Cheap flights from JFK to London this winter
Long Islanders can travel to London for as low as $390 this winter from Kennedy Airport. Credit: GC Images/AaronP/Bauer-Griffin
Yes, London is cold in January, Yes, it’s famously expensive, and yes, its currency has (slightly) rebounded from previous lows against the dollar. But it's hard to imagine that flying to London nonstop from New York will ever be cheaper than this winter, with multiple airlines offering cheap round-trip fares, one as low as $390.
That would be JetBlue, which offers that fare for flights from Kennedy Airport to Heathrow on select dates. For that price, you get one free carry-on bag, or you can check a bag for $60 each way.
Only slightly more expensive is Delta, whose round-trip flights between the same two airports cost as little as $400 throughout the winter with a free carry-on, although the airline charges $150 for the first checked bag.
On select dates from January through April, you can fly on Virgin Atlantic from JFK to Heathrow for just $403 with a free carry-on. (Checked bags are $75.) Travelers receive complimentary drinks and snacks while on board and are allowed to select their seats at check-in. Also $403 are round-trip flights on British Airways, which allows one free carry-on and charges $140 for a checked bag.
Finally, there’s newish Norse Atlantic Airways, a low-cost Norwegian airline that launched in 2021. Its flights, which depart from JFK but land at London’s Gatwick airport, start at $407 and include both a free carry-on and free personal item.
And while stays in the city are never cheap, savvy travelers can find deals. In January, rooms at the 5-star Standard hotel near Kings Cross and St. Pancras station are going for $149 a night on Hotwire, while stays at the Hotel Rafayel, another 5-star property in Battersea Wharf, are an even lower $114 (plus taxes and fees). Still lower are rooms at the Wellington Hotel near Buckingham Palace on select dates: $110 a night. And on Priceline, rooms at the President Hotel in Bloomsbury have been found for $101, as well as $75 rooms with a single double bed at the centrally located Swinton Hotel.
For comparison's sake, rides on the London Eye at current exchange rates are about $36, tours of the Tower of London are $44, cruises with Thames River Sightseeing start at a bit more than $11, and a plate of fish and chips with cod will set you back about $16 at celebrated Brockley’s Rock in southeast London.
And nothing beats the city's best bargain, the British Museum, where tickets are always free (donations accepted, advance booking recommended).
For up-to-date fares on airlines, check individual airline sites or visit flights.google.com.
Newsday writer and restaurant critic Scott Vogel aims for a refreshing, gimlet-eyed take on the Long Island food scene, often while drinking a refreshing gimlet.