Background story, I have a cruise booked on the QM2 from New York back to Southampton next July and therefore need to get to New York. I am looking at a reward flight as one way CW revenue tickets are going to cost as much as my cruise. Looking at availability, there seems to be plenty of availability to Newark and a bit less to JFK. I plan to travel to New York a couple of days before the cruise. My question is there any advantage in flying to JFK over Newark, is it worth staying near Newark and what is it like to get into central New York by public transportation from the Newark area?

Thanks in advance

 

Biggest advantage IMHO is the fact there are a lot more flights per day between JFK and LHR, so should there be disruption then you stand a better chance of travelling.

 

JFK is definitely more pleasant to depart from, but that doesn't apply to you.

Both are reasonably well served by cabs and trains.

There may be a better CW product on JFK - try to get Club Suits if you can - which suggests you're better off on a 777. (Not sure what's flying to EWR at the moment).

The disruption point is a good one, although BA will generally allow re-routing to JFK if there is capacity, rather than enforcing a wait for the next available flight to EWR.

 

EWR to NYC is easy enough by train - just catch the automated transit to the airport rail station from where there�s a decent service direct into Penn Station (either by Amtrak or New Jersey Transit).

You could also consider looking at reward availability to JFK via MAD with IB if you want to pay considerably lower taxes & charges.

I was going to suggest buying a return from LHR-JFK and just throwing away the return leg unused, but I�d be reticent to do anything that confuses the CBP into thinking you haven�t left the US.

 

The mid afternoon EWR is my favourite flight, always a CS aircraft and touch wood never a queue at immigration. The later flight at the moment is occasionally swapped to old CW and is probably a bit later arrival than preferred for a leisure trip. It's very easy to get into the city using public transport or get an Uber.

One option for a hotel depending on your NYC plans is to stay at either of the Hyatts in Jersey City which are even closer to Newark Airport - very easy to reach Manhattan via the ferries or PATH depending on your destination. But really landing at Newark is no reason not to stay in Manhattan if you so wish.

As you're flying from London then if there is any disruption you'd have plenty of options for an alternative flight (to JFK if needs be)

 

BTW - have you asked the cruise line ? They usually negotiate one way tickets for this scenario (as they can sell the other "half" of the ticket to someone cruising in the other direction!)

 

For JFK to NYC the easiest (but not cheapest) public transport is to take Airtrain from JFK Terminal to Jamaica station (on the Long Island Railroad), which costs $8 and then the Long Island Railroad from Jamaica station into Penn Station or the Brooklyn station (about $15)

 

On enquiry, it would appear that my cruise line only sell flights in �Economy Class�, whatever that is.😀

 

I assume that there will be CBP agents at the cruise terminal to stamp you out of the country. Just thinking aloud though, I expect that I will have to show my cruise ticket to gain entry, and can expect the SSSS at LHR.

 

EWR is a better arrival experience and a much easier ride into Manhattan on public transport, in my admittedly limited experience

 

BA will likely ask for the cruise ticket. Maybe CBP. OW doesn't automatically mean SSSS!

 

No, it�ll be up to the cruise line to process emigration documentation, as the airlines do when you fly.

But you�re right to assume that a one-way ticket may well lead to extra scrutiny on arrival.

 

Really? I find it hard to believe that Cunard won�t arrange J or F flights. The QM2 isn�t exactly low-end!

 

Cunard will arrange J or even F for you upon request but when I asked them for prices a while ago they politely requested I pay through the nose, hopefully the OP has better luck.

 

Flew out of EWR in May, albeit for the first time. Took forever to get to from Central Park area.Found it a strange experience. Check in was in the basement. No priority security lanes. Lounge was nothing to write home about. Food was excellent though. The much fabled lounge dragon,Rosa was miserable and curt at times. Just a dated terminal and a dull experience inmo. In the words of June Whitfield in Carry on Abroad. ' I tried it once, I didnt like it' Will stick to JFK in future.