1. Decide what is fixed—and what is flexible.
Write down your earliest departure, latest return, maximum number of stops and the bags you need. Separate non-negotiables from preferences. A wedding date may be fixed; the departure airport might not be. A school break may be fixed; the destination could be open.
This turns an endless search into a manageable comparison. If you are flexible on destination, start with our budget explorer. If you already know where you are going, open that route page and use the sampled travel periods as starting points.
Explore destinations from New York ↗2. Compare JFK, EWR and LGA on the same terms.
Keep the travel dates, passenger count, cabin and destination airports identical. Then look at the total journey: flight price, departure time, connections and getting to the airport. A lower fare from a less convenient airport may still win—but do the arithmetic.
Our airport comparisons hold the main search settings constant. They do not promise equivalent flight times or baggage allowances. The interactive calculator lets you add your own round-trip ground-transport estimate.
Try the airport savings index ↗3. Shortlist the itinerary, not just the number.
Save two or three viable options with their exact airport codes, dates and return itinerary. Check whether an overnight flight changes your arrival day. If a connecting itinerary adds a long layover, decide how much of your holiday you are willing to spend in transit.
Google Flights offers date-grid and price-graph tools for exploring flexible dates. Use them to test the surrounding dates after a promising sample catches your eye. A few attractive dates in our research do not establish the cheapest week of the year.
Google: finding fares with date and price tools ↗4. Compare providers, then check the final screen.
Open Google Flights and Skyscanner for the same airports and dates. You are comparing fresh searches: the fare shown on this site is not a quote from both providers. Before paying, confirm the seller, both directions, baggage, change conditions and total cost.
If the dates are not ready yet, price tracking is a useful alternative to repeatedly checking by hand. Google supports tracking a route or flight, including flexible-date tracking. Our own free newsletter will focus on useful New York flight finds once signup opens.
Google: track flights and prices ↗
