The example above is for round-trip flights in September 2022 from New York Stewart Airport to Dublin. If you leave Sept. 7 and come back Sept. 12, your ticket will cost roughly $325. This price doesn’t include baggage…but we’ll get to that later. Pictured above is a lovely visual slice of Ireland. If you’re trying to decide which European city to pick, you know my suggestion. Con: The drive is about an hour and a half if you’re located in NYC. Granted, the route was beautifully scenic, and it cost about $75 to park my car for six days. Split between two of us, that price felt fair. That’s less than the price of one Uber from my home to JFK. And if you don’t drive? There’s a Megabus that takes you directly from Port Authority to the airport. The location of this airport is actually fantastic depending on where you live, though. For my friend based in Westchester County, for example, the distance to JFK and Stewart is roughly the same. The same goes if you’re based farther out in New Jersey! Would flying out of Stewart be my first choice? Because of where I live, no. But I wouldn’t dismiss it entirely, given how small and well organized it is. If it weren’t for the driving distance, I’d pick Stewart over JFK always. Admittedly, I wish there were nonstop flights to the rest of Europe too. I was in Ireland for five days, so it felt as if every second counted. It would have been nicer to fly directly there as opposed to stopping in Keflavik Airport, waiting three hours, and boarding a new flight. But when you consider the competitive ticket price? It works out. Food: I’m perfectly content with paying a lower base fare and purchasing food at my own discretion. Why? Economy airplane food is terrible, and I’d rather a) bring my own snacks, or b) choose my meal from a larger menu. Baggage: If you know you’re going to bring a carry-on or check a bag, select those options while booking for the cheapest rate. Baggage prices vary based on route, location, etc., but here’s a breakdown: Carry-on: $26–$47 (during booking), $31–$55 (before online check-in), $48–$57 (at the airport) Checked bag: $34–$55 (during booking), $40–$65 (before online check-in), $65–$76 (at the airport) But! I wanted to mention this detail, since it may be important to folks who get easily restless while flying. For reference, my fiancé would consider this a deal breaker and pay double the airfare to fly with a larger company. He’s that person who paces up and down the plane aisles. I realize the blurry photo of said ham and cheese baguette does not do it justice, but I wanted to include it anyway. I highly recommend opting for extra legroom, which feels super roomy, giving you 32 to 35 inches of space. On my trip to Dublin, this addition cost $37.84.
