Routes

Private Jet to Hamptons: Cost, Curfew, Best Airports

A federal injunction currently blocks East Hampton's 2022 curfew rules

A private jet to the Hamptons will almost always land at East Hampton Airport. The mistake we see most often is relying on an outdated article about the airport’s curfew rather than checking what the latest federal court ruling actually allows.

For the past four years, East Hampton’s access rules have been caught between a strict curfew and a court injunction. Heading into the 2026 season, the injunction remains in effect.

The Town of East Hampton adopted a curfew and flight-cap framework in 2022, but a federal court has blocked the town from enforcing most of it ever since.

Ultimately, two things shape your trip: where you land and which weekend you fly. Get either one wrong in July or August, and you may pay for it twice, first in the quote, then in the wait for a ramp slot.

Airport Access for a Private Jet to the Hamptons

East Hampton Airport sits closest to most Hamptons villages, but its short runway and contested rulebook both limit what can land there. The table below draws on the Town of East Hampton’s own airport documents and public runway data for the fields that serve Hamptons charter traffic.

East Hampton has no instrument landing system, only RNAV approaches published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Its control tower runs seasonally, May through September, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Outside those hours, and all winter, the field operates uncontrolled, and pilots coordinate with New York Approach by radio instead.

A Federal Injunction Blocks East Hampton’s 2022 Curfew Rules

This is the fact most buyers get wrong. East Hampton’s own posted rules still describe a strict curfew and flight cap, and a federal court has kept both from taking effect.

The town closed the public airport for a single day in May 2022, then reopened it as a private, prior permission required (PPR) field under a Town Board resolution. That resolution, still posted on the town’s own site, sets flight hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Weekend and federal-holiday hours run 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. It caps charter and fractional operators at one round trip per aircraft per day. It limits any aircraft louder than 91.0 EPNdB (effective perceived noise decibels), a noise unit the FAA defines in Advisory Circular 36-1H, to that same one-round-trip cap. And it bars any aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 50,000 pounds or more.

None of that has held up in court. Operators sued within weeks, arguing the town skipped the review the Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA) requires before a federally obligated airport can restrict access. A judge issued an injunction blocking enforcement in 2022, and an appeals court upheld it. The ruling requires the town to complete the FAA’s Part 161 study before any curfew, flight cap, or size limit can take effect. By February 2025, aeronautical charts and databases again listed the airport as public-use.

As of the 2026 season, the injunction still stands, so none of the 2022 rules carry legal force. The town has not withdrawn them, though, and it continues pursuing the Part 161 process that could revive some version later.

One real restriction survives all of this. Pilots at East Hampton observe a voluntary curfew of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The field’s sole FBO, Sound Aircraft Services, will not fuel an aircraft or provide ground handling during those hours. Nobody can stop you from landing at 11 p.m. Nobody will be there to help you once you do.

What would change this answer: a Part 161 win for the town. The 2022 curfew, flight cap, and size limit would take legal effect, and a large-cabin jet or a same-day return trip would need a different airport. Check the current status with your operator close to your travel date. Litigation like this moves fast, and a status that holds in June can flip by August.

When Gabreski or Republic Beats Flying Into East Hampton

East Hampton is not the right call for a large-cabin jet, a group insisting on a same-day return, or anyone who would rather not track pending litigation before a flight.

Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton runs a 9,002-foot runway, more than double East Hampton’s main strip, with no curfew and no PPR framework of any kind, live or blocked. A large-cabin jet that cannot use East Hampton’s short runway lands here instead, then drives the remaining 20 to 30 minutes into the central and eastern Hamptons.

Republic Airport in Farmingdale works as a fallback. It is rarely anyone’s first choice. It sits roughly 60 miles from the Hamptons, closer to New York City than to Southampton. Choosing it usually adds 60 to 90 minutes of driving that Gabreski would not. Republic earns its place on a holiday weekend when both East Hampton and Gabreski are full, or when a trip already runs through western Long Island on the way out.

Montauk’s airport does not belong in this decision for a jet. Its single runway measures 3,246 by 75 feet with no fuel listed on the field, which limits it to turboprops and small piston aircraft serving the far eastern South Fork.

What a Private Jet to the Hamptons Costs

A private jet to the Hamptons from the New York area rarely costs what the flight time alone suggests. The trip is so short that the operator’s minimum billing decides the bill more than the distance does.

Teterboro is the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey-run field most New York-area charter jets call home. It sits about 68 nautical miles from East Hampton. That is roughly a 30-minute flight each way. Westchester County Airport is closer still, around 25 minutes from East Hampton in a light jet.

Weekday day trip, Teterboro to East Hampton, light jet, four passengers. The aircraft is already based at Teterboro, so there is no positioning leg to pay for. Actual flight time is about an hour round trip. Most operators apply a two-hour minimum on a hop this short, so you pay for two hours whether you fly one or not. At the Embraer Phenom 300’s roughly $3,600-an-hour rate, that is $7,200 of aircraft time. Add East Hampton’s Class E landing fee of $402.50 for a jet in the Phenom’s weight range, plus roughly $300 in ramp and handling charges from Sound Aircraft Services. Call it about $7,900 all in.

Peak summer weekend, Westchester to East Hampton and back, midsize jet, six passengers. Flight time runs about 25 minutes each way, again well under the two-hour minimum most operators apply per leg. A Bombardier Challenger 350 costs roughly $5,750 an hour. Two hours out on Friday and two hours back on Sunday is four hours total, $23,000, plus two Class F landing fees at $575 each and around $700 in combined handling. Call it about $24,850 for the round trip, before any premium an operator adds for a Fourth of July or Labor Day weekend.

The two-hour minimum is the number every quote buries. On a 25-minute flight, the minimum decides most of what you pay.

Realistic Flight Times to East Hampton

Flight time to East Hampton stays short from almost anywhere in the tri-state area. The operator’s minimum billing, more than the distance, is what actually sets your price.

• Teterboro to East Hampton: about 30 minutes, light jet
• Westchester County to East Hampton: about 25 minutes, light jet
• Newark or LaGuardia area to East Hampton: about 35 to 40 minutes, light jet
• Boston to East Hampton: about 55 minutes, light jet
• Washington, D.C. area to East Hampton: about 1 hour 40 minutes, midsize
• Teterboro to Gabreski: about 25 minutes, light jet

Which Airport Fits Your Trip

Pick East Hampton first if your aircraft fits its runway and your operator confirms current access. Move to Gabreski the moment your jet is too large, your weekend is fully booked at East Hampton, or you would rather not track a lawsuit before you fly. Republic earns a look only when both of those are full or your trip already runs through western Long Island.

Summer Booking Windows and Peak-Season Pricing

Hamptons demand peaks hard from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and July and August weekends are the tightest window of all. Thursday and Friday afternoon departures, and Sunday evening returns, draw the heaviest demand and the highest prices, since most travelers want to leave and come back inside the same few hours.

Two to four weeks of lead time is typical for an ordinary summer weekend. Push that to six to eight weeks around Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day. The same aircraft that flew you out on Friday needs to fly someone else out on Sunday.

Repositioning is the other cost driver unique to this season. A jet that drops you at East Hampton on Friday evening often has nowhere profitable to go until Sunday. Operators price the round trip to cover both legs even when you only fly one way. That is also why empty legs are common on this route all summer. An aircraft repositioning back to Teterboro or Westchester after a Sunday drop-off is a seat you can often buy for a fraction of the round-trip rate.

Booking a Private Jet to the Hamptons: The Verdict

Book East Hampton if your aircraft fits and your operator confirms the current access rules the week you fly. A status you read about months earlier may already be stale. Move to Gabreski without hesitation for a large-cabin jet, a same-day return that might trip the currently blocked one-round-trip rule, or any weekend East Hampton is fully booked. If you are new to chartering altogether, our guide to chartering a private jet covers how to read a quote before you sign one.

Ask your operator three questions before you book a private jet to the Hamptons: what happens to your landing slot if the Part 161 case changes East Hampton’s rules before your trip date, whether the quote already includes East Hampton’s per-landing fee, and what the daily minimum does to a flight this short. Compare other Northeast leisure routes in our route guides, or see what a private island rental adds once you land somewhere less litigated.

Other Northeast Leisure Routes

East Hampton is one stop in a broader Northeast leisure-flying market that runs on the same logic: short hops, small runways, and a hard summer peak.

• Nantucket. Same Northeast summer surge, and a similarly short island runway. Our Nantucket route guide covers its own airport limits and peak-season math.
• Martha’s Vineyard. A similar island-runway trip a little further up the coast, with its own summer curfew and slot pressure.
• New York City. Most Hamptons charters start here. Our New York route guide covers Teterboro, Westchester, and the rest of the metro-area airport options in full.
• Aspen and other seasonal-peak leisure markets. The booking-lead-time and surge-pricing logic above carries over almost exactly, even where the season and the runway numbers differ.

None of this changes the fundamentals for East Hampton itself. Confirm the airport’s current access status before you book, budget the two-hour minimum into a short hop, and book earlier than feels necessary for a July or August weekend.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does East Hampton Airport have a curfew?

The Town of East Hampton's own 2022 rules set flight hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. A federal court injunction has blocked the town from enforcing that curfew since shortly after it was adopted, and the injunction is still in force for the 2026 season. A separate voluntary curfew of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. is honored by local operators and by the field's FBOFixed Base Operator — the private terminal you depart from, separate from the commercial airport building. Handles fuel, ground transport, crew and passenger services., Sound Aircraft Services. It will not fuel or handle an aircraft during those hours, even though landing itself is not illegal.

Do I need prior permission to land a private jet at East Hampton?

Not currently. The town adopted a prior permission required (PPR) framework in 2022 alongside the curfew. The same injunction that blocks the curfew also blocks the PPR requirement, the one-round-trip-per-day cap, and the 50,000-pound size limit. Confirm the status with your operator close to your travel date, since the town is still pursuing federal approval to reinstate some version of these rules.

What airport should I use if my jet is too big for East Hampton?

Use Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton. Its 9,002-foot runway handles large-cabin jets that East Hampton's 4,255-foot strip cannot, and it carries no curfew or PPR framework at all. Most central and eastern Hamptons destinations are a 20 to 30 minute drive from Gabreski.

How much does a private jet to the Hamptons cost from Teterboro?

Plan on roughly $7,900 for a light jet day trip from Teterboro, most of it driven by the two-hour minimum billing most operators apply rather than the 30-minute flight itself. A midsize jet on a peak summer weekend, flown out Friday and back Sunday, runs closer to $25,000 once you count both legs at the same two-hour minimum.

How far in advance should I book a private jet to the Hamptons in summer?

Book two to four weeks ahead for an ordinary July or August weekend. Push that to six to eight weeks for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or Labor Day, when demand and pricing both peak at once.

Can a private jet land at Montauk?

No. Montauk's single runway measures 3,246 by 75 feet with no fuel on the field, which limits it to turboprops and small piston aircraft. Any jet flying to the far eastern South Fork lands at East Hampton or Gabreski instead and drives the rest of the way.

We update this guide as aircraft, program, and route pricing changes. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it.