$59 Cheap flight deals from New York (NYC) to Washington (WAS)

New York and Washington are just 200 miles apart but, if you want to escape the Big Apple and head to the nation’s capital, flying is the easiest way to get there. And booking with Orbitz is the best way to find the top flight deals.

Popular Routes from New York to Washington

These two major cities are both served by three major airports, so there is no shortage of ways to get from one to the other. In fact, there are more than 350 non-stop flights between New York and Washington every day.

From JFK International there are flights to all three of Washington’s airports - Ronald Reagan National, Washington Dulles, and Baltimore Washington International. You can also fly to Ronald Reagan and Dulles from Newark and LaGuardia in New York.

Flights between the two cities take just over an hour.

The Flight from New York to Washington

Washington lies some 200 miles southeast of New York but planes do not always fly in a straight line from one city to another. Flights from JFK to Washington Ronald Reagan, for example, often head out over the Atlantic and skirt round New Jersey and approach the capital across Delaware. Planes heading to Dulles, on the other hand, may take an inland route, looping over Pennsylvania and Maryland.

The air link between the two cities dates back more than a century. In 1918 an airmail service between New York and Washington was established, with a stop at Philadelphia. But some pilots got lost or even ran out of fuel on the way. Today, with airlines operating jets travelling at more than 500mph there is no danger of that happening.

And with a flight time of just one hour travelling between New York and Washington by air is a lot quicker than it would be by land. Trains take at least three hours and the car journey takes even longer.

All the airports in New York and Washington are modern and well appointed, with an array of shopping and dining options, ground transportation, parking, and car hire facilities which mean the journey should be stress free and you can get into the city quickly and easily when you arrive.

As the flights between New York and Washington are domestic, there is no need to arrive at the airport hours before you fly, although passengers should be at the airport at least 60 minutes before take-off. Remember that checking in baggage can take time and it pays to check your allowance when you book.

Arriving early makes the experience more pleasurable and means you can relax and take advantage of the facilities on offer at the airport.

US citizens will need to produce an official form of ID to board the plane, but a drivers license would be OK. Non-US citizens will need to show their passports before they fly.

Other Flight Destinations around Washington

If you want to explore the region around Washington, or are looking for alternative destinations on the historic East Coast, why not consider these flights?

Flights from New York to Philadelphia

Flights from New York to Baltimore

Flights from New York to Boston