Cheap Flights from Charleston (CHS) to New York (NYC)

The 636-mile flight route between Charleston and New York City is a journey to an altered state. In just 2 hours, Charleston’s antebellum church steeples and air scented with tea olive trees air morph into the Big Apple’s soaring skyscrapers and vehicle exhaust mingled with the tantalizing scent of street- vended roasted nuts.

Two airlines, Delta and Jet Blue, offer daily direct flights on the 3^rd-most traveled route out of Charleston International Airport (CHS). Delta and Jet Blue each fly into John F. Kennedy International (JFK) and Delta also has service to LaGuardia (LGA). With Skyscanner’s search engine, picking the right carrier and flight for your schedule is a snap.

What to Expect at the Airports

Charleston International

Located about 12 miles northwest of downtown, Charleston International boasts a main terminal with two concourses connected by a central atrium. Concourse A handles all of the Delta Airlines traffic, while JetBlue and the other airlines operate from Concourse B.

Just to the left of the terminal entrance is a one of the airport’s 3 gift shops, with the other two located on the concourse. The atrium’s food court serves up Southern dishes with a South Carolina twist. Each concourse also has a restaurant and bar where you can relax before boarding.

Free Wi-Fi keeps you connected throughout the terminal, and a state-of-the-art Business Center has whatever you need, including limited postal facilities, to stay productive until takeoff.

To board you flight from Charleston to New York you’ll need a driver’s license or other TSA-acceptable ID. For a list of what works, visit the TSA website.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recommends arriving at Charleston Airport 2 hours before your scheduled departure. This allows plenty of time to check your bags, get your boarding pass and clear security. Expect your plane to begin boarding 30 to 45 minutes before its departure time.

Navigating JFK and LaGuardia

Whether you fly Delta into JFK Terminals 2 or 4, or JetBlue into Terminal 5, the free AirTrain will ferry you to your parking or rental car lots, hotel shuttle pickup or wherever you need to go on the 880-acre terminal complex. It operates 24/7/365.

AirTrain also connects with the Long Island Railroad and the Mass Transit Authority (MTA) buses and subways. It’s your best option for inexpensive, quick transportation the city and its surroundings.

Delta flies into all 3 LaGuardia terminals. The airport’s free shuttle offers transportation between all three and to the parking and rental car lots.

What to Expect in New York

Both Charleston and New York are on Eastern Standard Time, so you won’t have t have to change your watch. What you probably will have to change is the way you dress for the weather. In October, for example, Charleston's daytime highs average a balmy 77F, while New York is enjoying Autumn's sweater and jacket weather with highs in the low 60s. The contrast is greatest in late fall and winter, when heavy coats and gloves are standard in New York, but, as a rule, the Big Apple is cooler.

Temperatures may be lower, but restaurants and transportation costs are definitely higher. You'll drop about $18 for the same restaurant meal in New York that you’d pay $11 for in Charleston. And taxi fare? The ride from downtown Charleston to the airport runs about $25. In New York, the trip from JFK to anywhere in Manhattan starts at $52, tolls not included.