What is the most exotic flight connection I can take to New York?

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Make a connection: you should be able to fly to the Big Apple via the Faroe Islands from summer next year (Sergio Villalba)

Q I have been to New York lots of times on British Airways/Virgin Atlantic/Norwegian, and think it’s time I went for a more adventurous and exotic itinerary. What would you recommend?

Barry G

A London-New York is the world’s densest intercontinental air route, and with so many nonstop flights available you can select a time to suit you almost to the minute. But indirect trips have the benefit of generally lower fares and, often, a free stopover. So they are well worth seeking out.

The easiest transfer point, from anywhere in the UK, is Dublin. I am not sure whether you would consider that option adventurous or exotic. But it allows you to pre-clear US formalities at the Irish airport and also, if you don’t mind taking a misconnection risk, reducing the air passenger duty obligation from £78 (for a longhaul trip) to just £13 (for the hop to Dublin). You buy two separate tickets, which is why you need to be aware that the connection is not protected.

The international airport in Iceland, Keflavik, can certainly be a stop for adventure if you spend a few days exploring the island. Icelandair and Wow Air offer competitive fares.

Lisbon is a warmer, cheaper option, and TAP offers plenty of deals on the evening flight from Heathrow. You can stay overnight in the Portuguese capital (at your expense), enjoy most of the following day in Lisbon and continue on at 5pm to New York JFK, arriving at 8pm. The airport is just a few miles from the centre, which makes for quick, cheap access.

If you are prepared to tolerate a much longer journey, then Ukraine looks good (at least in summer): fly from Gatwick at lunchtime, arrive in Kiev late afternoon, in time for exploration and dinner in the Ukrainian capital, followed by a comfortable 11.25pm departure for New York next morning. But the overall air distance is more than 6,000 miles, compared with around 3,500 miles direct from London to New York.

Most adventurous is the Faroes connection – though it is not yet up and running. Atlantic Airways, the Danish archipelago’s airline, has filed for permission to fly from the Faroe Islands to New York from “late summer 2019”. Fly from Edinburgh to the Faroes on Atlantic Airways’ twice-weekly service and you can explore the Faroes before the onward flight from the North Atlantic to the Big Apple.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question.Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder