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Drive or Fly: Dover Plains, NY to Manhattan, NY?

Side-by-side comparison of driving versus flying for this route. Costs, time, and trade-offs at a glance.

Driving wins

Medium

No scheduled commercial flights found for SWF–LGA. At 78 miles, driving is the only practical option.

Passengers:
Vehicle:

Drive

Door to Door

1h 54m

Distance

78.5 mi

Total Cost

$52

CO2

32 kg

Cost Breakdown

Diesel$17
Hotel (1 room, 0 nights) $0
Meals (1 pax, 1 day) $35
+ No luggage restrictions or TSA lines
+ Comfortable one-day drive
+ Stop anywhere along the route
+ Have your own car at the destination
+ Likely faster door-to-door than flying
− Wear and tear on vehicle
− Fuel price fluctuations
Plan the drive

Fly

Door to Door

3h 6m

8m in the air

Air Distance

69 mi

Total Cost

$123

CO2

18 kg

Door-to-Door Timeline

Dover Plains, NY → SWF 48m
Check-in & Security 90m
Flight 8m
Arrival & Baggage 30m
LGA → Manhattan, NY 10m

Cost Breakdown

Ticket (1 pax @ $123) $123

Airports

Dover Plains, NY SWF — New York Stewart International Airport 32 mi, ~48m drive
Manhattan, NY LGA — LaGuardia Airport 5 mi, ~10m drive

No scheduled flights found

No commercial flights between SWF and LGA. Flight estimates above are theoretical.

+ Less physical fatigue
+ Predictable arrival time
− Airport security and check-in overhead
− No scheduled commercial flights found for this route
− Luggage fees and restrictions
− Less flexibility for stops along the way

Train

Amtrak

Door to Door

2h 47m

1h 29m on rail

Total Cost

$13

CO2

4 kg

Route

Lake Shore Limited

Door-to-Door Timeline

Dover Plains, NY → Poughkeepsie Amtrak Station 28m
Boarding 30m
Train ride 89m
Arrival 10m
Ny Moynihan Train Hall At Penn Station → Manhattan, NY 10m

Cost Breakdown

Ticket (1 pax @ $13) $13

Estimated based on distance. Check amtrak.com for current prices.

Stations

From Poughkeepsie Amtrak Station 19 mi, ~28m drive
To Ny Moynihan Train Hall At Penn Station 3 mi, ~10m drive

Service

Direct

Frequency

~1/week

+ Spacious seating with legroom and power outlets
+ Walk around freely during the trip
+ No driving fatigue — relax or work en route
+ Much lower carbon footprint than driving or flying
− Limited schedule — about 1 trips per week
− Amtrak delays can be unpredictable
− Need transportation to/from station
− Less flexibility than driving

Bus

FlixBus

Door to Door

5h 17m

3h 40m on road

Total Cost

$10

CO2

5 kg

Route

Greyhound US0255s

Door-to-Door Timeline

Dover Plains, NY → New Britain (Jimmy'S Food Mart #1) (NBI6) 62m
Boarding 15m
Bus ride 220m
Arrival 10m
New York Port Authority (NYD6) → Manhattan, NY 10m

Cost Breakdown

Ticket (1 pax @ $10) $10

Estimated based on distance. Check flixbus.com for current prices.

Stations

From NBI6 — New Britain (Jimmy'S Food Mart #1) 41 mi, ~62m drive
To NYD6 — New York Port Authority 2 mi, ~10m drive

Service

Direct

Frequency

~7/week

+ Usually the cheapest option
+ Wi-Fi and power outlets on board
+ No driving fatigue — relax or work en route
+ Much lower carbon footprint than driving or flying
− Limited schedule — about 7 trips per week
− Travel time longer than driving
− Need transportation to/from station
− Less flexibility than driving

At a Glance

Drive Fly Train Bus
Door-to-door time 1h 54m 3h 6m 2h 47m 5h 17m
Total cost (1 person) $52 $123 $13 $10
Carbon footprint 32 kg CO2 18 kg CO2 4 kg CO2 5 kg CO2
Flexibility High Low
Luggage Unlimited Restricted
Reliability Weather dependent Data unavailable
Drive data: OSRM routing, EIA fuel prices
Flight data: Statistical estimate
Airports: OurAirports
Transit: Amtrak GTFS, FlixBus GTFS — fares estimated
Confidence: Medium — airports identified, fares estimated

Costs are estimates. Actual flight prices vary by airline, date, and booking time. Drive costs based on OSRM routing, EIA fuel prices. Computed Apr 13, 2026.

Decided to drive? See the full trip plan from Dover Plains, NY to Manhattan, NY with stops, fuel costs, and turn-by-turn directions.