From Manhattan, taking public transportation to the New York City area airports is already not the most straightforward process. And to add insult to injury, starting on November 1, AirTrain fares that connect public transit to the JFK and Newark go up in price — from $5.00 to $7.75.
There are a handful of ways to get from Manhattan to JFK, and all the mass transit options require you to take an AirTrain.
JFK Airport | Image by John Fitzburn | Wikimedia Commons
The same goes for Newark Airport. The most likely scenario from Manhattan is to take an NJTransit train from New York Penn Station to the airport, and then transfer to the AirTrain.
AirTrain Delays
I frequently experience delays with the AirTrain, especially at JFK where nightly construction often forces a limited schedule of one AirTrain every 15-20 minutes. That’s simply unacceptable for an airport transportation option.
Now, with increased fares, will that mean better service? Knowing the Port Authority (the organization that runs the area airports), most likely not.
AirTrain Fares All-In
These fares only include access to the transit stations — and does not include the subway fare, Long Island Railroad, NJTransit, etc.
When you add in the mass transit fare, here’s what the total cost in each direction would be:
- JFK to Manhattan via subway = $10.50
- JFK to Manhattan via LIRR = $15.75 (peak train times, cheaper during off-peak)
- Newark to Manhattan via NJTransit = $14.75
The Uber Copter option to JFK is starting to look a little more affordable now…
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4 comments
I’ve done the transfer from EWR to Penn a couple of times now and it’s one of the most horrible transits in any of the airports I ever visit. In fact, of the 50+ airports I’ve flown to in the last decade, and taken transit into the city centre, it’s by far the worst. So I suppose that the >50% increase is to line the pockets of the incompetents who run the organisation.
It’s time to drain the swamp in New York and make the MTA great again.
Wow! That’s an increase! I live in Manhattan and fly to both EWR and JFK. For EWR, I usually prefer to take the Newark Airport express bus simply because it’s a nonstop ride (versus going to Penn station, go up/down stairs, take the EWR airtrain, etc.) For JFK, I take the subway but have one of those $25 for 10 rides airtrain MTA cards ($2.50 per ride.) Thankfully they’re not increasing that. If you go to JFK at least 5 times a year it’s worth it getting one of these MTA cards.
[…] New York City is raising the overall cost of public transit to the airport, San Francisco is taking a slightly different approach to try and stimulate revenue. […]