + NJ Transit to Penn Station in 35m, $15. LaGuardia (LGA) is domestic mostly — no UK direct flights. Compare fares at all three.
Yes — NYC subway and bus accept contactless Visa/Mastercard directly at OMNY gates. Taxi, Uber, restaurants, shops all take contactless. Tip culture is strong — 18-20% at restaurants, $1-2 per drink at bars. Use a fee-free debit card (Chase UK, Starling, Monzo) to dodge 3% foreign transaction fees.