Geneva / Zurich
→
New York
from €332 return
About this deal
This is a rare Christmas-week fare from Switzerland to New York with Icelandair, available for 23–29 December 2026 from both Geneva and Zurich.
The cheapest fare currently starts at €332 return from Geneva and €337 return from Zurich, with one efficient stop in Reykjavik each way.
The lowest fares include a personal item + cabin bag, but no checked baggage. If you need a checked bag, I recommend choosing Icelandair from the Skyscanner vendor list; the baggage-inclusive option was around €499 return when checked.
Availability is the main catch: only a couple of seats appear to remain, and I could not find any other dates at this price. This is exactly the kind of fare that can disappear quickly.
Zurich: €337 return
Airline: Icelandair
Routing: 1 stop in Reykjavik each way
Included: personal item + cabin bag
Checked-bag option: ~€499 with Icelandair
Geneva and Zurich links are shown below ↓
Reference flight schedule
Icelandair · 1 stop in Reykjavik
Geneva or Zurich 13:00 → Reykjavik 16:00
50-minute connection
Reykjavik 16:50 → New York JFK 18:00
Total journey time is around 11 hours. The 18:00 arrival is excellent for getting into Manhattan and still having the evening ahead of you.
Icelandair · 1 stop in Reykjavik
New York JFK 19:25 → Reykjavik 06:10+1
1h10 connection
Reykjavik 07:20 → Geneva or Zurich 12:05
Total journey time is around 10h40, with a civilised evening departure from New York.
Route map
Both options connect through Icelandair's Keflavik hub before continuing to JFK.
GVAGeneva
KEFReykjavikJFKNew YorkZRHZurichKEFReykjavikJFKNew YorkThe outbound connection in Keflavik is 50 minutes; the return connection is 1h10. Both itineraries are sold as Icelandair connections rather than self-transfers.
Fare proof
The Geneva itinerary showed from €332 return for 23–29 December. That was roughly €300 cheaper than the SWISS direct option for the same dates.
Check Geneva fare →
The Zurich itinerary showed from €337 return for the same Christmas dates, roughly €400 cheaper than the SWISS direct option.
Check Zurich fare →Fare screenshots are proof of what was available when checked, not a guarantee of future availability. With only a couple of seats showing, expect this one to move fast.
Why this fare works + important details
The dates are the story here: 23–29 December gives you six nights in New York over Christmas, with usable schedules from both Geneva and Zurich. At €332–€337 return, the fare is dramatically below the SWISS direct options I compared for the same dates.
1. Only a couple of seats: there were only a small number of seats left at the headline price when checked.
2. One date only: I could not find other travel dates at this price, so this should be treated as a very specific Christmas fare rather than a broad sale.
3. Checked baggage: the cheapest fare includes a personal item + cabin bag, but no checked bag. If you need one, I recommend selecting Icelandair from the Skyscanner vendor list; the relevant option was around €499 return when checked.
4. Tight winter connection: the outbound connection at KEF is only 50 minutes. It is a protected Icelandair connection, but winter weather can still create disruption.
5. Direct vs one-stop: the SWISS comparison is useful for price context, but SWISS is direct while this Icelandair fare connects in Reykjavik.
Fare + booking details
Booking options
The cheapest of the two Swiss departure points when checked. The headline fare includes a personal item + cabin bag. Open the Skyscanner result and re-check the final vendor, baggage and total price before paying.
Check Geneva fare →Only €5 above Geneva and particularly attractive for travellers based around Zurich. Again, the cheapest fare includes cabin baggage but no checked bag.
Check Zurich fare →If you are travelling with a checked suitcase, I would rather select the Icelandair option from the Skyscanner vendor list instead of building extras onto the cheapest OTA fare. At the time checked, the relevant option was around €499 return. Verify the exact checked-baggage allowance shown before payment.
Open Skyscanner →No other dates were found at this price. Both options below are for 23–29 December 2026, and only a couple of seats appeared to remain when checked.
The flight fare itself is exceptional — but the overall trip is much less of a bargain once you land in New York at Christmas. The score drops to 7.7 because accommodation over these dates is extremely expensive, genuinely affordable hotels that still meet Dino standards are hard to find, availability on the fare is very limited, checked baggage costs extra and the 50-minute KEF connection is tight for winter travel.
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Let’s get the uncomfortable part out of the way first: New York hotels are expensive, and over Christmas they can become brutally expensive. Finding genuinely affordable accommodation that still fits the kind of standards I am comfortable recommending — good location, solid reviews, private room, sensible cancellation conditions and no obvious compromises — is difficult. One property that caught my attention for these dates is the Fairfield Inn by Marriott New York Manhattan / Financial District. It is not cheap by normal-world standards, but for six nights in Manhattan over Christmas the combination of included breakfast, good location and flexible booking conditions makes it one of the more sensible options I found.
≈ €143 per person per night
Taxes and charges included
- Manhattan Financial District location at 161 Front Street.
- Breakfast included in the reference rate.
- Free cancellation before 21 December 2026 on the rate shown.
- No prepayment needed — pay at the property on the selected rate.
- Guest score shown: 8.0/10.
- Location score shown: 8.9/10.
- Free Wi-Fi.
- Fitness centre and 24-hour front desk.
- Close to Lower Manhattan, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge and the 9/11 Memorial area.
Why this hotel + where to stay in New York
This is not one of those hotel recommendations where I am going to pretend
€1,718 for six nights is a bargain.
New York accommodation is expensive at the best of times, and
23–29 December is about as peak-season as it gets.
What I like about this particular option is the overall package.
You are staying in
Manhattan,
the property has more than
3,000 reviews,
the location score is strong,
breakfast is included,
and the reference rate gives you
free cancellation until shortly before departure
without requiring advance payment.
Breakfast is especially useful in New York.
Even a simple breakfast for two every morning can add a noticeable amount to the trip budget,
so having it included helps soften the hotel price.
The Financial District is also underrated as a tourist base.
You can walk to
Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial, One World Trade Center, South Street Seaport and Brooklyn Bridge,
while subway connections make Midtown and the rest of Manhattan straightforward to reach.
Dino tip: do not automatically search only around Times Square. New York's public transport is good enough that staying a few subway stops away can save a substantial amount without ruining the trip. For this particular fare, Financial District, Long Island City and Downtown Brooklyn would be the first three areas I would compare.
Six nights in New York over Christmas
The flight deal gives you
six hotel nights,
which is almost ideal for New York.
It is enough time to see the major Manhattan sights without turning every day into a checklist,
while still leaving space for Brooklyn,
a museum,
shopping,
a neighbourhood day
or simply wandering around the city.
Because this trip falls directly over
Christmas,
I would also leave some flexibility in the itinerary.
New York is particularly atmospheric at this time of year,
but attractions, restaurants and transport can also be exceptionally busy.
JFK airport + practical New York notes
The reference Icelandair flight arrives at
New York JFK at 18:00.
After immigration, baggage collection if applicable and the transfer into Manhattan,
I would not plan anything ambitious for the first evening.
From JFK you have several options.
Public transport using the
AirTrain combined with New York's rail / subway network
is normally the cheapest approach,
while taxis and rideshares are much easier if you are travelling with luggage.
For the Financial District,
allow plenty of time during the Christmas period because
New York traffic can be unpredictable.
The return flight leaves JFK at
19:25,
which is a very comfortable departure time.
You can still use much of your final day,
although I would leave Manhattan earlier than normal because
29 December is still part of the busy Christmas / New Year travel period.
Things to do in New York
Compare observation decks, Statue of Liberty trips, 9/11 Memorial experiences, Broadway activities, Central Park tours, Brooklyn experiences and other New York attractions below. For Christmas dates, book anything you consider essential earlier than you normally would because popular time slots can sell out.
A few useful extras that can make the journey easier, particularly when travelling with restrictive cabin-bag fares, arriving late or needing mobile data as soon as you land.
A useful packing solution when you are trying to fit more clothing
into a restricted cabin bag.
Particularly relevant for travellers using airlines such as
Ryanair and Wizz Air, where baggage dimensions and
additional luggage fees can significantly change the final cost of a
cheap flight.
Compress your clothing and make better use of the space available
inside your luggage.
Arrive with mobile data ready and avoid searching for a local SIM
card or relying on airport Wi-Fi.
Use code XTRA10 for
10% off your first purchase.
Travelling for longer? Saily Ultra includes
30 GB of high-speed data plus unlimited reduced-speed data
,
together with additional travel benefits.
Pre-book your airport transfer before travelling.
Particularly useful for
late-night arrivals, families and travellers with luggage
,
or when arriving somewhere unfamiliar and you would rather have a
driver waiting than search for transport after landing.
Use promo code TPO5 for
5% off your booking.
Valid until 31 December 2026.
Flight deals are only the start. These guides show how I find fares worth booking, which travel tools can make a trip easier and what to consider before protecting your holiday.
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