Cheap flights to New York, NY

When to fly to New York

Peak Season:
Fall (October-December) marks the start of the cultural season. Ballet, theatre, and opera are in full swing. Finding cheap flights to New York during these months might be tricky, but the atmosphere is electric.

Shoulder Season:
April to September is shoulder season. Temperatures are decent and there are several free outdoor entertainment opportunities.

Low Season:
The weeks following Christmas and New Years and up to March (excluding Valentine’s Day in February) are low season.

Overview

The soaring city of steel and glass is a world city, up there with London and Sydney. Its five boroughs contain a world of entertainment, shopping, dining and cultural options. Its brashness, brilliance and bustle enthralls; no wonder 46 million visitors arrive on cheap flights to New York each year.

The landmarks – the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Broadway are legendary, but there are more. Each borough – The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island – has its own histories, ethnicities and traditions, all waiting to be explored.

From the street food – hot dogs, grilled kebabs, knishes, Middle Eastern wraps, pretzels, and roasted chestnuts – to high-end dining, New York is a gourmet paradise. The food of each community that has made its way to New York can be found here. It’s like eating your way around the world in one city.

The shopping is legendary too, from top-of-the-line Fifth Avenue, home to Tiffany & Co, Cartier and Chanel, to the more price-conscious Lower East Side. You may need to pack an extra bag for your flights home.

How long is the flight to New York?

Flights to New York City, New York from Canada range from about 1.5-17h. The length of your flight will depend on your departure city and whether you’ll be taking a flight with stopovers and the length of each stopover. If you’re flying from Montreal, the location of Montreal to New York helps make this flight a quick and direct option at about an hour and a half. However, if you’re departing from as far west as Vancouver, you can expect your flight to be on the longer end of the range, especially if you have lengthy layovers along the way.

Where can you get direct flights to New York from?

You can enjoy direct flights to New York from several Canadian cities. Both Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Toronto Pearson airports provide hundreds of nonstop flights to New York daily, while airports in Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver offer dozens a day. The airlines that service these flights include Air Canada, WestJet, Delta, United, and Cathay Pacific. If you opt for a flight with layovers, you can expect to make stops in cities like Toronto and Montreal when flying out of the western provinces.

How do you get from New York airport(s) to the city centre?

New York is home to three main airports – LaGuardia (LGA), John F. Kennedy (JFK), and Newark Liberty (EWR). The most popular ways to get into Manhattan from JFK is by taxi, which has a flat rate of about C$70 for the 24km, 30-60-minute journey. You can also Airtrain JFK, which costs about C$7 and connects you to the Long Island Railroad. From LaGuardia, a taxi to Manhattan costs about C$38-50 for a metered journey that takes about 20-30 minutes. Two express bus services are available from LGA, the M60 to Harlem which connects to the subway, or the Q70 that makes nonstop journeys to a popular subway station in Queens.

Taxis from EWR cost about C$65-92 + tolls, with a journey time of about 45-60 minutes into Manhattan. You can also take the AirTrain from EWR to Amtrak Newark, which then connects to the Manhattan subway system. All airports also offer shuttle bus services form several private companies.

What are some things to do in New York?

New York is a city that has something for everybody. If you love architecture, be sure to explore Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Flatiron Building, and Rockefeller Center. New York is also a mecca for shopping, with both Broadway and Herald Square housing a range of designer and boutique shops alike. Enjoy some fresh air and greenery by strolling through popular parks like Central Park, Tompkins Square, Washington Square Park, and Union Square, all great for people watching, too.

Do I need a passport or visa to fly to New York?

Canadian citizens travelling to New York do need a valid passport but do not require a visa as long as their visit is for tourism or business purposes and is for under 90 days.

New York climate

New York’s climate is best described as humid and continental. Summers are hot and famously humid with temperatures hitting the 32 degree Celsius mark (90 degrees Fahrenheit). Winters are cold and snowy. Most rainfall occurs in April, May and November.

Getting around New York

It’s easy to get around New York City. The subway is simple and you’ll always be able to find a bus or taxi. Cabs can be called or hailed anywhere. Subways run 24 hours a day and are easy to figure out. Some hotels offer shuttle service from the airport, so be sure to check when your booking your New York flight and hotel.       

What is good to know if travelling to New York?

• Choose a window seat on your cheap flights to New York and you’ll be able to see the magnificent views of the New York skyline or the Statue of Liberty from 30,000 feet.
• Along with the must-see landmarks, carve out some time to visit the smaller ones. The Metropolitan Museum of Art should be a stop on every traveller’s itinerary. It houses more than two million art works in 19 curatorial departments from ancient Egyptian artifacts to modern art. Don’t forget the Frick Collection housed in the former home of Henry Clay Frick, a steel magnate. It has a wonderful collection of old master paintings. The Neue Galerie is also on Museum Mile. It houses early 20th century German and Austrian art.
• The Staten Island Ferry carries plies the waters between Staten Island and Manhattan more than 100 times a day. The 25-minute ride offers great views of New York Harbor with the Statue of Liberty and, best of all, it’s free. Pick it up, on the Manhattan side, at Whitehall Terminal (South Ferry).
• For bargain Broadway shows, line up at one of the TKTS booths. Tickets for same-day shows are available at discounts of 25-50 per cent. There’s also BroadwayBox.com. Before you leave Canada, visit the Web site, enter your dates and see what’s available while you’ll be in New York.
• The six-level observatory at the top of the Rockefeller Center, 260 metres above street level, offers panoramic views of the city. Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building are all before you. The timed-ticket system means wait times are short.

How popular are flights to New York this year?

There has been a 157% increase in demand for New York flights over the last year.