Although Newark is actually in New Jersey, it has long been considered an NYC hub because of its proximity to Manhattan than JFK. It is undoubtedly a significant piece in New York’s aviation.
Lufthansa Group sent out a memo on Twitter last week, saying Newark will separate from its Big Apple companions.
The memo also notes the International Air Transport Association (IATA) “has introduced a new standard for ‘Multi-Airport Cities,'” which are metropolitan areas that have multiple airports united under one IATA city code, Travel and Leisure reported.
“The primary way this change could impact travelers is by limiting their options to change flights freely,” Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights, explained to T+L. “Currently, many airlines allow travelers to switch flights within a city code — say, from arriving in JFK to arriving in LGA — without a penalty. Removing EWR from the NYC city code could restrict that option for many passengers.”
The Lufthansa memo said that changing destinations from Newark to JFK or JFK to Newark may result in repricing.
IATA’s new standard, which is due to go into effect on Oct. 3, will remove Newark from the NYC city code and give it its own.
According to the memo, Newark will now operate under a separate pricing structure from JFK and LaGuardia, which may be a good thing for travelers because there’s a chance prices become cheaper to fly into New Jersey than New York — or vice versa.
Travelers will still see flight options for Newark when they search for flights to or from “NYC,” according to an IATA statement shared with Travel + Leisure.
