What to Know
- Newark Liberty Airport is the most expensive in America, ahead of JFK and LaGuardia, according to a Points Guy study
- While Newark has lower flight fares than many airports, ancillary costs like transit and food are higher, the study found
- JFK ranked as the second-most expensive airport and LaGuardia came fifth in the list
You might think you're saving money by flying out of Newark instead of JFK or LaGuardia, but a new study suggests you're potentially spending much more than necessary instead.
Newark Liberty ranks as the most expensive airport in the country among the nation's 50 busiest, according to a study from travel site The Points Guy released Thursday.
Newark outranks #2 JFK, Dulles, San Francisco International and #5 LaGuardia, according to the widely followed site, which is dedicated to saving money on travel.
As the study noted, an airport being expensive or not is about more than just fares. They also included the other ancillary travel costs in their calculations, including transit to the airport, cart rentals, parking and food costs at the terminals.
"Travelers transiting through Newark encounter some of the most expensive Smarte Carte prices, parking fees and Starbucks menus in the nation. And with only two Priority Pass lounges in the entire airport, there’s not much travelers can do to offset food and beverage expenses.
"So travelers flying into the New York City metropolitan area may be lured by an airfare deal to Newark but should be mindful of the costly extras that can easily negate any savings on flights," the study's authors wrote.
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The study also singled out the high cost of taking an Uber from Newark to Manhattan -- though the authors quoted a price of $132 one way, more than double what Uber's own app listed as of mid-morning Thursday for the same trip.
A Port Authority spokesman was not immediately available to comment on the study's findings.
