On this page (5 sections)
The route in one look
Heathrow to New York runs to two of the three airports serving the city, and sorting out which one you want is the first real decision on this route. John F. Kennedy International (JFK), in south-east Queens, takes the large majority of the Heathrow traffic. Newark Liberty International (EWR), across the Hudson in New Jersey, takes the rest. LaGuardia (LGA) has no Heathrow service at all, so despite being the closest of the three to midtown it is never an option from the airport.
The distance is about 3,451 miles, or 5,555 km great circle to JFK, with Newark around ten miles further. Westbound the flight is blocked at roughly 8 hours; eastbound it runs nearer 7 hours, because the aircraft picks up the jet stream and rides it home. On a strong winter day the eastbound leg can come in well under 7 hours, which is why the overnight return from New York is one of the shortest long-haul nights you will spend in a seat.
Both directions are heavily served, but they are timed differently. Westbound departures spread across the day from mid-morning onward, landing in New York in the afternoon or early evening local time. Eastbound flights are overwhelmingly overnight, leaving New York in the evening and arriving into Heathrow between about 06:00 and 10:00. If you are flying home, expect to lose a night rather than a day.
Who flies it
No other route from Heathrow has this many carriers on it, which is the single most useful thing to know about it. The direct operators split by New York airport:
- To JFK: British Airways from Terminal 5; Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines from Terminal 3; and JetBlue from Terminal 2.
- To Newark: United Airlines from Terminal 2, and British Airways from Terminal 5.
Two joint ventures shape what you actually see when you search. British Airways and American Airlines sell as a single transatlantic operation, and so do Virgin Atlantic and Delta, so a flight booked with one is often operated by the other. That does not change the terminal, since American and Delta both sit at Terminal 3 with Virgin, but it does change the aircraft, the cabin and the frequent-flyer treatment. Read the operating carrier on the booking, not just the airline you paid.
JetBlue is the outlier and the most useful one. It prices below the legacy carriers and its business cabin gets better reviews than the fare suggests, and it is worth checking on any Heathrow to New York search precisely because it sits outside both joint ventures. The airlines at Heathrow page has the full carrier and terminal mapping.
When to fly
Because this route has more competing airlines than any other from Heathrow, the seasonal price swing is unusually wide. The cheap weeks are genuinely cheap and the expensive ones are punishing.
January to early March is the cheapest window, along with the first half of November once the autumn rush has passed and before Thanksgiving. New York in February is cold and often grey, and that is the whole reason the fares are low. June to August is the peak, and so are the weeks around Thanksgiving in late November and Christmas. The Thanksgiving spike catches British travellers out, because it is not a UK holiday but it moves American transatlantic demand sharply for about ten days.
Time of day matters more here than the season. A westbound morning departure gets you into New York with an afternoon still ahead of you, which effectively buys you an extra half day. The late-afternoon departures land in the evening after a long day and are usually cheaper for that reason. Coming home, the overnight is the standard and there is little alternative, so pick your cabin and your seat with sleeping in mind rather than hoping for a daytime option.
The direct-versus-connecting question barely applies on this pair. With six carriers flying non-stop into two airports, a one-stop routeing through Dublin, Reykjavik or a European hub only makes sense if it is dramatically cheaper or if you want the pre-clearance that a Dublin connection offers. For most travellers, non-stop is both quicker and competitive on price.
At the airport
New York flights leave from three of Heathrow’s four terminals. British Airways is at Terminal 5, Virgin Atlantic, American and Delta are at Terminal 3, and JetBlue and United are at Terminal 2. Terminal 4 has no New York service at all, so if your booking sends you there, something is wrong. Check your airline rather than your destination, and confirm it on the which terminal page if the booking is ambiguous.
Terminal 3 carries the largest share of the route and is the one most likely to be busy when you travel, since three carriers plus the Delta and Virgin joint venture all push their New York departures through the same building. Virgin Atlantic runs a separate Upper Class Wing check-in and security channel there for its premium cabins. Terminal 5 is the smoother experience for a British Airways departure, and Terminal 2 is the quietest of the three.
Allow around three hours for a long-haul departure, and more in the summer peak. If you are connecting onto a New York flight from another Heathrow arrival, the connecting flights page covers the minimum connection times and what a terminal change involves. At the New York end, the airport terminals differ by carrier too: British Airways and American use JFK Terminal 8, Virgin Atlantic and Delta use JFK Terminal 4, and JetBlue uses JFK Terminal 5. That matters if someone is meeting you.
Who it suits, honestly
Fly to JFK if you are heading for Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island or the east side of Manhattan, or if you simply want the widest choice of departure times. It has far more Heathrow flights than Newark, which means more options if your plans shift and more availability if you are booking on points.
Fly to Newark if you are going to New Jersey, the west side of Manhattan, or anywhere you would reach from Penn Station. Newark is not the poor relation on this route that it is sometimes made out to be, and for a good number of trips it is the better arrival airport. It just has fewer flights.
Check JetBlue before you settle on a legacy carrier. It sits outside both of the big joint ventures, prices below them, and its business cabin gets better reviews than the fare suggests. On a route this competitive, not checking it costs you money.
The one thing not to do is book on airport name alone. Landing at the wrong side of New York with a bad connection to your accommodation undoes any saving on the fare, and on this route you almost always have a genuine choice.