Laguardia, Newark, JFK...and Philly?

On Sunday, the NY Times said that many New Yorkers are taking flights out of Philadelphia to save money, because the NYC area airports are really expensive. The cheaper fares are mainly coming from US Airways, which slashed its fares. While this may be true, Gothamist is still really surprised. Mainly because it takes about two hours to get to Philly (it's not like choosing between Oakland and San Francisco if you're in the Bay Area), then tack on the extra time you need to get through security and screening, and you've basically put half a day into your travel time - is a deal that's $100 cheaper worth the emotional hassle? If you live in NJ, or you're traveling in a huge pack of people, Gothamist would understand why taking flights from Philly would be attractive, but it still seems like a lot of work. The Chinatown buses we get, this not so much, but we'll be looking into it the next time we plan a trip.

Are you traveling farther out to get better deals? Here's the Philadelphia International Airport website. And other airplane news: All planes were on alert over the weekend when there was an alleged hijacking mentioned on a radio transmission, which turned out to be nothing, and it looks like airports are safer but not that safe. Great!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on March 15, 2005 12:25 PM

Comments [rss]

Karlik1

Karlik4

Tim N.

It's easier to get to Philly than it is to get to JFK.

It's easier to get to Antarctica than it is to get to JFK.

Setya

Newark has a lot of non-stops that JFK and LGA do not have. It's worth going there to get a non-stop. Phila? No thanks...

pk

i know folks who have done the reverse- taken flights from newark instead of philly because they're cheaper. they're packaged with an amtrak ticket - you get on at 30th street station in philly and travel to newark.

one big problem with either version of this trip, though, is your dependence on either amtrak or nj/transit septa to get you there on time. missing your flight because the train broke down pretty much nullifies the money you've saved.

Cookie Guggleman

Reading this I got the feeling a friend of the reporter's did this, and suddenly it's a trend. That's bc I'm dubious of most trend stories in the Times.

Amy

I think it's also Southwest Airlines that's a big draw for Philly. I posted something on this over the weekend at NewYorkology Travel, and a nice Wharton student wrote in with the lowdown on how to best get to Philadelphia via regional transit. She included prices, times, taxi and bus info, too.

Kojak

It really depends where in NYC you live. Newark is a friendlier destination if you live in Manhattan than JFK is. But the LIRR/Subway to the JFK Airtrain Connection helps a lot, especally for Queens and Long Island Folks.

sam

getting to Newark is pretty easy, especially if you're coming from midtown or the west side. One train from Penn Station, then the air train- and you don't have to worry about getting stuck in traffic. During rush hour you can do it in 45 minutes, sometimes less. WAY easier than JFK.

Sofia

Getting to Newark is almost as difficult as getting to Phila...even if it's further away. We're not really talking about $100 in savings--more like $500 in savings.

Kojak

Domestic flights out of Philly might be a good idea price wise, but the effort to travel all the way there from anywhere except NJ cancels out the benefits.

For International Flights better stick to EWR and JFK since I don’t see International Direct flights going to Philly as being any cheaper. Probably more of a hassle since its more likely you’re going to have to connect somewhere.

I'd rather spend the extra cash then go through the trouble. I'm not that cheap

Pancho

Ridiculous.

My immediate reaction to the article was if you are that concerned about saving $100, you shouldn't be flying in the first place.

Here's a budget travel tip...don't travel. Stay home and flying won't cost you a dime.