We will be traveling to the New York/Washington DC area on vacation and were wondering which airport would be the best to fly into - we will be flying from Northern Nevada. We can start or vacation in DC or New York pending which airport is best. Thank you.

Overall, I'd take whatever you can get the best deal on. Southwest from Las Vegas to BWI, maybe? Or jetBlue to JFK?

For NYC airports, my order of pref would be LGA, then either JFK or EWR. JFK usually less expensive to get to Manhattan from, EWR easier. Islip, where Southwest flies into is quite far away.

For DC airports, all else (flights) being the same, my prefs are DCA, BWI, and IAD. DC is VERY close to town, and the Metro stops right at the airport. I feel BWI has more transportation options (taxi, shuttle, bus, commuter rail, Amtrak) into DC than does Dulles. Amtrak probably the best way to get between the cities, unless you get a good deal on rental car, but you really don't want a car in either of the 2 cities, and it will cost $$$ to park. Again -- look for the best airfare prices.

Laguardia or Newark if NY is your first stop.
Go with the best fare.

If you plan to rent a car for any part of this trip then you should work your trip so that you don't have the car in NY unless you are REALLY brave or a Nascar driver.

Do not fly into Dulles -- it is about one weeks drive from Dulles into DC. I'm being facetious but it's a haul.

I prefer to fly into Laguardia but JFK and Newark both have really good light-rail shuttle service into Manhattan now. LaGuardia is closer to the city. Book whichever is cheapest is my suggestion.

The light rail, actually The Airtrain at JFK and Newark are not direct links into Manhattan. Both take you from the terminal to another train, NJ Transit from Newark or the subway or Long Island Railroad from JFK. The trip in from Newark is somewhat quicker than from JFK, but not by much.

If you're taking a cab, the lowest fare will be LaGuardia, JFK then Newark.

My preference in Newark, LaGuarida then JFK, but I live in downtown Manhattan and Newark is most convenient for me.

The "best" airport may or may not be the one into which you get the cheapest fare. That "savings" can be easily wiped out by the transportation necessities once you arrive.

As someone above has said, DCA is the closest in airport to Washington and even though someone described Dulles as being a "haul" from downtown..it is a "whopping" 26 miles out vs. BWI which is much farther.

New York...I'd try for LGA given its proximity to Manhattan although I suppose you could make a case for Newark, too. But again, I'd try to factor in both the time AND cost of those onward transport modes before making a final decision.

We flew into JFK, the super shuttle met us right at baggage claim. We were in downtown Manhatten rather quickly.

LGA is far and away the most convenient airport to Manhattan. No discussion.

But if cost is an issue and you can save mucho dinero flying into JFK or EWR, just realize the journeys from both are miserable, time-consuming and, if you choose a cab or car service, expensive.

Good Luck!

Flying into New York, the cheapest fares tend to be to Newark. But that's not always the case. Transportation-wise, in rush hour, it's probably easiest to get to Newark or JFK because there are rail links. However, LGA is closest to Manhattan, which means it's the cheapest cab ride of the three. But that also means possibly getting stuck in traffic. Also, I'm assuming you're staying at a hotel in the city, but if someone's picking you up, you might want to check with that person. Someone living on Long Island probably doesn't want to pick you up at Newark.

Strongly recommend that you do not use Islip for New York - it is nowhere near the city - its really a commuter airport only convenient for people who live on Long Island. Any fare savings in landing there will be eaten up in money - and especially time - in getting into the city - inconvenient and will take at least two hours.

I think the OP is asking whether to fly into a NY airport or a DC airport. I agree, go for the best airfare.

For what it's worth, I prefer Jet Blue to Southwest if those are the choices. I agree do NOT use Islip airport (Southwest's NY stop) for NYC.

Thanks to all of you who responded to my post. You are a great source of information!

charblack,

re: taxis from JFK to Manhattan

New Rates Effective May 3, 2004

The flat fare for all trips from JFK to the first destination in Manhattan is as follows:

$45.00 plus any tolls (a 15-20% tip is customary). The $0.50 night surcharge shall not be added to this flat rate
The $1.00 peak time surcharge shall not be added to this flat rate The taximeter and receipt shall reflect that this trip is a flat fare

I would suggest not using a gypsy cab if you are approached at JFK, as they are totally unregulated if there's a problem. However, there are many car services that you may call that would be cheaper than a cab. Two in my Brooklyn neighborhood that I've used are Eastern Car Service 718/499-6227 and Castle 718/499-9333. Call a day ahead to reserve, when you call ask how much they'll charge for a ride from JFK to your destination, then tip about 15 percent. These cars are usually sedans (sometimes older cars) and you'll see a card in the windshield indicating the name of the car service. Tell them where you want them to pick you up (domestic arrivals, airline).

There's the Carey bus that goes from both Lag and jfk, but it can end up being not much cheaper if there are 2 people. You might want to check that out though.

It's a 3 hour amtrak ride from NYC (Penn Station) to DC. It can be a bit of a zoo, since Amtrak does not assign seats but goes by a first come first serve basis.

Have a great trip. I've lived in NYC for many years and love it, and I've gone to DC for weekends many times and love it there as well.
Best, Marge