Plane spotting in New York: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark with the best spots

Three major airports within sight of the skyline, hundreds of airlines, tightly interwoven airspace and traffic around the clock: New York belongs on almost every spotter’s list. If you fly there for the first time, though, you quickly notice that the city doesn’t make it easy for you. There are no convenient observation decks, the spots are scattered among residential streets, parks and commercial areas, and which of them works at any given moment depends on the wind. This guide to plane spotting in New York shows you how JFK, LaGuardia and Newark differ, which locations have proven themselves and how to plan your day so that you’re at the right runway at the right time.

Three airports, three characters

All three airports are operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but for spotters they could hardly be more different.

Airport	Codes	Runways	Home airlines	For spotters
JFK	JFK / KJFK	04L/22R, 04R/22L, 13L/31R, 13R/31L	Delta, American, JetBlue	Long-haul from all over the world, cargo, TWA Hotel
LaGuardia	LGA / KLGA	04/22 and 13/31, crossing	Delta, American	dense domestic traffic, very close overflights
Newark	EWR / KEWR	04L/22R, 04R/22L, crosswind runway 11/29	United	United widebody fleet, international visitors

New York JFK Airport is on Jamaica Bay in the south of Queens and is the most important international gateway on the US East Coast. Opened in 1948 as New York International Airport and long called Idlewild, it has carried the name of the assassinated president since December 1963. LaGuardia is in the north of Queens right on Flushing Bay and is at its core a domestic airport. Newark Liberty Airport, finally, is the oldest major airport in the region: it went into operation in October 1928 and is now the East Coast hub of United Airlines.

JFK: long-haul on Jamaica Bay

Understanding the runways

JFK has four runways in two pairs. The 04L/22R and 04R/22L run from southwest to northeast, the 13L/31R and 13R/31L from northwest to southeast. The 13R/31L, also called the Bay Runway, is the longest at 4,423 meters and important for heavy long-haul departures. Which pair is currently in use is decided by air traffic control based on wind, weather and traffic – and which side of the airport you need to be on depends on it. How to derive the runway direction in use from weather data is explained in the guide Understanding runway direction in use at airports; you can practice reading weather reports with How to read METAR and TAF.

A special feature is the Canarsie Approach to 13L. It starts at the beacon of the same name in southern Brooklyn and guides aircraft in a curve onto the runway along a series of approach lights. Instead of a long straight line, the jets turn in at a bank angle over residential areas and water – a subject you find at hardly any other major airport.

The proven spots at JFK

The following locations are mentioned again and again by spotter guides. Access roads, signs and construction sites change, so the rule is: starting point, no guarantee.

• Bayswater Point State Park: The small state park on the Rockaway Peninsula lies south of the runways on Jamaica Bay. From here you see landings on 04R and 04L as well as movements on the Bay Runway. According to a spotter guide, the park opens at 8 a.m.; for the 04 runways, the morning is considered the best time. Take the A subway line to Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue and walk down Mott Avenue. Expect wind, mosquitoes and, after rain, mud.
• Rockaway Turnpike – Costco and neighboring parking lots: East of the airport, landings on 31R come in over the parking lots on Rockaway Turnpike. Spotter guides mention the Costco parking lot and the neighboring parking lot of a bakery café, with the best light from midday into the evening. These are private customer parking lots – buy something and stay unobtrusively in or by your car.
• Brookville and Rockaway Boulevard: In the residential streets around Brookville in southeast Queens, approaches to 22L come in, in some places also those to 22R. Spotters mention Brookville Park and roadsides on Rockaway Boulevard, with the best light for 22L from midday. These are residential areas: park properly, keep your distance from school grounds and explain to residents in a friendly way what you’re doing.
• Cargo Plaza: In the cargo area in the north of the airport, landings on 13L turn in at a steep bank at the end of the Canarsie Approach. A medium telephoto zoom is enough, with light from midday. Spotter guides expressly advise restraint here: stay away from green areas with technical installations and expect the police to ask questions.
• Howard Beach: From Frank M. Charles Memorial Park in the west, you see across the bay the takeoffs from 31L, which turn left over Canarsie. According to the guide, private property begins north of the beach – stay on the public side.
• Rockaway Beach: At the end of Almeda Avenue on the Rockaway Peninsula you see the landings on 04R; from the afternoon the light is good. There is no infrastructure there, so bring everything.

Inside the airport: TWA Hotel, parking garage and AirTrain

If you prefer to spot in comfort, book a spot at the rooftop pool of the TWA Hotel. The hotel is housed in Eero Saarinen’s TWA Flight Center from 1962, the former terminal of TWA, and looks from the roof onto 04L/22R. Non-guests reserve in advance for a fee; whether tripods are allowed is best clarified with the hotel beforehand. The distance to the runways is large, so you need a lot of focal length for frame-filling pictures. In return, there is a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner as a cocktail bar in front of the building – and the Saarinen building itself.

Spotter guides also mention the top deck of the parking garage at Terminal 5 with a view of taxiways and gates, although construction work in the terminal area can limit the view of the runways. Don’t underestimate the AirTrain JFK either: the train runs in a loop across the grounds, and within the airport the ride is free. You only pay when getting on or off at Jamaica or Howard Beach. For transit passengers with a few hours, that is ideal – tips for it are in the article Spotting during a layover.

What to expect at JFK

JFK is a hub for Delta in Terminal 4, American Airlines in Terminal 8 and JetBlue in Terminal 5. Add to that airlines from all three alliances – Star Alliance, oneworld and SkyTeam – and many carriers without an alliance. From Europe come, among others, Lufthansa, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Aer Lingus and Icelandair, from the Gulf region Emirates. In terms of types, the range runs from the Airbus A321neo and the A220-300 of JetBlue and Delta through the A330-900 and the A350-900 to the Boeing 777-300ER and the 787-9. With a little luck, an A380 or a 747-8 is also among them – how to tell the two giants apart is shown in How to tell an A380 from a Boeing 747. Which airline sends which equipment changes with the flight schedule – check the current status before your trip (as of October 2026).

Then there is cargo: JFK is one of the most important air cargo airports in the US, and cargo airlines are represented with their own facilities on the grounds. How to classify freighters at the fence is covered in the guide How to identify cargo aircraft.

LaGuardia: dense traffic in Queens

LaGuardia has two crossing runways, the 04/22 and the 13/31, both 2,134 meters long. Because of the perimeter rule, most flights are limited to destinations up to 1,500 miles, so here you see almost only narrowbody and regional jets. The biggest operators are Delta with its regional partners and American, joined by United, JetBlue and Southwest, among others. Typical are the A220-300, the A320 family, the Boeing 737-800 as well as regional jets like the Embraer E175 and the CRJ900. If you want to tell the E-Jets apart cleanly, read How to tell Embraer E-Jets apart.

The classic is Planeview Park in East Elmhurst. The small neighborhood park on 23rd Avenue lies directly in front of the approach end of 04, separated only by the Grand Central Parkway. With landings on this runway, the jets come in so low over you that a standard zoom is enough. Because the park lies south of the runway, you have the sun behind you over midday. If a different configuration is running, you move to the waterfront promenade on Flushing Bay east of the airport. From there you see approaches coming in across the bay over the water. You can reach the park directly by bus; there is no subway station in East Elmhurst.

Newark: the United hub in New Jersey

Newark has two parallel main runways, the 04L/22R at 3,353 meters and the 04R/22L at about 3,050 meters, plus the shorter crosswind runway 11/29. Terminal C belongs entirely to United, and the new Terminal A has been in operation since 2023. That makes Newark the first address for United’s widebody fleet from the Boeing 767-300ER to the 787 and for numerous international visitors. According to a spotter guide, several Asian and most major European airlines operate here daily.

The spots at a glance, as spotter guides describe them:

• Elizabeth Center: The large parking lot of the shopping center south of the airport, where a furniture store is among the tenants, lies under the landings on 04R. Best light from sunrise to early afternoon. Police and security check regularly; park so that you block no one.
• Rideshare waiting area on Earhart Drive: For the afternoon landings on 04R, with some walking also 04L. Best light from the afternoon to sunset, according to the guide so far without trouble from security staff.
• Economy parking lot P6: On the north side for landings on 22L and 22R, reachable by the free shuttle from Terminal C.
• Corbin Street: In the port area of Port Newark for landings on the crosswind runway 29. Don’t drive through open gates; behind them closed port grounds begin.

For light planning, the guide Planning sun position helps: at just over 40 degrees north, the sun in New York stands noticeably higher at midday than in Germany, and fuselage undersides on approach fall into shadow faster.

All spots at a glance

Spot	Airport	Best runway	Light according to guides
Bayswater Point State Park	JFK	Landings 04R/04L	morning
Rockaway Turnpike (Costco)	JFK	Landings 31R	midday to evening
Brookville / Rockaway Blvd	JFK	Landings 22L	from midday
Cargo Plaza	JFK	Landings 13L (Canarsie)	midday to evening
Howard Beach	JFK	Takeoffs 31L	from morning
TWA Hotel	JFK	04L/22R, taxi traffic	afternoon and evening
Planeview Park	LGA	Landings 04	late morning to early afternoon
Elizabeth Center	EWR	Landings 04R	morning to early afternoon
Rideshare waiting area	EWR	Landings 04R/04L	afternoon to sunset
Economy parking lot P6	EWR	Landings 22L/22R	all day

Rules and behavior on site

Taking photos of public areas is generally allowed in the US, but in the New York metropolitan area, police, Port Authority Police and private security services are very present. Spotter guides expressly warn that spotting is not welcome everywhere here. If you’re approached: stay in the car unless you’re asked to get out, be polite and calmly show a few pictures. Background is in Plane spotting in the USA and in the guide Police checks while spotting.

How to plan your New York day

For the camera, the usual rules from Camera settings for plane spotting apply. At Planeview Park you get by with short focal lengths, while at Bayswater Point and the TWA Hotel you need long telephotos – Lens and focal length gives guidance. If you want to listen to radio, Listening to ATC online helps.

Bonus: Concorde in the middle of Manhattan

On a rainy day or a rest day, the trip to the Intrepid Museum at Pier 86 on the Hudson River is worthwhile. On and next to the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid stand the British Airways Concorde G-BOAD, the Space Shuttle Enterprise and a Lockheed A-12. The history of the supersonic jet is told in our article on Concorde. If you want to travel on afterward: with Castle Island in Boston and Gravelly Point Park in Washington, two more East Coast classics are within reach. You’ll find more travel tips in Plane spotting trip to the USA and in the spotting bucket list.

Conclusion

New York is not a destination for a spontaneous afternoon at the fence, but one for spotters who keep wind, light and routes in view. In return, you get everything in a small area: long-haul from all over the world and the Canarsie Approach at JFK, overflights from close range at LaGuardia and the United widebody fleet at Newark. If you stick to the rules and stay unobtrusive, you’ll experience one of the most exciting aviation metropolitan areas in the world.