New York Night Tours
New York Night Tours › Getting to Linden and Fairfield for a New York Night FlightUpdated 2026-09-27

Getting to Linden and Fairfield for a New York Night Flight

Hours, prices and access verified by the New York Night Tours team — last checked 2026-09-27.

Midtown's towers and the lit avenues from a helicopter at night

The short answer. Every night flight over New York leaves from New Jersey, not Manhattan. Linden is a train ride from Penn Station and a short shuttle. Fairfield is about 45 minutes by taxi from Midtown, or the Lakeland bus from Port Authority. Allow two hours from your hotel for either, and bring photo ID: without it you do not fly. The new york night time helicopter tours are otherwise simple.

Two airfields, two different journeys

None of the night flights here leaves from a Manhattan heliport. They fly from Linden Airport, in Union County, and from Essex County Airport in Fairfield. Which one you choose decides how you get there, how early you leave, and how you get back.

Linden, NJFairfield, NJ
Who flies from itHeliNY; the private planeCharm Aviation; Zip Aviation
From MidtownNJ Transit train from Penn StationAbout 45 minutes by taxi, or the Lakeland bus from Port Authority
Last mileFree shuttle on request, or a ten-minute taxiTaxi, or the bus
Check in50 minutes before30 minutes before (45 after 4pm)
Weight per passenger275 lb275 lb (Charm) or 250 lb (Zip)
Shared fare a seat$330$275 to $334

Linden has one more claim to fame: in 1954 its runways were a road-racing course for a round of what is now the NASCAR Cup Series. Where both sit against the piers and the kerbs in Manhattan is on the meeting-point map.

Linden: the train and the shuttle

For the shared flight from Linden, $330 a seat, you meet at the main terminal at 1101 West Edgar Road. Take an NJ Transit train from Penn Station in Manhattan to Linden. From the Linden train station the operator runs a free shuttle if you ask for it when you book; otherwise it is about a ten-minute drive by Uber, Lyft or a local taxi. Check-in is 50 minutes before your flight time.

The private plane from the same airfield meets somewhere else: at hangar 310 on the same road, where you wait by the black gate near hangar 400. The private plane from Linden costs $178 a person for about 45 minutes, up to three a booking, and it is the one flight that cannot be refunded.

Fairfield: the taxi or the Lakeland bus

The flight from Fairfield, $334 a seat, meets at Building M, 27 Wright Way, at Essex County Airport. The operator gives two ways there: a taxi of about 45 minutes from Midtown, or the Lakeland Bus Company from Port Authority on 42nd Street. Check in 30 minutes before, or 45 minutes before for a flight after 4pm, when the roads are busier.

The lowest shared fare from Fairfield, $275 a seat, meets at the blue door on Wright Way, 30 minutes before. It needs four passengers to fly, so a quiet slot may be moved to combine groups, and its listing does not give a flight length.

Useful tip. Book the flight for early in your stay. If weather grounds it, a new date is only useful if you still have evenings left in New York.

The rules at every airfield

  • Photo ID. A current government-issued photo ID for every passenger. At Charm, no ID means no flight and no refund.
  • Weight. HeliNY and Charm set 275 pounds; above it, Charm sells a second seat. Zip sets 250 pounds, and HeliNY cannot fit seat-belt extenders.
  • Bags. At HeliNY only a camera, a phone and sunglasses go aboard, and free lockers hold the rest.
  • Children. At Charm, children from two pay the full fare; at HeliNY, under-2s ride on a lap.
  • Waivers. At HeliNY every passenger signs one before flying.
  • Late arrivals. At Charm a missed flight is not refunded, and changes within 24 hours carry a fee.
Important. The journey is the part that goes wrong. A late train or a slow taxi eats the check-in window, and a missed flight is not refunded. Leave Manhattan at least two hours before your flight time, and read what to expect on the night before you go.

What the half hour covers

From Linden, the HeliNY flight takes off over Newark's airport and heads for the harbor. You see the statue and Ellis Island first, then the Financial District and One World Trade Center, and then the flight turns up the Hudson past Midtown. The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the United Nations are all in view before you reach the George Washington Bridge and turn back. The pilot narrates as you go, and up to six of you share a cabin with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Which airfield suits you

  • You are staying on the west side or near Penn Station: Linden, by train, with the shuttle at the far end.
  • You would rather not take a train at night: Fairfield, by taxi both ways.
  • You are travelling with a baby: at HeliNY under-2s ride on a lap; at Charm, children from two pay the full fare.
  • You want the aircraft to yourselves: the private plane from Linden, which cannot be refunded.
  • You want the lowest shared fare: Zip from Fairfield, if your slot fills to four.

Choosing a time after dark

You pick the departure yourself, so pick it by the sky. Charm's own listing makes no promise of a sunset view; the lit city is the thing you can count on. Full dark comes at about 9pm in mid-June and before 5pm in December, and every month is on weather and dark times.

Count back from the flight: check-in, then the shuttle or the taxi, then the train or the bus. Build in time for a late train as well. The night flights are compared side by side on our page of night helicopter tours, and the rest of the ways to see the city lit are on the night tour options.

Getting back

Every flight lands where it took off, about half an hour later, or about 45 minutes for the plane. From Linden it is the shuttle or a taxi to the station and the train to Penn Station. From Fairfield it is the taxi or the bus back. Ask the operator at check-in about the shuttle's return, and have a rideshare app ready if the last train is close.

Night flights, from Linden and Fairfield

Next: Pick your airfield by how you want to get there, then book a flight time after full dark. Every fare sits side by side on New York Night Tours.