Newark Airport will no longer be considered part of NYC — which could mean higher fare prices

 

Newark Liberty International Airport will no longer be considered a New York City destination beginning next month — which may lead to passengers having to pay a penalty if they want to transfer to the Big Apple hubs.

The International Air Transport Association, the trade association made up of the world’s airlines, will remove the “NYC” city code from Newark Liberty beginning on Oct. 3.

Until now, Newark was grouped together with John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia as belonging to the “NYC” cluster of airports. Now the New Jersey airport will solely be referred to by the “EWR” code.

Once the change goes into effect, fliers who wish to alter their destination between the New York airports and Newark may have to pay a penalty — which can cost hundreds of dollars depending on the airline.

“Separate fares will be filed for EWR,” according to a Lufthansa Group memo that circulated on Twitter.

“Since EWR and JFK belong to different City Codes (EWR and NYC respectively), changing the airport (rerouting) from JFK to EWR will result in a change in O&D (origin and destination),” read the memo.

“This is now allowed on a voluntary basis only if the corresponding fare allows rerouting with O&D change, and a repricing is required.”

The Post has sought comment from JetBlue, United Airlines, Delta and American Airlines.

A United source told The Post that the airline has no plans to alter Newark’s airport code, which is listed as EWR in the company’s computer system.

Passengers seeking to book flights to and from the New York area can still type in “NYC” and be offered options to fly both into and out of Newark.

Daniel Bubb, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a former airline pilot, told The Post that airlines should be cautious in rushing to impose penalties on passengers flying into the New York metropolitan area.

“It largely depends on the airlines, and what the pricing structure will be for Newark (EWR),” Bubb told The Post in an emailed statement.

“It could mean that flying into EWR will be cheaper than flying into LGA or JFK.”

“At the same time, it could mean that it will be more expensive,” Bubb said.

“Regardless, I think the airlines will have to be thoughtful and careful about this because if they charge an airport change fee on top of all of the fees they already include in a ticket, they could lose passengers.”