Stansted to New York

Just for this Monday (7 February) travellers can book a £139 single flight with Icelandic airline PLAY to New York.

The catch is that whilst the destination airport, Stewart International (SWF), is operated by the New York Port Authority (as is the all the other New York airports), it is 60 miles north of Manhattan and the only public transport available is a coach service.  The normal return fare is around the £300 mark.

Transatlantic flights begin 10 June and will depart from London four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), with a 1hr 35min layover in Reykjavik.  The airline also flies to Boston and another alternative airport, Baltimore/Washington.

Birgir Jónsson, PLAY CEO, said: “After we learnt of the surge in the area surrounding New York Stewart and the benefits it offers, we did not hesitate in snapping up the chance to operate from this airport. New York is a critical location for both European tourists looking to explore Manhattan, and American travellers heading to the 22 destinations we fly to”.

The airline points out that although Stewart is further away from Manhattan than JFK and Newark, it takes passengers approximately an hour less to get there thanks to the time saved getting through airport customs, compared to the much lengthier processes at the main airports.  It is very small and can be compared with Doncaster and Southend in the UK, in 2018 only moving 690,000 passengers. Landing fees at Stewart are 80% cheaper compared to other airports in New York. In additional, with less air traffic at the airport, PLAY´s aircraft will spend less time taxiing on the ground and holding, which saves fuel, expenses and emission.

PLAY will be the first international carrier at New York Stewart International Airport since 2019, and its passengers will be the first to benefit from the recently constructed, $37m international arrivals and US Customs expansion.

www.flyplay.com

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