How long does it really take to fly from Richmond to New York City? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach New York City, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.
Wednesday, 3:10 pm: start in Richmond
drive for about 20 minutes
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 4:25 pm at the latest
3:30 pm: Richmond International (RIC)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 4:55 pm
4:00 pm: get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time
5:00 pm: arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate
5:30 pm: prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat
5:45 pm: board ExpressJet Airlines Inc. flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
5:55 pm: this is your scheduled departure time
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 12 minutes
6:07 pm: so this is your actual departure time
it takes the plane an average of 17 minutes to taxi to the runway
6:24 pm: wheels up! take-off from RIC
fly for about 48 minutes in the air
7:12 pm (local time): LaGuardia (LGA)
New York City is the same time as Richmond
taxi on the runway for an average of 11 minutes to the gate
7:23 pm (local time): arrive at the gate at LGA
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 24 minutes to your destination
7:47 pm (local time): arrive in New York City
Now finally, let's look at an example flight from RIC to JFK and figure out how long it would take to fly including take-off and landing, and time to taxi on the runway.
So now we can finally get an idea of the total travel time from Richmond to New York City including time spent getting to/from the airports, an estimated wait time of 2 hours at the airport for TSA security lines and waiting at the gate, and the actual flight itself.
Total travel time: 4 hours
How far is New York City from Richmond? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.
Flight distance: 286 miles or 460 km
Flight time: 49 minutes
Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 4 hours, 36 minutes.
Flying private is roughly 3.7x faster, and saves you about 3.5 hours in your total travel time.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula.
This is a relatively short flight in a private plane, but you might be planning to book a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.
Looking at flights on ExpressJet Airlines Inc. from RIC to LGA, here's a breakdown of the number of flights available each day:
Based on these statistical results, we chose Wednesday for the flight itinerary above.
The most common route is RIC to LGA, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:
We picked ExpressJet Airlines Inc. for your main flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:
Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to New York, New York. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in New York City. If you're looking for a place to stay, you might want to check out The Standard New York. A great place to eat might be Katz's Delicatessen. Trippy members can suggest things to do in New York City like Central Park. Check out some of the questions people have asked about New York City like Is it a good idea to visit NYC in December? Click the button below to explore New York City in detail.
The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from New York City to Richmond, or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.
You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a Richmond to New York City road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from Richmond to New York City?
If you happen to know Richmond, don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about Richmond!