New York Boston
New York to Boston runs hourly from three airports, and the plane you get ranges from an A321 to a regional jet half its size.
From JFK, book JetBlue. They fly A320s, A321s, and the A220-300 while American and Delta put E175 regional jets on the same route. JetBlue gives you a wider seat and more legroom for a flight that costs about the same.
From LaGuardia, it's American and Delta, mostly on E175s. Delta sometimes runs the A220-100, which is a nicer ride. LaGuardia is closest to Midtown Manhattan, so if you need to fly from the city, it gets you to the airport fastest.
From Newark, book United. They fly 737s and A319s alongside regional jets. Delta only runs E175s from Newark.
If you're going Midtown to downtown Boston and not connecting to another flight, take Amtrak instead. Penn Station to South Station is about four hours. Once you add the cab to the airport, security, boarding, the flight, and the ride from Logan into the city, flying doesn't save meaningful time. The train drops you at Back Bay or South Station, both walkable to most of downtown Boston.
Same-day rebooking on the shuttles is where flying earns its keep on this route. If your meeting runs long, you walk up and take the next one.
Have a specific need? Use the decision guide below to filter by your airline, where you live, lounges, or where you're staying in Boston.
Pick What Matters to You
Best pair by where you're coming from
Best pair by where you're staying in Boston
Which pair your airline flies nonstop
| Airline | JFK–BOS | EWR–BOS | LGA–BOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| MTN | — | ✓ | — |
| Tradewind Aviation | ✓ | — | — |
| American Airlines | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Delta Air Lines | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| United Airlines | — | ✓ | — |
| JetBlue | ✓ | — | — |
Ranked by on-time performance
Lounge access by airport and terminal
Ranked by flights per week
Getting to the airport
Red-eye vs daytime departures
Premium cabin options
Connecting through New York from a domestic flight
Nonstop flights leave all three New York airports throughout the day. A connection through a third city turns a 75-minute flight into a half-day trip. Connect only if you are starting from a smaller city and routing through a New York hub anyway.
New York & Boston 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.
LaGuardia is the New York airport that does not pretend to be anything more than a domestic terminal. No international flights, no customs hall, no transatlantic gates competing for security lane capacity. The result is a faster, simpler airport experience than JFK or Newark for any flight that stays in the country. Eight miles from midtown Manhattan, it is also the closest major airport to the city center.
The rebuilt Terminal B replaced what was widely considered the worst major terminal in the country. The new building is bright and open, with real restaurants instead of the food court that used to define LaGuardia dining. Gates connect via an elevated pedestrian bridge with a clear sightline to the Manhattan skyline. Terminal C is equally compact. Neither terminal is large, and gate-to-gate walks stay under ten minutes.
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.
Boston Metro
Logan has four terminals on a compact waterfront site, three miles from downtown Boston. Terminal E handles all international arrivals. Walking between the farthest terminals takes about 10 minutes, and a free shuttle bus connects all of them.
Terminal A has the most recent renovation and feels noticeably newer than the rest. Terminal E is functional but dated. The customs hall fills up when the morning wave of transatlantic flights lands. TSA PreCheck and Clear lanes are available in most terminals.
The airport sits in East Boston on the harbor. The city skyline is visible from the terminal windows, and downtown is a short ride through the Ted Williams Tunnel.
Pease is a converted military airfield in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, about 60 miles north of downtown Boston. The terminal is a single building with a handful of gates. Processing through security takes minutes.
Scheduled service is minimal. Most activity is general aviation and charter. If a flight operates from Pease, the experience is the opposite of a major hub: no crowds, no lines, and parking steps from the door.
No high-frequency connections found. Check PSM routes for all options.
Which Airlines Fly Which Pairs
Delta Air Lines serve both JFK and EWR to BOS — airport flexibility on the New York side.
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.
E175
E170, E175
A220-300, A320
737-900, E175
E175
A220-300, 737-800
A319, 737
C208
PC12