Routes / New York / New York to Amsterdam

New York Amsterdam

2 nonstop pairs · 4 nonstop airlines · 56 nonstop flights/week

Delta and KLM sell JFK to Amsterdam as separate airlines, but they are joint venture partners sharing the same flights. If Delta shows a lower fare, book it. You may end up on a KLM-operated plane. The reverse is also true. Search both and take whichever is cheaper.

If you are in Manhattan or Brooklyn, fly from Kennedy. Both carriers run daily nonstops at around seven hours. Between the two, the KLM 787 is a better economy seat for an overnight crossing than Delta's A330, so if fares are close, pick KLM. If you are in New Jersey, United from Newark is the better call. Daily nonstop, about seven and a half hours on a 767. The cabin is narrower and older than what flies from Kennedy, but it beats the trip across the Hudson to get to JFK.

At Schiphol, head downstairs instead of outside. The train station is directly under the terminal. Trains to Amsterdam Centraal leave every few minutes and reach the city center in 15 minutes.

Have a specific need? Use the decision guide below to filter by your airline, where you live, lounges, or where you're staying in Amsterdam.

Best Overall

JFK → AMS

2 airlines 28/wk 7h 30m

31% on-time

KLM, Delta Air Lines. Also bookable via MNG Airlines. Delta from JFK for the A330neo cabin and joint venture schedule depth with KLM.

Explore JFK → AMS

Strong Alternative

EWR → AMS

1 airline · 28/wk · 7h 35m

United Airlines. United from Newark skips the JFK drive for New Jersey travelers. The 767 is a narrower, older aircraft than the widebodies out of JFK, but the drive difference can outweigh the cabin difference.

77%

Nearby cities with nonstop service

~60mi Philadelphia → Amsterdam 1 airline · 28/wk Nearby

Nearby cities · connections only

~11mi Teterboro No nonstop to Amsterdam Connecting ~22mi White Plains No nonstop to Amsterdam Connecting ~40mi Islip No nonstop to Amsterdam Connecting ~61mi New Haven No nonstop to Amsterdam Connecting ~83mi Allentown/Bethlehem No nonstop to Amsterdam Connecting ~99mi Atlantic City No nonstop to Amsterdam Connecting ~101mi Hartford No nonstop to Amsterdam Connecting ~104mi Wilkes-Barre/Scranton No nonstop to Amsterdam Connecting

Decision Guide

Pick What Matters to You

Show me the best pair for...

Best pair by where you're coming from

Your location determines which airport is closest and most convenient.

JFK via AirTrain and subway or LIRR from Jamaica, 60 to 75 minutes total. Newark is faster from Penn Station: NJ Transit takes around 25 minutes. Both airports have nonstop international service.

JFK is the closer airport. The drive is 30 to 50 minutes depending on Belt Parkway traffic. A train to Howard Beach, then AirTrain to the terminal. Newark adds a river crossing and at least 20 extra minutes.

JFK is in Queens. Depending on your neighborhood, the drive is 15 to 30 minutes. The easiest airport connection in the metro area.

Newark. No question. I-78, I-95, or the Garden State Parkway depending on direction. No river crossings, no city traffic.

Both airports are roughly equidistant and neither is convenient. JFK requires subway transfers. Newark means getting to Penn Station first. Budget extra time from the Bronx either way.

Newark via I-287 avoids Manhattan entirely. JFK means driving through the Bronx or taking Metro-North to Penn for the subway connection. Newark is the better call from most of Westchester.

For most New York-area travelers, JFK → AMS is the default.3 airlines, 28 flights/wk.

Explore JFK → AMS

Best pair by where you're staying in Amsterdam

Your Amsterdam airport matters as much as your New York airport.

The historic center, ringed by 17th-century canals. Dam Square, the Royal Palace, and most tourist landmarks are here. Hotels cluster along the canals and side streets. Walking distance from Centraal Station, where the Schiphol train drops you.

The Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and Stedelijk sit within a few blocks of each other. Vondelpark is next door. Hotels here run upscale and quieter than Centrum. Tram lines connect to Centraal Station in about 15 minutes.

West of the canal ring. Narrow streets with independent shops, brown cafes, and small galleries. Feels residential. A strong pick for repeat visitors who want to eat and drink well without the tourist density of Centrum. Walking distance from the center.

The Albert Cuyp Market runs through the middle of the neighborhood. International food, a younger crowd, and more affordable hotels and apartments than the canal district. Tram to Centraal takes about 10 minutes.

Across the IJ river from Centraal Station, reachable by a free 24-hour ferry. Former shipyards turned into restaurants, breweries, and art spaces at NDSM Wharf. Hotels are limited but growing. For travelers who want something outside the canal-district experience.

AMS is the right Amsterdam airport for most travelers.Check individual route pages for ground transport from AMS.

Explore JFK → AMS

Which pair your airline flies nonstop

Loyalty programs drive airport choice for frequent flyers. Here's where each airline operates.

Airline	JFK–AMS	EWR–AMS
KLM	✓	—
Delta Air Lines	✓	—
United Airlines	—	✓
MNG Airlines	✓	—

Most airlines fly JFK → AMS.0 airlines serve multiple pairs.

Explore JFK → AMS

Ranked by on-time performance

On-time = departing within 15 min of schedule. Higher competition tends to keep airlines punctual.

31% on-time. 3 airlines competing.

77% on-time. 1 airlines competing.

JFK → AMS has a 31% on-time record.High competition keeps airlines punctual.

Explore JFK → AMS

Lounge access by airport and terminal

Premium lounge access varies dramatically by terminal. This alone can determine airport choice for some travelers.

The rebuilt Terminal B has airline club lounges with seating, Wi-Fi, drinks, and light food. Access through airline loyalty programs or eligible credit cards. The new terminal makes the lounge experience better than what LaGuardia used to offer, which was close to nothing.

Club lounges in Terminal C for eligible passengers. Same access rules: airline status, credit card membership, or a same-day qualifying ticket. Quality is standard domestic lounge level.

The rebuilt terminals have better gate seating, charging outlets, and food options than the old LaGuardia. On a short domestic flight, the gate area is fine. Spend the lounge walk-in fee on dinner at the destination instead.

American Express Platinum or Centurion cardholders. Cocktail bar, sit-down dining, showers. One of the better Centurion locations. Access is card-based regardless of airline.

Large club with runway views, full bar, and hot food. Gets crowded during the evening international push. Delta One and SkyMiles status get you in; everyone else needs a same-day Delta boarding pass plus a qualifying credit card.

American and British Airways premium cabin passengers. Quieter than T4, with showers and a dining room. BA passengers flying Club Suite have access here before JFK to Heathrow flights.

Open to Mint passengers on JetBlue. Smaller than the legacy carrier clubs but less crowded. Food and drinks included. The terminal itself has decent food options if the lounge is full.

A collection of carrier-specific lounges including Turkish, Air France, and Korean Air. Quality varies. The Turkish lounge is a standout if you have access.

United Polaris passengers and Star Alliance business class. Full sit-down restaurant with table service, shower suites, daybeds, and a cocktail bar. One of the best airline lounges in North America. If you are flying United Polaris business class, arrive early and use it.

Standard United Club with hot food, bar, and seating. Multiple locations in Terminal C. Gets crowded during the evening departure wave. United Club membership, Star Alliance Gold, or certain credit cards get you in.

The rebuilt Terminal A has fresh lounge space. Carrier-specific lounges are still filling in. The terminal itself is well-designed with better food options than the old building.

The main KLM lounge near the E gates. Spacious, with hot food, a full bar, and views of the tarmac. Access for business class on KLM or SkyTeam carriers, or Flying Blue Gold and above. Gets crowded during the evening rush of long-haul departures.

Smaller and quieter than the non-Schengen version, near the B and C gates. Same access rules. Fine for a coffee before a short flight back to London.

Pay-in lounge accessible with Priority Pass or a walk-in fee of around 40 euros. Locations on both sides of passport control. The food is basic but it beats sitting at the gate. Most non-KLM airlines direct their premium passengers here.

Your airline and cabin class determine which lounges you can access.Check route pages for terminal assignments.

Explore JFK → AMS

Ranked by flights per week

More flights = more flexibility. Miss your flight, catch the next one. Schedule depth is insurance.

28/wk (~4/day) — 3 airlines.

28/wk (~4/day) — 1 airlines.

JFK → AMS: 28 flights/week.4 departures per day.

Explore JFK → AMS

Getting to the airport

Cost and time vary by mode. Train is more predictable than driving.

From midtown Manhattan, 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. Around $30 to $40 by taxi. The Grand Central Parkway connects directly. Morning rush into the city and evening rush out are the times to avoid.

Runs from all LaGuardia terminals to the Jackson Heights subway hub in about 10 minutes. Transfer to the 7, E, F, M, or R train for Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens. The cheapest way to the airport from anywhere with a subway connection.

Runs across 125th Street in Manhattan to LaGuardia, connecting to the A, B, C, and D trains and Metro-North at Harlem-125th Street. Useful from the Upper West Side, Harlem, or the Bronx. Around 40 to 50 minutes from the West Side.

No rail link to LaGuardia. If you drive, parking runs around $40 per day in the terminal garages. Cell phone lots are free for pickup. The airport is compact enough that the walk from parking to gates stays short.

AirTrain to Jamaica Station, then Long Island Rail Road to Penn Station in around 20 minutes. Faster and more comfortable than the subway, and you avoid dragging luggage underground. This is the best option for midtown Manhattan.

AirTrain to Jamaica or Howard Beach, then the E or A train into Manhattan. Total time is 60 to 75 minutes. Cheap but slow, and dragging luggage through the subway at rush hour is miserable.

Flat rate of around $110 from JFK to anywhere in Manhattan, plus tolls and tip. Predictable pricing but travel time depends entirely on traffic. The Van Wyck Expressway can turn a 40-minute ride into 90 minutes during rush hour.

Pre-booked car services run around $70 to $100 depending on vehicle type. No flat-rate guarantee like yellow cabs, but you get a driver waiting at arrivals. Worth it if you are landing late or have a lot of luggage.

Train from New York Penn Station to Newark Airport station in around 25 minutes, then AirTrain to your terminal. Frequent service, cheap, and immune to tunnel traffic. The most reliable way to get to Newark from Manhattan.

No flat rate from Manhattan to Newark. Expect around $60 to $90 depending on traffic and tolls. The Lincoln Tunnel and NJ Turnpike can double your travel time during rush hour. Fine on weekends or off-peak.

Bus service from midtown Manhattan (Port Authority, Bryant Park, Grand Central) to all terminals. Takes 40 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. Around $19 one way. A budget option if you are not in a rush.

If you live in northern New Jersey, the drive is straightforward. I-78, I-95, or the Garden State Parkway depending on your direction. Parking is expensive long-term. Cell phone lots exist for pickup.

Weigh transit time against schedule flexibility.A faster airport with fewer flights may not save you time overall.

Explore JFK → AMS

Red-eye vs daytime departures

Departure timing affects jet lag, hotel costs, and how you spend your first day.

Departures cluster between late afternoon and late evening, landing at Schiphol between roughly 6 and 9 AM. With four daily options from JFK, earlier departures give you slightly more time in the air to sleep. In economy, seven hours is just short enough that a full night of rest is unlikely regardless of departure time.

Schiphol handles early arrivals well. Passport control opens before dawn, the train to Centraal runs all morning, and cafes inside the terminal are open by the time you clear customs. You can be in the city center by 7 or 8 AM. Hotels rarely allow check-in before noon or 1 PM, so plan to drop bags and walk.

United's evening departures follow a similar pattern. The 767 is narrower than the widebodies out of JFK, which makes sleeping in economy tighter. If rest on the plane matters and you have the choice, the wider cabins from JFK help on what is already a short night.

JFK → AMS has the most departure options.Check the route page for schedule details.

Explore JFK → AMS

Premium cabin options

Business and first class products on this route, ranked by value and quality.

The A330-900neo has Delta One Suites with sliding doors, direct aisle access, and a flat bed. It is the best business class seat leaving New York for Amsterdam. Delta also flies the older A330-300 on this route, which has the previous-generation staggered seats without doors. Check the aircraft type when booking. The neo makes a difference.

Reverse herringbone layout with direct aisle access and a full flat bed. The 787's lower cabin pressure and higher humidity make the overnight crossing noticeably more comfortable. KLM's catering leans Dutch, which is a change from standard transatlantic menus. A consistent product, since KLM only flies the 787-8 here.

United has retrofitted most 767s with the newer Polaris seats in a 1-2-1 layout. The hard product is competitive. Where it falls behind: the 767 cabin is narrower, the aircraft is older, and the soft product does not match what Delta and KLM offer from JFK. Worth it if Newark is your airport. Not worth a drive to Newark from Manhattan.

Check route pages for cabin details per airline.Business class products vary significantly between carriers.

Explore JFK → AMS

Connecting through New York from a domestic flight

With four daily nonstops from JFK and two from Newark, adding a connection between New York and Amsterdam is hard to justify. The nonstop is seven hours. Routing through a third city adds four or more hours and a second flight. Fares on the direct flights are competitive enough that the savings from connecting rarely materialize.

LGA has no Amsterdam nonstops. Your airline may offer a single-ticket connection through a hub. Otherwise, ground transport to a nonstop airport.

Book JFK → AMS. Same airport, no ground transport needed. 3 airlines, 28/wk.

Book EWR → AMS. Same airport, no ground transport needed. 1 airlines, 28/wk.

Avoid cross-airport transfers. No direct transit links between most metro airports. Budget 4+ hours minimum if you must.

Check which New York airport your domestic flight arrives at, then book Amsterdam from that same airport.JFK arrivals → JFK–AMS · EWR arrivals → EWR–AMS

JFK → AMS

Know Your Airports

New York & Amsterdam Airport Profiles

Each airport has a personality. Terminal quality, transit access, lounge scene, and crowd levels vary dramatically — sometimes more than the flight itself.

New York Metro

JFK spreads across four active passenger terminals connected by the AirTrain, and walking between them is not an option. Terminal 1 is the old international building. Terminal 4 is the largest, handling most international carriers. Terminal 5 is the former TWA terminal, now JetBlue's home, with the mid-century curves still intact. Terminal 8 belongs to American and British Airways.

The terminal you depart from depends entirely on your airline. Security wait times vary between them. Terminal 4 tends to be the slowest during evening international departures. Terminal 8 has improved since the co-location of its two main carriers. The TWA Hotel sits adjacent to Terminal 5 if you need to sleep before an early departure or after a late arrival.

JFK feels enormous because it is. Budget extra time for the AirTrain if you are connecting between terminals or arriving by subway. The AirTrain loop takes 10 to 15 minutes end to end.

Amsterdam Pairs

1

AMS

Airlines

3

Flights/Week

28

Newark Liberty has three terminals, and Terminal A opened as a full rebuild in 2023. The old Terminal A was demolished and replaced, and the difference is dramatic. Terminal C is United's hub, massive and busy, with most international flights departing from here. Terminal B handles most other carriers.

The AirTrain connects all three terminals and the NJ Transit / Amtrak rail station. Unlike JFK, the terminals are closer together and the AirTrain loop is faster. Security at Terminal C can back up during afternoon and evening international departures.

The airport sits in New Jersey, around 10 miles from Manhattan. That proximity is deceptive because the drive crosses the Hudson via the Newark Bay or Lincoln Tunnel, and both can be brutal during peak hours. NJ Transit from Penn Station is the more reliable option.

Amsterdam Pairs

1

AMS

Airlines

1

Flights/Week

28

Closest nonstop airport JFK (John F. Kennedy International Airport) · 11mi from LGA

Or connect through YYZ Toronto Pearson International... · 43/wk onward BOS Boston Logan International Air... · 42/wk onward IAD Washington Dulles Internationa... · 35/wk onward

Amsterdam Metro

Schiphol is a single-terminal airport, which sounds simple until you walk it. The building wraps around a central hall called Schiphol Plaza, with departure gates radiating outward in lettered piers. Some gates are a 20-minute walk from security. The upside of one terminal is that you never take a bus between buildings or guess which entrance to use. The downside is the distances once you are airside.

The airport sits on a former lake bed, below sea level. The train station is directly under the terminal. Walk out of arrivals, follow the signs down, and you are on a platform with service to Amsterdam Centraal and the rest of the Dutch rail network. Trains leave every few minutes. Schiphol compensates for long pier walks with clear signage and moving walkways, but leave time between connections.

New York Pairs

2

JFK + EWR

Nonstop from New York

56/wk

Into Amsterdam

15 min

Train to Centraal

All Pairs

Full Comparison

Every airport combination ranked by schedule depth. JFK–AMS carries 50% of weekly flights with the best on-time record. EWR–AMS adds another 50%.

Route	Airlines	Flights/Wk	Share	Duration	OTP
JFK → AMS	2	28		7h 30m	31%	Explore →
EWR → AMS	1	28		7h 35m	77%	Explore →

Coverage Matrix

Which Airlines Fly Which Pairs

Not all planes are the same size. The aircraft type below each checkmark tells you whether you are getting a widebody (777, 787, A350) with wider seats and a quieter ride, or a narrowbody (737, A321) with a single aisle. On flights over five hours, the difference is significant.

JFK–AMS

EWR–AMS

Delta Air Lines

✓
A330-300, A330neo

—

KLM

✓
777-200, 787-8

—

United Airlines

—

✓
777-200

MNG Airlines (codeshare)

✓
A330-300

—

Quick Reference

Route Facts

Total Nonstops

56/wk

Across 2 pairs

Airlines

4

3 on JFK–AMS

Fastest Pair

7h 30m

JFK → AMS

Distance

3,631 mi

5,842 km

New York

3 airports

LGA, JFK, EWR

Amsterdam

1 airports

AMS

Best OTP

77%

EWR → AMS

No Nonstop

LGA

No Amsterdam nonstops

JFK → AMS EWR → AMS LGA Routes JFK Routes LGA Delays JFK Delays

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about New York to Amsterdam flights.

Only if the cabin matters. JFK gives you Delta's A330-900neo or KLM's 787, both newer widebodies with better business class seats. United's 767 from Newark is a generation older. But the drive from central New Jersey to JFK can add 90 minutes in traffic. For a seven-hour overnight flight, the aircraft upgrade is real. For anyone within 30 minutes of Newark, the convenience wins.

Less than you would expect. They are joint venture partners and share the operation. The practical differences come down to aircraft and loyalty programs. KLM flies a 787-8 on this route. Delta flies a mix of A330-300s and A330-900neos. If you want the newest cabin, look for the Delta A330neo. If you have status with either SkyTeam carrier, book through that one.

Eastbound, nearly everything departs in the late afternoon or evening and arrives the next morning. That is standard for transatlantic eastbound service. Westbound from Amsterdam, flights leave late morning or early afternoon and arrive in New York the same day. You lose a night going over and gain an afternoon coming back.

Trains run from the terminal to Amsterdam Centraal every ten to fifteen minutes, and the ride is about fifteen minutes. The station is directly below the arrivals hall. If you clear passport control quickly and have no checked luggage, you can be at Centraal Station within 45 minutes of touchdown. Taxis take around 20 minutes and cost around 40 to 50 euros.

Not consistently. United from Newark and the Delta-KLM joint venture from JFK compete directly, and economy fares tend to track each other. The real savings come from timing: midweek departures and flights outside summer and holidays drop noticeably. Date flexibility matters more than airport choice.

Yes, and Schiphol is built for it. KLM uses Amsterdam as its European hub, with connections across the continent on a single booking. The airport is a single terminal, so transfers do not require changing buildings. Minimum connection times are short by European standards. If your final destination is elsewhere in Europe, routing through Amsterdam on KLM is often the most direct path from New York.