Why You Should Think Twice Before Booking a Flight to ‘New York International Airport’
Last year, Norwegian Air began offering flights from New York to Europe starting at $99 one-way. Although cheap transatlantic flights are of course tempting, travelers should remember to always map the origin airport, which in Norwegian's case is Stewart International. Knowing exactly what that fare is getting you could become more difficult now that the airport could change its name to “New York International.”
Earlier this month, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey granted Stewart Airport permission to change its name. Last week, the airport announced that the new name will be New York Stewart International Airport.
“It's important for travelers to easily and quickly associate the airport with the New York region,” Huntley Lawrence, the director of the Port Authority’s Aviation Department, told the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Although the new airport may refer to itself as “New York International,” it is located more than 60 miles north of New York City — a time-consuming realization for unaware travelers who are in or headed to the metropolitan area. (For context, LaGuardia is eight miles from Manhattan, Newark is 12, and JFK is 15.)
At the moment, passengers in Manhattan can reach Stewart International by boarding a midtown bus for a (minimum) 90-minute ride or traveling to the Beacon station via train. A drive up to the airport is likely to take more than an hour without traffic.
With a cheap enough flight, that inconvenience is worth it, but what you don't want to do is book a flight to an airport and then be surprised by its location.
The Port Authority also approved a $30-million terminal expansion that would add 19,850 square feet to the airport, including a customs inspection area. Last year, almost 450,000 passengers passed through Stewart International Airport — nearly double 2016’s 275,000 passengers.
Last year, Norwegian Air began offering flights from New York to Europe starting at $99 one-way. Although cheap transatlantic flights are of course tempting, travelers should remember to always map the origin airport, which in Norwegian's case is Stewart International. Knowing exactly what that fare is getting you could become more difficult now that the airport could change its name to “New York International.”
Earlier this month, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey granted Stewart Airport permission to change its name. Last week, the airport announced that the new name will be New York Stewart International Airport.
“It's important for travelers to easily and quickly associate the airport with the New York region,” Huntley Lawrence, the director of the Port Authority’s Aviation Department, told the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Although the new airport may refer to itself as “New York International,” it is located more than 60 miles north of New York City — a time-consuming realization for unaware travelers who are in or headed to the metropolitan area. (For context, LaGuardia is eight miles from Manhattan, Newark is 12, and JFK is 15.)
At the moment, passengers in Manhattan can reach Stewart International by boarding a midtown bus for a (minimum) 90-minute ride or traveling to the Beacon station via train. A drive up to the airport is likely to take more than an hour without traffic.
With a cheap enough flight, that inconvenience is worth it, but what you don't want to do is book a flight to an airport and then be surprised by its location.
The Port Authority also approved a $30-million terminal expansion that would add 19,850 square feet to the airport, including a customs inspection area. Last year, almost 450,000 passengers passed through Stewart International Airport — nearly double 2016’s 275,000 passengers.
