The New York City metropolitan area is a fascinating region when it comes to business travel, not only because it is one of the most populous areas in the United States. For starters, the city itself is the unquestioned financial capital of the United States, and only a very select group of economists will attempt to argue that it is not also the financial capital of the entire world. The city, as a result, is one of the most popular destinations for global business travelers, many of whom frequent the city to visit clients, conduct business meetings, and .

New York City is heavily saturated with demand from business travelers, and, unsurprisingly, all three major US legacy carriers have major hubs within the region. Legacy airlines like United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines primarily serve business travelers, and thus maintaining an important presence in New York is an essential part of their business strategy. Both American Airlines and have major hubs at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), .

The two airlines also have smaller hubs at New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA), a facility that is more limited in terms of the flights it can operate. Therefore, when it comes to business travelers, Delta and American both primarily funnel domestic (and short-haul business travelers from destinations like Canada) through this airport. United Airlines takes a different approach, instead has a massive hub that serves as its principal gateway for both long and short-haul travel at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey.

Today, business travelers typically value convenience above almost all else (except those who are extremely loyal to a certain airline and may choose to go out of their way to fly with their carrier of choice), and thus, they will choose to fly in and out of the airport which is most convenient for them.

In most cities, like London or Chicago, there are multiple airports, but one is more appealing to business travelers than others due to its convenient location. In New York, however, this question is a little more difficult to answer, as all three airports are located in places that are convenient for different groups. Let's take a look at which of the three major airports in the New York City area is the most convenient for business travelers.

The first thing that is important to note when analyzing which of New York's major airports is most convenient for business travelers is that those traveling for work will typically want to go directly from airports to their offices. For the most part, corporate offices in New York are located in Manhattan. Sure, there are some companies with headquarters in Queens and some with offices in Brooklyn or Jersey City. If your office is in Jersey City, it is pretty clear that Newark is the best airport for you, and for Queens or Brooklyn employees, then JFK or LaGuardia makes the most sense.

What is more difficult to analyze is exactly which of the three airports works best for travelers heading to Manhattan. Manhattan is a larger place than one might initially think, and unlike most cities which have one central business district, Manhattan sort of has three different areas where business travelers will likely be heading. It is important to look at each of these three areas individually, as each brings a lot to the table in terms of offering business travelers convenient access to New York Area airports.

For starters, there is the traditional Financial District, which is often referred to simply as "Wall Street," because of the important road that has long served as the heart of America's financial industry. This area of Lower Manhattan is home to many of the nation's most important financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs and other major office-based employers like McKinsey & Company. Over time, many companies have begun to shift their office space away from the Financial District and towards Midtown, an area more conveniently located for commuters from many New York suburbs.

Lastly, a recent wave of development in the area west of Penn Station has led to the rise of Hudson Yards, the most modern of New York's major business districts. Business travelers heading to each of these areas from different airports have different considerations, and the geographic location of one's office has a major impact on which airport is most convenient for them.

For the most part, business travelers do not use public transportation. Simple Flying has analyzed which of New York's major airports is the best connected by public transportation in the past, but this kind of analysis is really not relevant to the business traveler. Therefore, it is important to analyze how long it takes to get to each of these major airports from New York's different financial districts.

Across the board, Newark Airport is the most conveniently located airport for business travelers from Hudson Yards or most of Midtown. According to Uber, the average journey time between Hudson Yards and Newark Airport is about 26 minutes, compared to more than twice that for JFK and about ten minutes longer when it comes to LaGuardia. Midtown's convenient access to New Jersey via the Lincoln tunnel means that one can efficiently get from Midtown offices to Newark Airport in less than half an hour, as long as one can effectively avoid rush hour traffic.

From the World Trade Center, a major geographic hub in the Financial District, it takes about the same amount of time to get to Newark and LaGuardia, at about 30 minutes. Getting to JFK, however, will likely take you more than 45 minutes, assuming you don't get caught in the notorious traffic of the Belt Parkway.

There are a few situations where flying out of JFK or LaGuardia will be more convenient for business travelers. For starters, those flying to domestic destinations will often find that the risk of getting caught in traffic out of LaGuardia will be a little lower than crossing under the Hudson to Newark. According to Gett, LaGuardia has also been optimized for the business traveler, with dozens of lounges and other spaces available to support those who may need to take a call or meeting while in transit.

Flying in and out of JFK, however, will rarely be your best option unless you are flying to a long-haul destination that does not have direct nonstop service from any of the region's other airports. This can be quite a common occurrence for those flying to destinations in Asia, Africa, South America, or the Middle East, but it will seldom be the case for business travelers flying to and from Europe.

As a result, we conclude that, for the most part, business travelers will find Newark Airport to be the most convenient, due to its closer location to many major business districts in Manhattan. However, if passengers are headed to a domestic destination LaGuardia could be more convenient and JFK will offer a broader range of nonstop flights to farther-flung destinations.