Cheap flights from Birmingham to New York

October is the cheapest month on this route, and the weeks around it, from late September into November, usually hold the calmest fares of the year. Summer is the opposite: British school holidays and the American summer break push prices up from June through August, and the run-up to Christmas and New Year is busy in both directions. Midweek departures tend to cost less than Friday or Sunday flights. Book well ahead for summer and the holidays; for October and the quiet stretch of January and February you can often leave it later and still do well.

The route is served by full-service carriers only, so there is no budget option to fall back on: Air Canada, United Airlines and American Airlines on the North American side, and Lufthansa, Lufthansa City Airlines, Lufthansa Cityline, Swiss, Air Dolomiti, Finnair and Air Baltic from Europe. Every one of them sells this as a connecting itinerary, and the differences show up in the transfer, the cabin and what the fare includes. Compare the baggage line and the change rules rather than the headline fare, because two tickets for the same day can look alike and behave very differently.

New York has three arrival airports, and which one you get depends on your airline and where you change planes. Newark Liberty International sits across the Hudson in New Jersey, while John F Kennedy and La Guardia are both in Queens. All three are a real ride from Midtown Manhattan, so allow for traffic at any hour and more of it at the morning and evening peaks. Rail links and express buses serve Newark and JFK; La Guardia has no rail station of its own, so buses, taxis and rideshare do the work. Check the airport on your ticket before you book a hotel, because a room near the wrong one wastes a morning.

Currency

USD ($)

Power sockets

Type A, B · 120 V

Language

Samoan, Hawaiian, Chamorro, Carolinian, Spanish

Emergency number

911

Driving side

right

Calling code

+1

Internet domain

.us

Population of New York

8.8 M (2020)

Time zone

UTC-04 (America/New_York)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which New York airport your fare lands at, since Newark Liberty International, John F Kennedy and La Guardia are not interchangeable.
• Leave generous time for the connection, because every itinerary on this route changes planes somewhere.
• Confirm the baggage allowance covers both legs when the itinerary mixes carriers.
• Treat a separately booked connection as risky, as a missed leg is not covered by the other ticket.
• Sort your US entry authorisation before you book, because it is needed before boarding.
• Price October against the weeks either side of it before you commit.