See Inside New York's Nearly-Abandoned Stewart Airport; PLAY

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The lesser-known airport is located in New Windsor, New York, which is about 60 miles north of Manhattan, or about an hour and a half drive.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Two airlines currently fly out of Stewart, including Frontier Airlines…

…and Allegiant Air. JetBlue used to serve Florida from the airport but has since suspended operations.

Despite the dwindling operations, Stewart is starting to see new activity as international travel bounces back post-pandemic.

PLAY will operate to 22 destinations in Europe via Reykjavik from Stewart, like Dublin and Paris, using Airbus A321neo single-aisle aircraft.

The last time an international airline flew from the airport was in 2019 when Norwegian Air Shuttle flew to Ireland and Canada. The carrier operated at the airport for just two years starting in 2017.

Many locals traveling from New York to Europe liked Norwegian’s service and were disappointed when the carrier left.

PLAY is hoping to fill the market gap left behind by Norwegian. The carrier plans to shuttle tourists through the small airport, which is easier and quicker to navigate compared to New York City’s main international gateways.

Insider took a tour of Stewart with Michael Torelli, Port Authority of NY & NJ properties and business development manager, and Alex Minton, Port Authority manager of air service development and industry relations. Here’s what passengers can expect.

The tour started right when I left home. I tracked how long it took to get to the airport from Norwalk, Connecticut, compared to New York-JFK or Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

According to Google Maps, my drive took one hour and 20 minutes and I faced minimal traffic. This was less time than driving to New York’s other international airports, which take at least an hour and a half with traffic, in my experience.

Stewart was already starting to make a good impression on me, but it didn’t end there.

I arrived at the airport around 10:45 am for an 11:00 am tour on a Tuesday morning. Driving up, I enjoyed the mountainous scenery and calmness of the town, which was a nice change from the chaos of New York City, which can make travel even more stressful.

Not only was the parking cheap, but it was also a short walk to the check-in lobby. No shuttles and no sweating from long walks in the summer heat.

For those being dropped off, curbside was easy to navigate. There were several lanes for traffic and plenty of space to unload.

There will also be an express shuttle service to and from New York City that will be timed with the PLAY flights. The ride costs $22 for adults or $10 for children and will take about 90 minutes, depending on traffic.

Tickets can be bought online, in the arrivals area, or onboard. While the bus is timed for PLAY, any passenger can ride on it.

Once I parked, I headed inside the small building, which was rustic and reminded me of my hometown airport in Tallahassee, Florida. It was almost nostalgic.

Inside, the check-in lobby was as small as I expected and it doesn’t seem like there would be long-haul flights out of such a tiny airport.

However, the space gets the job done. There are check-in counters and kiosks for Allegiant, Frontier, JetBlue, and PLAY, though the desks may change day-to-day.

Torelli explained this is because the airport is “a low-cost, economical, and efficient gateway,” which focuses on reducing operational costs. One way Stewart does this is by using a common-use system, meaning each ticket counter and gate can be used by any airline. This also helps keep airfare low.

Curbside check-in is also an option for airlines, though no carrier has used it yet.

Despite the low cost, Torelli said Stewart still has all the “bells and whistles” of any other airport, including a board with security wait times, plenty of bathrooms, public announcements, check-in kiosks, a pet relief area, and handicap services.

Also in the departures hall is an information desk and car rental stations, which can be picked up right from the airport…

…and a Hudson News, though it was closed during my visit.

After check-in, we passed through security. The checkpoint was small with just a single lane, but Torelli said wait times should not be more than 30 minutes.

After security, there are escalators and elevators that take passengers up to the airport’s only terminal, which features eight gates.

The first thing passengers will see when entering the concourse is another Hudson News and a cafe, where travelers can purchase last-minute snacks, books, or electronics.

See Inside New York’s Nearly-Abandoned Stewart Airport; PLAY

The lesser-known airport is located in New Windsor, New York, which is about 60 miles north of Manhattan, or about an hour and a half drive.

Two airlines currently fly out of Stewart, including Frontier Airlines…

…and Allegiant Air. JetBlue used to serve Florida from the airport but has since suspended operations.

Despite the dwindling operations, Stewart is starting to see new activity as international travel bounces back post-pandemic.

PLAY will operate to 22 destinations in Europe via Reykjavik from Stewart, like Dublin and Paris, using Airbus A321neo single-aisle aircraft.

The last time an international airline flew from the airport was in 2019 when Norwegian Air Shuttle flew to Ireland and Canada. The carrier operated at the airport for just two years starting in 2017.

Many locals traveling from New York to Europe liked Norwegian’s service and were disappointed when the carrier left.

PLAY is hoping to fill the market gap left behind by Norwegian. The carrier plans to shuttle tourists through the small airport, which is easier and quicker to navigate compared to New York City’s main international gateways.

Insider took a tour of Stewart with Michael Torelli, Port Authority of NY & NJ properties and business development manager, and Alex Minton, Port Authority manager of air service development and industry relations. Here’s what passengers can expect.

The tour started right when I left home. I tracked how long it took to get to the airport from Norwalk, Connecticut, compared to New York-JFK or Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

According to Google Maps, my drive took one hour and 20 minutes and I faced minimal traffic. This was less time than driving to New York’s other international airports, which take at least an hour and a half with traffic, in my experience.

Stewart was already starting to make a good impression on me, but it didn’t end there.

I arrived at the airport around 10:45 am for an 11:00 am tour on a Tuesday morning. Driving up, I enjoyed the mountainous scenery and calmness of the town, which was a nice change from the chaos of New York City, which can make travel even more stressful.

Not only was the parking cheap, but it was also a short walk to the check-in lobby. No shuttles and no sweating from long walks in the summer heat.

For those being dropped off, curbside was easy to navigate. There were several lanes for traffic and plenty of space to unload.

There will also be an express shuttle service to and from New York City that will be timed with the PLAY flights. The ride costs $22 for adults or $10 for children and will take about 90 minutes, depending on traffic.

Tickets can be bought online, in the arrivals area, or onboard. While the bus is timed for PLAY, any passenger can ride on it.

Once I parked, I headed inside the small building, which was rustic and reminded me of my hometown airport in Tallahassee, Florida. It was almost nostalgic.

Inside, the check-in lobby was as small as I expected and it doesn’t seem like there would be long-haul flights out of such a tiny airport.

However, the space gets the job done. There are check-in counters and kiosks for Allegiant, Frontier, JetBlue, and PLAY, though the desks may change day-to-day.

Curbside check-in is also an option for airlines, though no carrier has used it yet.

Despite the low cost, Torelli said Stewart still has all the “bells and whistles” of any other airport, including a board with security wait times, plenty of bathrooms, public announcements, check-in kiosks, a pet relief area, and handicap services.

Also in the departures hall is an information desk and car rental stations, which can be picked up right from the airport…

…and a Hudson News, though it was closed during my visit.

After check-in, we passed through security. The checkpoint was small with just a single lane, but Torelli said wait times should not be more than 30 minutes.

After security, there are escalators and elevators that take passengers up to the airport’s only terminal, which features eight gates.

The first thing passengers will see when entering the concourse is another Hudson News and a cafe, where travelers can purchase last-minute snacks, books, or electronics.

This is the only place to get real food and drinks in the tiny terminal. However, there is also a duty-free shop that will open on June 9.

Getting to every gate is less than a minute’s walk from security. Turn left for gates 1-3…

…or right for gates 4-8.

Gate 8 is actually a hard-stand gate, according to Torelli, that can handle irregular operations, like diversions, and widebody planes.

…Global Entry and automated passport kiosks…