Private Jet London to New York
Leave London in the morning and you land at Teterboro around eleven, with a full working day in Manhattan still ahead of you. The five hours you gain crossing the time zones are what makes this route worth flying, and the two things that decide how well it works are which aircraft crosses without stopping and how quickly the American border lets you through.
2,989 nm
London to Teterboro
from 6 h 46 min
Westbound, nonstop
from £58,000
One way, nonstop
UK -5 hours
New York time
Westbound takes longer than eastbound, and by more than you would think
The jet stream runs west to east across the Atlantic, so it pushes against you going out and carries you home. On a Challenger 605 that is seven hours thirty-eight minutes to New York and six hours eighteen coming back, a difference of well over an hour on the same sector. Plan the outbound around the longer figure and the return around the shorter one. It also explains why an eight in the morning departure from London puts you on the ground in New Jersey by late morning local time, and why the flight home can leave New York in the evening and still reach London for breakfast.
London to New York: prices, flight time and which aircraft cross nonstop
The nonstop column is the one that matters. Flight times below are westbound, which is the longer direction; the journey home runs about an hour quicker, and rather more than that on the heavier types:
| Aircraft class | Seats | Westbound | Nonstop | One way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super-midsize Challenger 350, Citation Longitude |
8 - 9 | about 8 h 05 min | With a fuel stop | from £44,000 |
| Large jet Challenger 605, Legacy 650 |
12 - 13 | about 7 h 38 min | Yes | from £58,000 |
| Large jet, long-legged Falcon 2000LXS, Gulfstream G450 |
10 - 13 | about 7 h 29 min | Yes | from £63,000 |
| Large jet, three-engine Falcon 900LX |
12 - 14 | about 7 h 21 min | Yes | from £67,000 |
| Long-range Global 5000, Falcon 7X |
13 - 14 | about 7 h 10 min | Yes | from £72,000 |
| Ultra-long-range Global 6000, Gulfstream G550, Falcon 8X |
13 - 16 | about 7 h 10 min | Yes | from £79,000 |
| Ultra-long-range flagship Global 7500, Gulfstream G650ER |
14 - 19 | about 6 h 46 min | Yes | from £95,000 |
The super-midsize line is the cheapest way across, and it stops on the way
A Challenger 350 is published at 3,200 nautical miles against a sector of 2,989, and a Citation Longitude at 3,500. On paper both reach New York. Against a westbound headwind with passengers and luggage aboard, neither does it reliably, so we plan a fuel stop rather than hope. Gander is the usual choice: two thousand miles out from London, under a thousand from Teterboro, and a turnaround of about forty minutes. That puts the total journey around eight hours instead of seven and a half, for appreciably less money. The return, with the wind behind you, is frequently nonstop on the same aircraft.
Two caveats on those figures
– These are one-way prices, and a one-way across the Atlantic carries the aircraft’s empty journey home inside it. A return booked at the same time comes out far below two singles;
– Air Passenger Duty is charged per passenger leaving the United Kingdom, sits in the higher band on a sector this length, and applies to the outbound leg only.
Which London airport for a New York flight
Fifty-eight nautical miles separate the nearest London field from the furthest, which across the Atlantic is a matter of minutes. What decides it is where the right size of aircraft is based. Each field has its own page in our London section:
| Airport | To Teterboro | What it offers on this route |
|---|---|---|
| London Oxford OXF / EGTK |
2,956 nm | The shortest crossing of the seven, and the easiest field to reach from west or north of London. Its business terminal handles the class of aircraft this route needs, though the resident long-range fleet is smaller than Luton’s |
| Farnborough FAB / EGLF |
2,986 nm | The most used departure point in Britain for transatlantic charter. Business aviation only, no scheduled traffic, and the deepest concentration of heavy and long-range aircraft anywhere in the country |
| London Luton LTN / EGGW |
2,989 nm | Around 45 minutes from the City and the busiest London field for private movements. Wide choice on any given day, and the customs and handling for an Atlantic departure are routine here |
| RAF Northolt NHT / EGWU |
2,993 nm | Closest to Mayfair at around 30 minutes. A Royal Air Force station with a fixed annual cap on civil movements, so an Atlantic departure wants arranging well ahead |
| London Stansted STN / EGSS |
3,010 nm | Its own business terminal and generous ramp space, which suits the large cabins this route uses. About an hour from the City and comfortable with an aircraft of any size |
| London City LCY / EGLC |
3,011 nm | Fifteen minutes from Canary Wharf. The steep approach rules out most of the types that cross the Atlantic nonstop, so we check the pairing before quoting rather than after |
| Biggin Hill BQH / EGKB |
3,014 nm | Business aviation only and about 50 minutes from central London, with a hotel on the field for the early starts an Atlantic departure often needs |
Farnborough carries most of this traffic, and there is a reason
Long-range aircraft live where the hangars and the handling suit them, and for transatlantic work that concentration sits at Farnborough more than anywhere else in Britain, with Luton close behind. An aircraft already based at your departure field saves a positioning leg, which on this route is worth thousands rather than hundreds. So we look first at what is available and where, then at your drive out of London. The one field we rule out early is London City, where the approach restricts the aircraft types and almost nothing that crosses the Atlantic nonstop qualifies.
Arriving in New York: Teterboro and the alternatives
Teterboro handles the bulk of private traffic into the city, with four further options that each suit a particular destination. The city in full is covered on our New York page.
| The alternatives | When each one earns its place |
|---|---|
| Morristown MMU / KMOR |
Thirty-six kilometres west of Manhattan and quieter than Teterboro, with no weight restriction. The natural choice for northern New Jersey, for the largest cabins, and when a late arrival runs into the Teterboro night rules |
| Westchester County HPN / KHPN |
Forty-two kilometres north of the city and the answer for Greenwich, Connecticut and the northern suburbs. A gentler drive than crossing into Manhattan, and popular with clients whose business sits in Fairfield County |
| Republic, Farmingdale FRG / KFRG |
On Long Island, forty-eight kilometres out, and much the shortest road to the Hamptons. Where the destination is the East End in summer, flying here rather than to Teterboro saves two hours of Sunday traffic |
| Newark Liberty EWR / KEWR |
Eighteen kilometres from Manhattan and the closest of all, though private movements share the field with heavy commercial traffic. Worth pursuing where the trip connects onto a scheduled onward flight |
Tell us the address rather than the airport
Teterboro is closest to Manhattan and busiest, which makes it the default. But if the meeting is in Greenwich, Westchester puts you there without crossing the city. If the house is in the Hamptons, Republic saves a drive that in August is measured in hours. If the aircraft is one of the very largest, Teterboro’s weight rule sends it to Morristown anyway. Give us the postcode at the far end and the airport follows from it, which on this route is worth more than shaving ten minutes off the crossing.
The American border, and what happens before you fly
This is the one route we sell where paperwork has to be filed before departure rather than shown on arrival. None of it is difficult, and all of it is ours to handle, but it does set the earliest moment you can leave:
British and most European passport holders travel on an ESTA; anyone who has one already should check it has not expiredapply at least 72 hours ahead
passenger and crew details go to US Customs and Border Protection in advance, and we submit it as part of the bookingfiled electronically before departure
officers come to the aircraft at Teterboro rather than you walking to a hall, and the wait is a fraction of a commercial arrival20 to 40 minutes at the FBO
there is no facility to clear American immigration before you leave, so the formality happens at the far endunlike Dublin or Shannon
agricultural items, large sums of cash and certain foods all need declaring, and the rules are stricter than most people expectpassports and a declaration
Why the seventy-two hours matter more than anything else
On every other route we sell, a same-day departure is a question of finding an aircraft. Here it is a question of whether every passenger already holds valid American travel authorisation. Where they do, we can move quickly, and the eAPIS filing takes minutes rather than days. Where somebody needs an ESTA, the guidance is to allow three days, and that becomes the real constraint on the trip. So the first question we ask on a New York enquiry is not about dates or aircraft but about passports, because everything else follows from the answer.
Nonstop or a fuel stop, and what the stop actually costs you
Where the aircraft cannot make the crossing in one leg, it lands briefly on the way. That is routine rather than a failure, and knowing what it adds lets you weigh it against the saving:
the first option westbound and the least useful, since it leaves 2,673 nm still to fly and most aircraft needing a stop cannot manage that either318 nm from London
splits the crossing more evenly and is common on northerly routings, particularly in winter1,005 nm from London
the classic Atlantic stop, leaving 957 nm to Teterboro. Around forty minutes on the ground and the aircraft is airborne again2,033 nm from London
an alternative to Gander with similar arithmetic, chosen on the day for weather or fuel price2,126 nm from London
a stop is fuel and a crew stretch rather than a delay, and it happens while you stay aboard or step off briefly30 to 60 minutes
Three things worth knowing about the stop
– It usually applies westbound only. With the wind behind you the return is often nonstop on the same aircraft, so a trip can go out with a stop and come home without one;
– The saving is real. A super-midsize with a stop comes in well below the smallest cabin that crosses in one leg, which for a party of six or seven is worth weighing rather than dismissing;
– Winter shifts the calculation. Stronger headwinds mean a type that goes straight through in July may need fuel in January, and we quote against the season rather than an annual average.
Which aircraft actually fly this route
Published range sits beside each hourly rate, because on the Atlantic that number decides whether the trip has a stop in it:
Large cabins, the working choice
Every type here crosses westbound with fuel in reserve, and the seats convert to beds for the overnight journey home. The class most transatlantic bookings settle on, and the one with the widest availability out of Farnborough.
Long-range, the comfortable margin
Enough range that a westbound headwind changes nothing, and cabins built for working in rather than enduring. Both Falcons carry three engines, which over open ocean matters to a good many clients.
Ultra-long-range and the flagships
The quickest crossings available and the widest cabins flying. A G650ER makes New York in under seven hours westbound, which is roughly an hour better than a heavy jet.
Super-midsize, with a stop on the way
The lowest figure on the page. Both types are published above the sector distance but not by enough to beat a westbound headwind with a full cabin, so we plan forty minutes at Gander rather than gamble on it.
What moves the price on this route
Two things dominate. The first is whether the return is booked with the outbound, and the second is the time of year. Six periods worth knowing:
the corporate calendar at full stretch on both sides of the Atlantic, and the hardest weeks to place an aircraftthe heaviest months
Manhattan fills with delegations and the New York ramps with their aircrafta week apart from the rest
American holiday traffic runs in both directions and takes the available fleet with itbooked far ahead
the spring business season, with pricing below the autumn peakbusy but manageable
the softest pricing of the year, though winter headwinds are at their strongest westboundthe quiet stretch
the city empties while the Hamptons fill, so Republic gets busy as Teterboro easesmixed
On the Atlantic the return is where the money is
A one-way to New York leaves the aircraft three thousand miles from home, and somebody pays for it to come back whether or not that appears on your invoice. Book both legs and the operator plans one aeroplane rather than two, which on this route is the largest saving available anywhere in our network. Where the stay runs beyond a few days, the aircraft will often pick up other work in the United States and return for you, which brings the figure down again. Bring us both dates when you first make contact, even if the second one is still loose.
Four levers you control
– Book the return alongside the outbound. Nothing else moves the total by as much on a transatlantic sector;
– Weigh the fuel stop honestly. Forty minutes at Gander against a saving in the tens of thousands is a trade worth considering rather than refusing on principle;
– Check every passport early. An ESTA that needs applying for sets the earliest departure date, not the aircraft;
– Ask what is already crossing. Aircraft reposition over the Atlantic constantly, and catching one is the deepest saving on the route.
Empty legs between London and New York
An empty leg is a flight the operator is making anyway with nobody in the back, sold well below a fresh charter. Across the Atlantic they are uncommon, and each one is worth a great deal when it appears:
far rarer than on the European corridors, since an operator does not send an aircraft over the ocean without reasona few times a month
on a route priced in tens of thousands that is the largest single saving in our networkhalf a fresh charter or better
European fleets cross for the American season and back again, and each crossing leaves one leg emptyaircraft following owners
when owner traffic moves in volume and the repositioning follows itaround the summer and the holidays
all three belong to the operator, so this suits a window of a week rather than a fixed planthe date, the hour and the airport
A selection from our own books on this corridor, so the percentages have figures behind them. Dates left off, since a leg lasts only until somebody takes it:
| Route | Aircraft | Capacity | Whole aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teterboro - Luton | Challenger 350 | 9 seats | £24,000 |
| Farnborough - Teterboro | Challenger 605 | 12 seats | £29,000 |
| Teterboro - Farnborough | Gulfstream G450 | 13 seats | £33,000 |
| Luton - Teterboro | Global 5000 | 13 seats | £38,000 |
| Teterboro - Stansted | Global 6000 | 13 seats | £42,000 |
| Stansted - Teterboro | Gulfstream G550 | 16 seats | £45,000 |
| Teterboro - Biggin Hill | Global 7500 | 19 seats | £56,000 |
How to read those figures
– Each price is for the whole aircraft rather than per seat. A Global 7500 at 56,000 pounds carrying nineteen works out under three thousand a head for a nonstop Atlantic crossing in the largest cabin flying;
– Set each line beside the same class in the price table above. A Global 6000 at 42,000 against 79,000 for a fresh charter is the saving in plain terms;
– Winter is the leaner season for these. Owner traffic moves west in summer and around the holidays, and the repositioning follows it rather than running evenly through the year.
Whatever is going at the moment appears on the empty legs page, though on this corridor we would sooner ring you the day an Atlantic leg matches your window.
What a charter changes on a transatlantic sector
New York is served from London many times a day. Over seven and a half hours and an international border, the differences compound rather than staying where they started:
| Flying commercially | Private charter | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you depart from | A commercial terminal, three hours before wheels up | Your nearest private field, fifteen minutes before |
| The arrival airport | JFK or Newark, then the road into the city | Teterboro, twelve kilometres from Manhattan |
| The American border | A queue at immigration that can run to ninety minutes | Officers come to the aircraft at the FBO, usually twenty to forty minutes |
| The crossing itself | A seat, however good, in a shared cabin | A flat bed made up by the crew, and a cabin nobody else is in |
| Door to door, City to Midtown | Around twelve hours | Around eight |
| A same-day business window | Rarely reliable | Leave at eight, land near eleven local, a full afternoon in Manhattan |
| If the schedule changes | A rebooking on whatever is left | The departure moves with you, subject to the eAPIS filing |
| Luggage and equipment | A hold, a weight limit and a fee | Loaded at the steps, and sample cases travel flat |
| A family or a delegation of twelve | Twelve fares and twelve seats scattered | One cabin, arriving together and in the same state |
Where a charter earns its keep on this route
Four hours come back to you across the journey, and on the Atlantic most of that sits at the New York end. Landing at Teterboro means officers meeting the aircraft rather than a hall to walk to, and a car twelve kilometres from Manhattan rather than a road in from Queens. Put a flat bed and a private cabin in between, and a departure at eight in the morning turns into a working afternoon in Midtown on the same day. That is the trip clients on this corridor are actually buying, and it is why the same names come back for it every autumn.
Travelling with a dog to New York
Over seven and a half hours the cabin matters more than on any European route, and the American requirements changed recently enough that a good deal of advice online is out of date.
Going out to the United States
Dogs entering the United States need to be at least six months old, microchipped, and accompanied by a completed CDC import form. Because Britain is treated as a country free of dog rabies, a rabies certificate is not the central document it is for many other origins, though the microchip must be readable and the paperwork must match it exactly. The rules were rewritten in the recent past and the detail matters, so we confirm the current position in writing for your dates rather than working from memory.
Coming home to Britain
The return is the more straightforward direction. Britain lists the United States, so a microchip, a rabies vaccination and an Animal Health Certificate cover it, with the tapeworm treatment given by an American vet between one and five days before you fly. What people underestimate is the certificate timing on a short trip, since it has to be issued within ten days of travel. On a week in New York that window is tight at both ends, and we arrange the appointments alongside the aircraft.
Requirements for cats and the less common species sit on our flying with pets guide.
What our clients say about flying to New York
Notes from people who have crossed with us recently. First names only, and we have left the wording as it came.
BUSINESS TRIP
"Left at eight, in a meeting by two"
Farnborough to Teterboro · Global 6000 · Charles and colleagues
“Four of us out for two days. Away at eight in the morning, landed just after eleven New York time, and we were sitting in a meeting in Midtown by two the same afternoon. The border took about half an hour at the FBO. You simply cannot build a day like that on a scheduled ticket.”
FAMILY TRIP
"They slept across the Atlantic"
Luton to Teterboro · Challenger 605 · The Whitfield family
“Two adults, three children, out for Thanksgiving with relatives. The crew made up the beds and the two younger ones slept most of the way. What I noticed was landing without that wrung-out feeling you get after a long flight in a full cabin. We had the whole first evening rather than going straight to bed.”
FUEL STOP
"Forty minutes in Gander and we saved a fortune"
Farnborough to Teterboro · Challenger 350 · Marcus L.
“Six of us and I baulked at the nonstop price. They suggested a super-midsize with a stop at Gander instead, which added about forty minutes and saved a very large sum. We stayed on board while they refuelled. Coming home it flew straight through because the wind was behind us.”
PASSPORT PROBLEM
"One of us had an expired ESTA"
Luton to Teterboro · Gulfstream G450 · Diane R.
“They asked about passports and travel authorisation on the very first call, which struck me as odd until we discovered one colleague’s ESTA had lapsed. Three days to sort it. Had nobody asked, we would have found out at the aircraft. We moved the departure by a day and everything else went perfectly.”
EMPTY LEG
"Rang me the day one came up"
Teterboro to Luton · Challenger 350 · Jonathan A.
“I told them I could come home any day that week. Atlantic empty legs are rare, they said, so watching a website would not work and they would call me. They did, four days later, and I paid a fraction of what I had spent going out. Left at an hour I would not have picked and did not care.”
WITH THE DOG
"He lay by my feet the whole way"
Biggin Hill to Teterboro · Legacy 650 · Sophie and Alfie
“Moving out for a year and there was no chance I was putting him in a hold for eight hours. He lay by my feet the whole way. The American paperwork was fiddlier than I expected and the rules had changed recently, but they checked it in writing for our dates rather than telling me what it used to be.”
Frequently asked questions about London to New York private flights
1How much does a private jet from London to New York cost?
From about 58,000 GBP one way on a heavy jet flying nonstop, 72,000 GBP on a long-range aircraft and 95,000 GBP on one of the flagships. A super-midsize with a fuel stop at Gander starts around 44,000 GBP. Booking the return alongside the outbound brings the total well below two separate one-ways.
2How long is the flight from London to New York by private jet?
Westbound takes 6 hours 46 minutes on a flagship and around 7 hours 38 on a heavy jet, over 2,989 nautical miles. Eastbound is about an hour quicker on the flagships and closer to eighty minutes on the heavier types, because the jet stream that pushes against you going out carries you home. New York runs five hours behind the United Kingdom.
3Which aircraft can fly London to New York nonstop?
Everything from the large cabins upward: Legacy 650, Challenger 605, Falcon 2000LXS, Gulfstream G450 and above, all with fuel in reserve. A Challenger 350 or Citation Longitude is published above the sector distance but not by enough to beat a westbound headwind with a full cabin, so we plan a stop at Gander instead.
4Which New York airport do private jets use?
Teterboro handles most of it, twelve kilometres from Manhattan with five FBOs and customs officers on site. Morristown suits the largest cabins and late arrivals, Westchester serves Greenwich and the northern suburbs, and Republic on Long Island is much the shortest road to the Hamptons. Newark is closest of all but shares the field with heavy commercial traffic.
5What paperwork do I need for a private flight to New York?
An ESTA or a US visa for every passenger, applied for at least 72 hours ahead, and an eAPIS manifest filed electronically before departure, which we submit as part of the booking. Customs is cleared on arrival at the FBO rather than in Britain, since there is no US preclearance at UK private terminals. The passport check is the first thing we ask about on a New York enquiry.
6Are there empty legs between London and New York?
A few times a month rather than weekly, since operators do not cross the ocean without reason. When one appears the saving is the largest in our network, commonly half a fresh charter or better. Register a window with us rather than watching a page, because Atlantic legs go within hours of being posted.
Book your London to New York flight
Tell us the dates, the number travelling, where in the New York area you are heading and whether everyone holds a valid ESTA or US visa. That last point sets the earliest departure, so it is the first thing we check. Include the return date as well, however tentative, since the two legs priced as one is what brings the figure down.
Related pages
Each end of this route in full: private jet charter from London, private jet charter to New York and the wider United States guide.
Elsewhere in North America: Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston and Toronto.
The London fields: Farnborough, Luton, Stansted, Biggin Hill, RAF Northolt, Oxford and London City.
And besides these: what is going on empty legs right now, plus everything on taking an animal with you.