If you live in the Hudson Valley, there’s a good chance you’ve wondered if a direct flight is worth the schlep to Newark or JFK or if you’d rather have the ease of parking and painless TSA experience Albany International offers. You’ve probably dabbled in flying out of Westchester County Airport (HPN) even though the terminal feels like a Greyhound station, and the only food or drink available beyond the security checkpoint is from a shop that feels like a rundown minimart that’s always sold out of bacon, egg, and cheeses.
Unless you live in the city or North Jersey and can take public transportation, parking at the city airports is expensive, a hassle, or both. If you live a short, inexpensive cab ride away from HPN, that airport may make sense, but if you’re driving yourself, be prepared to park at SUNY Purchase and get bussed over.
Newburgh’s New York Stewart International Airport (SWF) might be the answer to some of the travel woes Hudson Valley residents experience. SWF has some great new routes on low-cost airlines, and it’s an economical, uncongested, and convenient alternative to the New York/New Jersey metropolitan region’s airports.
SWF is part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages all the major city airports, the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, the PATH rail transit system, and Port Authority, which is the busiest bus terminal in the world. SWF stands apart from other travel hubs in that it has the convenience and feel of a small, regional airport but offers a good variety of direct domestic and international flights.
“For those tired of the hassles around air travel, New York Stewart offers a nearly frictionless airport experience right next door to the Hudson Valley and beyond,” says Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “Security lines are minimal, baggage claim is simple, and customs checks are seamless. Stewart’s list of unique, affordable destinations is growing, and we are committed to seeing the airport fully spread its wings as a major economic engine for the region.”
What airlines fly out of SWF?
Three airlines are currently operating out of SWF: Breeze, Allegiant Air, PLAY, and Atlantic Airways. When looking to book flights out of Newburgh, it’s helpful to know which airlines to look for as many of the low-cost airlines don’t show up on the travel search engines such as Booking.com, KAYAK.com, Priceline.com, etc., and if you’re looking to travel one of these airlines from SWF, it’s best to go directly to the airline’s website.
Where can you fly from SWF?
Breeze flies between Newburgh and Orlando on Thursdays and Sundays and between Newburgh and Charleston on Fridays and Mondays.
Allegiant Air provides service to Orlando-Sanford (SFB), Punta Gorda (PGD), and St. Pete-Clearwater in Florida, and Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Orlando-Sanford and Punta Gorda routes operate on Mondays and Fridays, and the St. Pete route flies on Sundays and Thursdays.
PLAY offers nonstop daily service to Reykjavik, Iceland, with connections to dozens of popular cities in Europe.
Atlantic Airways currently provides very limited seasonal service to Vágar in the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago of 18 islands in the North Atlantic that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. This route out of SWF is the country’s first and only nonstop service to the Faroe Islands, and this year, flights will run on six consecutive Wednesdays between September 4 and October 9.
What else should I know about SWF?
Since the Port Authority acquired the airport in November 2007, it has invested more than $220 million in facility improvements and completed a $37 million terminal expansion. The expansion also included the construction of a permanent US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection station to support new air service and accommodate additional international travelers and added 20,000 square feet of space to the existing terminal, allowing CBP to screen up to 400 international passengers efficiently per hour.
If you’ve gone through customs at one of the bigger airports, you know what a lengthy hassle it can be. The SWF process is so streamlined, they’ve even made it convenient for New Yorkers to take an express bus direct from midtown to the airport or a $1 shuttle bus from the Beacon Metro North Station.
Last but not least, parking
It seems too good to be true that there’s an airport in Newburgh that can whisk you directly to Florida, South Carolina, Iceland, or the Faroe Islands, but it’s true, and on top of it, after paying $12 for the first 24 hours, long-term parking is only $6 a day.
This article appears in March 2024.
This is great, but unfortunate that the major airlines do not fly out out of SWF. The flights are only for the non business traveler. The business traveler has to drive to LGA or JFK or Newark, deal with the traffic and pay more to park.
It would be great if the representatives for NY would try to bring back the major airlines to SWF.
A reminder: The more we all use this airport, the more flights will be added to the schedule, and maybe even the more airlines will want a piece of that pie!
Staff is very friendly. Now, if only the signage for long term handicapped parking could be improved, and some help be provided for handicapped patrons to actually get into the terminal (up that awful ramp) with luggage, Stewart would have it nailed. PS, I can walk, just not well!
I was very disappointed to learn that there is no longer service to Chicago.
For years I used SWF to travel just about anywhere in the Country, and even Internationally to Taiwan and Japan.
SWF has promised the Metro region as an alternative to having to go to NYC and Newark since the 90’s. It worked for a while but it continues too not live up to that promise.
I’ll keep this in mind the next time I feel like flying to Iceland or the Faroe Islands.
Nothing beats flying out of Steward Airport.
Just flew Play Airlines to Reykjavik without any problems.
Next trip, Breeze Airlines to Charleston, SC.
I jumped when I saw Atlantic’s flights to the Faroe Islands. It was an awesome spectacular amazing week in one of the most beat places on earth!