Airline passengers in parts of New York State’s Hudson River Valley, eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey and western Connecticut have a secret; They know New York Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, New York, is their airport of choice when flying to Florida destinations. The airport also offers direct flights to two international bucket destinations that have become trendy among certain age-groups: Iceland for millennials and the Faroe Islands for baby boomers.

New York Stewart International Airport is rarely crowded. According to the TSA website for airport wait times, “passengers moving through the security checkpoints at New York Stewart should anticipate waiting on average of 2 minutes and 24 seconds,” even without using the airport’s TSA PreCheck line. The airport is also a good alternative to avoid the traffic congestion that almost always affects the region’s three major airports — JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia. In addition, the short- and long-term parking lots, steps from the airport’s terminal, cost less than the parking facilities anywhere else in the region, even at other small airports like Westchester County Airport.

New York Stewart International Airport’s terminal building is located right off the New York State Thruway and I-84, in Orange County. The airport is owned and managed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, along with the region’s three main airports, as well as Teterboro Airport, a general aviation and relief airport in New Jersey.

New York Stewart International Airport © PANYNJ

For travelers who live in the New York City area and do not wish to drive, there are numerous train and bus transportation options to reach Stewart. For international flights, Coach USA provides conveniently timed bus transfers to and from SWF, a little more than an hour north of New York City. Coach USA’s Stewart Airport Express is the quickest and most affordable way to get between New York Stewart International Airport and New York City. Buses depart from the Midtown Bus Terminal in Manhattan and arrive in front of SWF’s passenger terminal. Additional transportation options are available here.

For domestic flights, Breeze Airlines is the airport’s newest budget carrier to offer direct flights to Orlando (MCO) and Charleston (CHS) with Fort Myers (RSW) departures beginning this October. Low-cost Allegiant Air also offers direct flights from New York Stewart International to Florida destinations Punta Gorda/Fort Myers (PGD), Orlando/Sanford (SFB), Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg (PIE), and Myrtle Beach (MYR).

Play Airline is a low-cost carrier based in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city, and offering scheduled daily flights to Iceland (KEF) from New York Stewart International, with onward connections to other European cities. In Iceland, millennials find a friendly population, a vibrant culinary and music scene, a stunning environment, and English is spoken everywhere.

In September, Atlantic Airways will resume its non-stop service from the United States to Vagar Island Airport (FAE) in the Faroe Islands. The seasonal flights start Sept. 4, with New York Stewart departures every Wednesday and returning every Tuesday until Oct. 8. New York Stewart is the only airport in the country that flies to Vagar Island directly.

Vagar Island © AlessioMesiano.com

Vagar Island is the largest and one of the most beautiful islands of this North Atlantic chain known as the Faroe Islands. Baby boomers are discovering the Faroe Islands as they search for new bucket destinations and are finding quiet towns, good roads, spectacular scenery and comfortable accommodations. Called “Europe’s best-kept secret,” the Faroe Islands are in the North Atlantic midway between Iceland and Norway, north of Scotland, and considered a territory of Denmark. ​