Return flights to New York from £225

By MoneySavingExpert's Coupon Kid, Jordon Cox

You can take a big slice out of the cost of a trip to the Big Apple with New York return flights from £225 next spring.

I’ve travelled to the USA 14 times and I’ve never seen flights as cheap as this direct to one of the main New York airports from London. The next best prices I’ve seen are around £300-£500, depending on what time of year you go – so at sub-£300 (including £50 for 23kg baggage), this really is a blockbuster deal.

The flights are with Primera Air, a Danish budget airline launching direct flights from London Stansted to Newark (New York) and Boston from April/May next year.

We found these flights on Tue 25 Jul, and these flights are bound to go quick – so don’t hang around if you’re interested.

Cheapest flights I found:

The best prices I found from London Stansted to New York were £225 return (£275 with return baggage), leaving on 28 May and returning on 5 June 2018. The next cheapest when I checked were £430 with British Airways or American Airlines for direct flights with baggage.

Important: There’s a £9 fee when you pay by credit/debit card, which won’t apply if you pay via bank transfer, though do remember paying by credit card gives you the most protection if anything goes wrong (see our card protection guide).

The cheapest flights from London to Boston I found were also £225 return (£275 with return baggage) from 21-30 May or 9-17 Sept 2018.

I also checked prices over the summer, and for a return to New York in the first week of August it’s £405 return (£455 with return baggage). During that time of year, finding a flight that cheap is near impossible, with the cheapest competitor for this August being Virgin at £987.

Similarly with Boston, the cheapest flights over the summer I found was £780 return with Norwegian, whereas with Primera Air in the first week of August, it’s £482 return (£532 with return baggage).

How widespread are these sub-£300 flights?

From our research, there are plenty of flights under £300 to New York in late April and early May next year, with prices a touch above in September and October. It’s worth searching through dates on its site to find flights that suit you, however, if you are looking over the summer, flight prices increase dramatically – but Primera Air still came out the cheapest in most cases when I checked.

Though always compare prices with other airlines first before booking – see our Cheap Flights guide for plenty of tips on how to save.

What do Primera Air flights include?

With the cheapest fares, the only thing included is 10kg of hand luggage. To check in a hold bag (up to 23kg), it’s an extra £25 each way and meals will set you back a whopping £30 extra each way – so to cut costs, pack you own grub.

There is no in-flight entertainment and the seat pitch is only 30 inches, which is one inch less than other airlines such as Norwegian, Virgin and British Airways, so while you won’t be travelling in luxury, if you just want bargain-basement flights into a convenient airport for New York, this could be a good option for you.

What about hotels?

For tips on finding cheap accommodation, check out our Cheap Hotels guide.

Will you be taking one of these cheap cross Atlantic flights? Let me know in the comments below, on Twitter @MSE_Deals or on Facebook.