Flights from New York to London

Finding a flight from New York to London may be quite overwhelming at first glance. Both JFK and Heathrow are international hubs, and the wide variety of daily flights offered from New York to London will leave one searching endlessly for the best option. There are both direct flights, as well as flights with stops, and the flight time of 5-6 hours plus the time difference of 5 hours can take a whole day out of the traveling process.

Best airport choices

New York is a large city and has two international airports (JFK and Newark) scattered across it. LaGuardia Airport may offer a flight to a connecting city that flies to London, but only offers domestic flights out. Naturally, when looking for a flight from New York to London, one would first prefer to fly direct.

As far as London airports are concerned, Heathrow is the most popular and will offer the most inbound flights. However, two other options do exist: Gatwick Airport offers international flight service, and an increasingly popular option is London International Airport. While the airport itself is over 70 years old, it has recently increased tremendously in popularity due to newer relationships with certain airlines, and a terminal expansion that took place in 2003. Located just 5 miles outside London, this is an attractive option if a flight happens to fly into this airport. Yet another option is London’s Stansted Airport, though this airport primarily services smaller and charter flights.

Best airline choices

Since many European airlines make connections in London, there is a relatively wide variety of choices as far as flying from New York to London is concerned. Below are some of the better airlines to seek out, if available:

• Virgin Atlantic
• American Airlines
• Delta Airlines
• Continental Airlines
• British Airways
• Air France
• KLM
• Aer Lingus
• Icelandair

Typical prices

Since a flight’s price may depend on factors such as how far in advance it’s booked, time of day it takes place at, availability, and seasonality, it is hard to give a standard price for a flight from New York to London. Airlines will often run special promotions with great prices during less busy times of year. To give a price range, however, prices may range anywhere from $250-300 (this often requires one stop on the way), to as high as $1,000 and up if the flight is booked last minute. If willing to take a “redeye” (overnight) flight, a better deal can generally be found. The further in advance a flight is booked, the better as well.

Money saving tips

The best way to find the best price on a flight from New York to London is to compare all available options. Flight searching services such as Kayak, Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity all offer comparisons by airline. The more adventurous traveler may be willing to take his or her chances with Priceline’s bidding system. Travelers are known to save up to 50% on the cost of a flight, but Priceline requires that one is willing to make a stop on the flight, and time of day can’t be controlled. Still, the appeal of such savings may be worth taking a chance on.

As mentioned earlier, flying during the off season can make a big impact on flight prices. For example, flights in October will be considerably less than flights in June and July (peak months of travel season). If this can’t be helped and the trip will take place during peak season, booking far in advance will help to get the best price possible. Additionally, one should strongly consider the possibility of a connecting stop if looking to save money. This will usually shave a few hundred dollars off the price of a flight. Happy travels!