We all know about Spirit and JetBlue by now, but did you know there are MANY other low cost carriers (aka budget airlines) flying in and out of the NYC Metro area?! They'll take you to endless domestic AND international destinations. AND we're not just talking flying out of JFK, Newark, and La Guardia. In fact, there are some much smaller airports in New York and New Jersey you should have on your radar (pun intended) to save on flights, parking, and time (smaller airports = less lines and crowds to deal with!!) I hope my ultimate guide to budget airlines and cheaper airports in the TriState NYC Metro Area helps you and your family travel more while spending less - so let's get to it! Regional Airports These smaller "regional" airports are NOT included when you enter "NYC" in your flight finder searches ("NYC" is typically just going to show you JFK, LGA and usually but not always EWR), so these are worth adding to your search, since they offer plenty of domestic and international flights, often for significantly cheaper prices because the smaller airports charge the airlines less to use them! Just note, some low cost carriers won't show up on certain search engines... best to try both Google Flights and Kayak Flights (and individual airline sites if something I have listed below isn't popping up), and always book directly through the airline. 
Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP)
Stewart International Airport (SWF)
Trenton-Mercer Airport (TTN)
Westchester County Airport (HPN)
So those are the smaller airports to add to your flight searches, but some low cost carriers are also flying out of the 3 major NYC area airports (though sometimes they operate in a tiny no-frills terminal). So let's see who's where!
Low Cost Carriers flying out of Newark Airport (EWR):
Low Cost Carriers flying out of La Guardia Airport (LGA):
Low Cost Carriers flying out of JFK:
I hope you found this post helpful and opened your eyes to the different airports and airlines around NYC that can help you travel more while spending less!! Leave a comment if you've flown any of these, we'd love to hear your experiences! Personally, my family of 5 has flown out of Stewart, Newark, JFK, and La Guardia on budget carriers Play, French Bee, Spirit, and Frontier, and have our first trip on JetBlue coming up for spring break in Costa Rica!!
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As a travel loving family of five, we are always looking for new ways to reduce the cost of vacations and world travel. A big focus for us over the past few years has been low cost carriers to reduce our plane ticket costs. We've actually had some amazing success with budget airlines, like $280 non-stop roundtrip from Newark to Iceland. I also hustle for comped or discounted hotel stays and destination activities for our family by pitching bartering of my services as a travel content creator (comment below if you're interested in learning more about either of these strategies, and I can go into these in a future post!).
But the "new year new me" of January hits hard and I've very recently been lured to the *other* side. The side of hacking points and miles to get (nearly) free flights, cabin upgrades, and free hotel stays. And lemme tell you. It's EXCITING!!! And overwhelming. There are a TON of resources out there, so I'm going to include the ones that have been recommended to me most, that I'm utilizing, so hopefully this will help lots of you out there looking to get started earning points and miles to travel more!
Points & Miles Hacking in a Nutshell:
The basic idea is that you sign up for a new credit card and spend the minimum amount in the specified time period to earn their large sign on bonus (usually something like 60 - 100k miles or points), then either keep that card because of the other perks (like free checked bags and lounge access), or cancel it and sign up for a new card and repeat the cycle. On top of that, you'll earn points or miles for every dollar spent on that card, sometimes 5x or 10x per dollar in travel categories, so points can rack up FAST! If you get a branded card, you'll only earn for that hotel or airline, which is simple but not quite as lucrative. Some generic cards allow accrued points to be used to purchase through their travel site, or transferred to their airline/hotel partners, which is generally the best bang for your buck, especially if you get a transfer bonus and/or find a great discounted points travel deal. There are some caveats, and a LOT to learn, so I'm working my way through the FREE 10xTravel course and I recommended you do the same (and if your credit score is low or a big concern, chat with your accountant or trusted professional).
CREDIT CARD UTILIZATION:
Based on 10xTravel's recommendation, I hit the ground running by applying for my first general points card, Chase Sapphire. I wanted to do Chase first since it seems they're the pickiest, enforcing a 5/24 rule - they won't approve your application if you've opened up more than 5 new credit cards in the last 24 months. With either of their Sapphire cards, you'll get 60k miles if you spend $4k in the first 3 months (and I'll get some miles too if you use my affiliate link here)! Their regular sapphire is only $95/year and includes 1 year free DashPass, and their Reserve is $550 per year which seems kind of crazy to me but if you travel a lot, some of the perks more than pay for the annual fee - we're talking free lounge access, $300 travel credit per year, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee statement credit, and more!
click to learn more or apply for your Chase Sappire card with my points earning affiliate link
There are tons of credit cards to choose from, but I thought this was the best to start with. After hubby and I hit the minimum $4k spend on this I'll probably cancel it and open up one of the Capital One Venture cards... You can learn all about the various cards and more in the 10xTravel course!
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
FACEBOOK GROUPS:
WEBSITES:
DEAL FINDERS:
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About ME:I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins + 1), focusing on fun and honest product and travel reviews, helping busy parents find the best for their families! Find what you need in the menu bar or search section above! 
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