Travel to United States of America
Flying to United States of America
The principal US airlines operating international services are American Airlines (www.aa.com), Delta (www.delta.com) and United (www.united.com). From the UK, British Airways (www.ba.com) and Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) also offer multiple routes to the USA.
Major airports are: Mobile Regional Airport, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Tucson International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, San Diego International Airport, Oakland International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Burbank Bob Hope Airport, Ontario International Airport, Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport, John Wayne Airport, Palm Springs International Airport, Sacramento International Airport, Denver International Airport, Colorado Springs Airport, Bradley International Airport, Miami International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Southwest Florida International Airport, Palm Beach International Airport, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, Tampa International Airport, Daytona Beach International Airport, Jacksonville International Airport, Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Honolulu International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Chicago Midway International Airport, Indianapolis International Airport, Des Moines International Airport, Kansas City International Airport, Louisville International Airport, Blue Grass Airport, Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport, New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport, Portland International Jetport, Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, Manchester - Boston Regional Airport, Detroit Metro Airport, Lansing Capital Region International Airport, Bishop International Airport, Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, Duluth International Airport, Rochester International Airport, Lambert-St Louis International Airport, Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, Reno-Tahoe International Airport, Atlantic City International Airport, Albuquerque International Sunport, New York LaGuardia Airport, Long Island MacArthur Airport, New York John F Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Westchester County Airport, Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Raleigh Durham International Airport, Piedmont Triad International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Hector International Airport, Akron-Canton Airport, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Port Columbus Ohio International Airport, Dayton International Airport, Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport, Portland International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Pittsburgh International Airport, T. F. Green Airport, Columbia Metropolitan Airport, Sioux Falls Regional Airport, Memphis International Airport, Nashville International Airport, Austin Bergstrom International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston William P Hobby Airport, El Paso International Airport, San Antonio International Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, Richmond International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Dane County Regional Airport, and Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport.
Airport Guides
Boston Logan International Airport
CodeBOS
LocationBoston Logan International Airport is located 5.3km (3.3 miles) northeast of Boston.
Telephone+1 800 235 6426
Address1 Harborside Drive
Boston
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Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport
CodeIAH
LocationHouston George Bush Intercontinental Airport is located 37km (23 miles) north of Houston.
Telephone+1 281 230 3100
AddressFind out more >
New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
CodeJFK
LocationNew York John F. Kennedy International Airport is located 25km (15.5 miles) southeast of Manhattan.
Telephone+1 718 244 4444
AddressQueensNew York
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New York LaGuardia Airport
CodeLGA
LocationNew York LaGuardia Airport is located 13km (8 miles) east of Manhattan, in the Flushing neighbourhood in the borough of Queens.
Telephone+1 718 533 3400
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Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
CodeDCA
LocationRonald Reagan Washington National Airport is situated 7km (4 miles) south of Washington, DC in Arlington County, Virginia.
Telephone+1 703 417 8000
AddressFind out more >
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
CodeORD
LocationChicago O’Hare International Airport is situated 29km (18 miles) northwest of Chicago.
Telephone+1 800 832 6352
Address10000 West O'Hare Avenue
Chicago
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Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
CodeDFW
LocationDallas-Fort Worth International Airport is located approximately 32km (20 miles) northwest of Dallas and 39km (24 miles) northeast of Fort Worth.
Telephone+1 972 973 3112
Address2400 Aviation Drive
DFW Airport
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Los Angeles International Airport
CodeLAX
LocationLos Angeles International Airport is located roughly 32km (20 miles) southwest of downtown Los Angeles and around 53km (33 miles) from Disneyland.
Telephone+1 855 463 5252
Address1 World Way
Los Angeles
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Philadelphia International Airport
CodePHL
LocationPhiladelphia International Airport is located 11km (7 miles) southwest of central Philadelphia.
Telephone(215) 937 6937.
AddressPhiladelphia8000 Essington Avenue
Pennsylvania 19153
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San Francisco International Airport
CodeSFO
LocationSan Francisco International Airport is located 22km (14 miles) south of downtown San Francisco.
Telephone+1 650 821 8211.
AddressMillbraeSan Francisco
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Flight times
From London: to Miami - 9 hours 45 minutes; to New York - 8 hours; to San Francisco - 11 hours; to Seattle - 9 hours 45 minutes; to Washington, D.C. - 8 hours.
Air passes
Star Alliance member airlines (www.staralliance.com), which includes Air Canada and United, offer a Star Alliance North America Airpass for travel on the continent.
oneworld alliance offer the Visit North America Pass (www.oneworld.com) with the ability to book between two and ten flights between over 240 destinations throughout North America, Central America and the Caribbean using the services of American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, LAN, Qantas and their affiliates.
Departure tax
None.
Travelling to United States of America by Rail
Rail travel in the United States is not as well developed as it is in Europe, and is not a popular way to travel, as service is typically slow and often inconvenient.
Amtrak (tel: +1 800 872 7245; www.amtrak.com) is the only commercial railway in the US providing passenger travel service across the country. The US and Mexican rail networks connect at Yuma (Arizona), El Paso (Texas) and Del Rio (Texas), with limited scheduled passenger services. There are several connections with the Canadian network, including New York-Montreal, Chicago-Toronto and Seattle-Vancouver services.
Rail passes
Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) offers USA rail passes in 15-, 30-, and 45- day increments.
Driving to United States of America
By road, you can enter the United States from Canada to the north and from Mexico to the south. Delays at border crossings are common and may last for hours, particularly at busy checkpoints between the US and Mexico. For a full list of Canada-US and Mexico-US points of entry, their operating hours, and estimated wait times, consult the Customs and Border Protection (bwt.cbp.gov).
Driving note
In general, roadways in the USA are safe and well-maintained. The USA has a well-developed interstate system linking states; odd numbered interstates run north to south and even-numbered interstates run east to west. Many states, including Florida and New Jersey, have state 'turnpikes' that impose tolls on portions of their roadways.
Getting to United States of America by boat
Some of the US ports that welcome passengers in addition to cargo are Port of Anchorage (www.portofanc.com), Honolulu, Port of New Orleans (www.portno.com), New York (www.panynj.gov), Port of Miami (www.miamidade.gov/portofmiami), and Tampa Port Authority (www.tampaport.com). You can find a complete list of US ports on the Customs and Border Protection website (www.cbp.gov/contact/ports).
Water note
Alaskan ports may have seasonal arrivals only, and do not operate year-round for passenger arrivals.
Cruise ships
Numerous cruise lines sail from ports worldwide to both the east and west coasts. Cruises with most frequent departures from Europe to the US include Cunard (www.cunard.com), Norwegian (www.ncl.com), and Holland America (www.hollandamerica.com); however, most do not operate year-round.
Ferry operators
Ferries from Canada to the USA operate on both coasts. Some of these ferries are passenger-only; others offer vehicle transport service as well. As with land crossings and train travel, ferries are not ideal options for those on a tight schedule.
