New York to the Hamptons: Private Jet, Helicopter or Seaplane?

A light jet from Teterboro to East Hampton covers about 95 miles in roughly 30 minutes. On 10 November 2026 the Villiers estimate for the whole aircraft, one way, was about $11,800 — under $2,000 each if six people share it, against $595 to $795 for a single helicopter seat. Here is when the jet wins, when the helicopter or seaplane makes more sense, which of the three East End airports to use, and the summer rules that catch New Yorkers out.

The short answer

For one or two people, a seat on a scheduled helicopter or seaplane is far cheaper than chartering a whole jet, and it leaves from Manhattan rather than New Jersey. From about four people up, a light jet from Teterboro or Westchester costs less per head than many people expect, carries proper luggage and flies when you want, not when the schedule does. The jet is priced for the whole aircraft, so it costs the same for one person or six. The catch is the destination: East Hampton’s main runway is 4,255 feet long, its control tower only opens in summer, and the town publishes a nighttime curfew that operators are asked to respect.

New to flying private from the city? Our New York private-jet guide covers the basics, New York’s private-jet airports compares Teterboro, Westchester and the other departure points, and our Teterboro airport guide explains the private terminals there.

Jet, helicopter, seaplane or car: the comparison

The Hamptons are the one trip from New York where the private jet competes with the helicopter and the seaplane rather than with an airline. Each option answers a different question: how many of you are going, how much you carry, and where in the city you start.

Helicopter, seaplane and road figures as published in Blade’s guide (last updated February 2026), which notes that prices and schedules change. The LIRR takes 2.5 to 4 hours ($20–35) and the Hampton Jitney 2 to 4+ hours ($30–50+) by the same source. Blade sells helicopter and seaplane seats; we quote its published figures only for comparison.

What a private jet to the Hamptons costs

We ran the Villiers estimator on 10 November 2026 for four passengers: Teterboro to East Hampton one way and round trip, plus Gabreski and Montauk as destinations and Westchester as the origin. The tool returned light-jet and heavy-jet estimates and, separately, a midsize “rough guide” that it flags as less reliable because its recent midsize estimates differed from operator quotes by more than 25%. All are indicative figures for the whole aircraft, not quotes.

Villiers estimate, 10 November 2026, via the NY Jet Desk price tool; 4 passengers. The midsize rough guide was $17,328 one way to East Hampton (range $12,000–$24,000) and $24,756 round trip. Per-person figures and percentages are our arithmetic.

What the numbers mean for you:

• Per person, the group decides. The light-jet estimate is $2,946 each for four people and $1,964 each for six. The operator confirms how many seats the actual aircraft has.
• Book the round trip together. Light jet: $16,563 against $23,566 for two one-ways, 29.7% less. Heavy jet: 23.7% less. Midsize rough guide: 28.6% less.
• A heavy jet is rarely worth it for 30 minutes. It doubled the estimate ($24,031) for a flight too short to use the cabin. Bigger jets also face East Hampton’s shorter runway (below).
• Published card rates look lower. Flycraft, which sells a jet card, publishes $4,000–$5,000 one way in a light jet, based on its card rates with a minimum of 2 billed hours per flight day. Card pricing and on-demand charter are different products; compare like with like, and get a live quote for your date.

Why the same flight can be priced so differently is explained in how much a private jet costs; card, charter and empty legs are compared in jet card vs charter vs empty leg.

East Hampton, Gabreski or Montauk?

Three airports on the East End take private jets, and they could hardly be more different. East Hampton (JPX), about three miles west of the village, is the default. Its main runway is 4,255 feet by 100 feet, with a second strip of 2,060 feet; Sound Aircraft Services is the full-service FBO, and a landing fee applies to all aircraft (FAA data via AirNav). The control tower operates from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. only from the Saturday before Memorial Day to the Sunday after Labor Day. The FAA lists the field as public-use again after a long legal fight with the town (GlobalAir, February 2025).

Francis S. Gabreski (FOK) in Westhampton Beach is the big-runway option: 9,002 feet, a tower open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., two FBOs (Modern Aviation and Signature) and customs clearance with at least 24 hours’ notice for up to 15 passengers. It is about 25 miles from East Hampton (Flycraft), so it suits Westhampton, Quogue and Southampton better than Montauk. Montauk (MTP) is privately owned, with a single 3,246-foot runway, attendance only in daylight from 15 April through October, and prior permission required for jets (AirNav).

Runways, hours, FBOs and customs from FAA airport data as published by AirNav, retrieved November 2026. Distances from Teterboro are great-circle figures from published airport coordinates (our calculation): East Hampton 95 miles, Gabreski 75 miles, Montauk 113 miles.

Runway length matters because the operator, not the passenger, decides whether a given jet can use a given runway with that day’s load, weather and temperature. Flycraft bases its Hamptons estimate on a light jet such as the Phenom 300, the smallest category that flies the route non-stop; if your group needs a larger cabin, ask whether the operator plans to land at Gabreski instead. Cabin sizes are compared in light vs midsize vs heavy jet.

Real footage · 12:44

The East Hampton rules: curfew, noise and the summer crowd

East Hampton’s airport has been fought over for years. In 2022 the town tried to close it and reopen it as a private-use field with new limits; a New York court blocked that, finding that the proposed curfew would breach the federal Airport Noise and Capacity Act, and the appellate court upheld the ruling (GlobalAir). The town’s operating memo to pilots (revision 19, July 2026) still lists a nighttime curfew from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., caps APU use on the ramp at 30 minutes and asks helicopters to fly published noise-abatement routes. The East Hampton Star reports that curfew compliance is voluntary — but your operator will plan around it, so a 10:30 p.m. Friday arrival may not be offered.

Summer 2026 was busy. Town statistics cited by the East Hampton Star counted 16,432 operations from June to August, up 8.3% and the most since 2019, with 11 days above 200 operations. Jet traffic rose 6.3% and helicopter traffic 26.9%, to 4,308 operations, according to JPXWatch, a flight-tracking project that uses FlightAware data. The mandatory North Shore helicopter route over Long Island Sound expired on 29 July 2026, and the paper reported no successor rule and no announced changes for 2027.

When to go: the Hamptons calendar

Holiday planning is covered in our guide to booking a private jet for the holidays. If your dates are flexible, check the empty legs: on 10 November 2026 the Villiers list showed none to East Hampton, which is normal outside summer — empty-leg flights from New York explains how they appear and what an empty-leg flight is covers the catches.

More route guides from New York: New York to Florida, Teterboro to Palm Beach and New York to Las Vegas. All our guides are on the NY Jet Desk guides page.

Frequently asked questions

Part of the NY Jet Desk guides — data and route guides for flying private from New York.