How I get to and from NYC airports

topping for FlaGirl219
(and adding in full names of the airports so this will come up in searches: Laguardia Newark Liberty
John F Kennedy)

Hi nyer, I was about to post a question concerning travelling from EWR to Brooklyn. suggestions please.

well, I don't ever go from the airports to Brooklyn, but if the NJ Transit/AIRTRAIN option seems reasonable (i.e. you are traveling light) then it's easy to take a subway from the Penn Station area (where NJ Transit lets you off in Manhattan)to most places in Brooklyn.

I can relay on how NOT to get from LGA into the city...a shuttle bus.

We took one last week instead of a car service and almost spent longer on the shuttle than we did on the plane from Birmingham.

On our return, we used the Dial 7 car service. We were at the airport in less than 30 minutes.

"Hi nyer, I was about to post a question concerning travelling from EWR to Brooklyn. suggestions please"

The train from Penn Station is still your best bet. Numerous subway lines run from Brooklyn to Penn Station or within a block or two of Penn Station. The A & c and 2 and 3 arrive right under Penn Station. The B, D, F, N, Q, and R all within a block at 34th.

When flying out of JFK (on a work day), I board the E train here in Midtown to go out to the Air Train. It really is incredibly simple and costs me $5 and takes 45 minutes to an hour.

Note: I almost always travel by myself and rarely with much luggage. That said, if I'm traveling with someone else I will still opt to take the subway. I've occasionally had nail-biting rides out to the airport due to traffic; the subway is predictable.

When flying out of LGA (which I try to avoid), I've actually opted to take my time and take public transportation. I take the F train two stops into Queens and then take the Q33 bus. This is "free" because I have unlimited subway pass. I have this pretty much down pat but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to the average tourist. Takes 60-90 minutes depending on where I'm coming from.

We always do car service to the airport (since you don;t want to be trekking the streets with luggage looking for a cab) and a cab back from the airport (unless we're landing late at night, except for EWR - we always use a car service).

Living here in the city we use public transit all the time - but are allergic to luggage on public transit - just way too much trouble - unless you're a poor student with just a small carry-on.

Topping again because there are so
many of these questions these days!

How about adding your opinions/ideas/suggestions/tips here?

I NEED HELP WITH THIS QUESTION...

We are flying into JFK and staying at the Grand Hyatt. What is the best way to get to the Hyatt? We would like to take a shuttle to save some money (versus taxi). There is two of us. But is taking a shuttle a pain? And which shuttle service is best? Of should we just take a taxi? Sorry if this has been asked before.

Thanks!

This co. has a stop right near Grand Central (where your hotel is). It's $15/person.
http://www.nyairportservice.com/

Do NOT use Super Shuttle (or any other service that drops people off at their hotels).

Cannot reiterate strongly enough NOT to use shuttles that drop people off at their hotels.

You can easily end up driving around in traffic for an hour or more while they drop others off first. Last night I was walking past a hotel in my neighborhood and heard a couple arguing with the drive of SuperShuttle - complaining that their plane had landed almost 4 hours before and they had had to

1) wait almost 40 minutes to be picked up

2) had to sit on the bus going to 6 other hotels before arriving a theirs

The driver said "That's the way these shuttles work".

And it's the luck of the draw how many other people will get on, how many different hotels they will be staying at, and where in the order yours will be (trips will vary depending on selection of hotels).

A bus to Grand Central or Port Authority is fine - but then you need to make your way to your hotel (via foot or cab or subway). So take that into account when deciding on bus versus cab.

The easiest way to get official, up to date info on this topic is to

1) go to www.panynj.gov
2) click on [All Airports]
3) click on the airport of interest
4) click on [Ground Transportation]
5) select the transport of choice

For instance, here is all you really need to know about taxis at JFK:
www.panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/airports/html/ken_taxi.html

We will be flying into LaGuardia and staying at the Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel on Lexington and 51st. Do you suggest a car service or a taxi into manhattan?

Laurina,
Since there are at least two of you arriving at LGA, take a taxi. It will cost about the same as a bus to Grand Central and take you directly to your hotel.

We find taxis easiest to take in from the airport - since there are so many of them waiting for passengers.

For getting TO the airport we use car services - so we don't have to drag our luggage out into the street and search for a cab (which can be time-consuming - esp in bad weather or at rush hour).

Thanks for the heads up on the
Shared Shuttles.
If I fly into Newark, I can take the Liberty Express for a senior rate of $15 return and it goes right to Grand Central and Port Authority.
This sounds like a good plan. Am I right?
If I took the Air Train, does that only go to the subway, and so involve a change to the subway?

Kodi,

Air Train goes to the New Jersey Transit Newark Airport train station. From there, you take a NJ Transit train to New York/Penn Station. From there you walk, subway, bus, or taxi to your destination.

The bus you suggest is especially good if you're staying near Times Square (Port Authority) or on the east side (GCT).

Please send suggestions.

4 (ladies) of us, flying in to LGA, arrival at 7 in the evening.

Car service to Embassy Suite? Which one?

Fly out 6:30 morning...Arrange car service?

This a dumb question so please be aware I am really seeking help.
What is the difference between car service and a taxi?

nyer:

Thanks everyone - great information.

Sandy

joebear,

A car service is a private company you contact ahead of time to pick up your group and take you to your destination. Car services have set rates for trips based on distance and class of vehicle (sedan, limo, van, and so forth).

A taxi in NYC is a "yellow cab" that cruises the streets looking for fares. Fares vary and are determined by the ticking meter which measures distance and waiting time. After dropping fares at the airport, taxis join the line to wait for fares. Sometimes there are plenty of taxis waiting, sometimes there aren't, so the line for a taxi can be fast or slow. Between JFK and Manhattan, there is a $45 flat fare plus tolls and tip. For LGA to Manhattan, the fare is on the meter, but should be about $25-$35 plus tolls and tip.

So if you can you wait to contact them when you arrive at the airport in case your plane is delayed? Will they have time to get there while we gather luggage or should I call and give arrival time?

Most people prearrange a car service before the trip, with flight arrival time included. The driver would be waiting for you outside baggage claim, having parked the car somewhere.

Before cellphones, this meant that you'd often pay for the driver's waiting time if the plane was late. Now with cellphones, the driver is in the airport somewhere circling. You call once you've landed or cleared baggage (the service will tell you which) and then you head to the meeting point.

I think some services might allow you to just call when you arrive to arrange a car, but if they don't have a free car in the area you could be waiting quite a while.

Just what I needed to know. Want the girls trip to be wonderful memory. SO I am working on small details to maximize travel time.

Thank you!! I will call just before boarding plane to arrange car service.

To airports we always take a car service. From LGA to JFK we usually take a cab home. From Newark we take a car service- since Jersey cabs can leave something to be desired - and there can be waits - esp later at night.

There are all sorts of other options as noted above - but I'm allergic to luggage on public transport. I just want to hand the bag to the driver and sit until we get to the airport or home - no thinking or dealing with stairs, timetables, tickets or any other nonsense.

<<Thank you!! I will call just before boarding plane to arrange car service. >>

YOu could make this arrangement days ahead as well. Just give them your flight info and they will check arrival times.

Ellen, thanks so much for the information. For me on a budget, the express bus sounds great.

joebear,I call a car service when I've already picked up my luggage.

Usually, by the time I get outside to the designated waiting spot (they will tell you exactly where), the car is just about there or I have to wait just a few minutes.

If you call in advance, they will probably charge you for parking and possibly waiting time (especially in case your flight is delayed). There is only so much cruising space at JFK, and with the price of gas, no driver will circle around waiting for a call.

I also really doubt that they would check flight schedules to see when a flight arrives (and therefore save you the waiting time if the flight is known to be delayed).
And even if they know exactly when a flight arrives they wouldn't know if you'll be the first one off the plane, first through customs (if an international flight) and coming with only carryon luggage.
If you are last off, get stuck in a customs line, and your luggage comes out last, it could easily be an hour or more late that "arrival" time. They are definitely going to charge you for that time somehow.

So, if it's important to have a car waiting for you, you can order in advance. But it will end up costing more, even if your plane is on time

Good to know, since we are traveling with 2 teenage girls saving $ is tops.

Can you just get in the taxi line and it is safe?

Certainly it's safe to stand in line and get a taxi. Coming from LGA into Manhattan (sorry, I thought before you said JFK)the taxi fare is on the meter, not a set fare. I prefer a car service so that I don't get stressed watching the fare go up and up if there's a lot of traffic How much traffic there is, both near the airport or in Manhattan, and near your hotel, will depend on the date you arrive (Right before a holiday? Some other special event going on?) and the weather, among other things.

If you have cell phones with you, you can always see how long the taxi line is or how bad the weather is, and call a car service if it makes sense for you.
Get the phone numbers (and probably some online discount coupons) for a couple of car services to keep handy if you choose that option

Thank you, I think we might feel more comfortable with the car service. Will call when we get our luggage. If we have to wait a bit, we can.

I just wondered if I have booked my car service correctly...I am coming into JFK with my Mum in a week or so and I booked the car for an hour later than the arrival of the aircraft to cater for customs and disembarkation - does this sound like enough time to get through these formalities...yes, I know, I probably might as well as how long a piece of string is -- but does it seem like a good idea to book an hour later rather than when the plane lands? Scratching head wondering if I have done the right thing. The company is Dial7. Many thanks, Stephanie

felini, If I absolutely HAD to pick an exact amount of time I;d say that it takes to get through customs etc I would have said an hour .
BUT:
DO you have US passports? If not, you go through immigration in a different line. Sometimes these lines are much longer than the lines for US citizens, occasionally not. It depends on how many and what flights are arriving from what countries.
Also even if you have zero problems yourself in passing through, the lines sometime move slower because others ahead of you have problems with their paperwork

Are you checking luggage? Could come out right away, could take an hour just for that.

Customs is usually very quick unless they have the agriculture dogs out and about sniffing for people trying to bring unapproved food items.

So, is an hour about right? I guess so, but you never really know...
I'm one of those who always arrange my transportation (car service or taxi) after I'm done with all the bureaucracy

nyer- if you're sampling our methods, I take the local bus when flying into LaGuardia. It is so easy and convenient. I forget the numbers but it was $2 and you hop on right outside the terminal. I take it all the way to its final stop at 106th(?) and Broadway, right through Harlem. From there, it is only 3 blocks walk to my hotel for overnight and in the morning I leave and take the train/subway downtown to my "real" hotel.

On my return, I did the same thing in reverse and there was a businessman in a suit waiting for this bus to the airport. He said his company pays all his expenses but he just couldn't see spending their money on a cab when this bus is so cheap and easy.

bookmarking

My husband,21 year old daughter and I will be coming into EWR and going to Embassy Suites in Manhattan. We will be arriving around 11:00 am. Considering weather conditions (mid-December) and it will nearly be lunch time, would you suggest a car service? And if so, do you have any recommendations?
Thank you!

nyer, my experiences with car services seems to differ with your advice.

It is my understanding the car service cars do not cruise - they wait in the 'cell phone lots' off the terminals. As a nyer myself, I call the car service the night before the pick up, make a reservation and get the discount coupon code if I have one.

I am always instructed to call the car service number when I have cleared baggage claim. When I do that, I am given a meeting spot (the exit door number) and a car number. The car arrives within 10 minutes or so. No waiting charge. And the car services do check the flight arrival times - drivers have told me so. When I am traveling with my family, as neurotic NYers, I make my husband get the luggage while I call the car service - that saves 10 minutes!!!

I'm curious with your system - what is the longest you've had to wait for a car to show up? What if the service doesn't have anyone at the airport? Occasionally you will find a car service car cruising, if he is trying to pick up a fare going back to Manhattan after a drop off, but you can't count on it.

MP-
I'm with you. I was a little confused myself about the other comments. I live in NYC. When and if I use a car service like Dial7, Carmel, etc I call IN ADVANCE (like 2 days before a flight) to book. They tell me to call them once I've gotten my luggage and then you go outside to wait. I haven't gotten charged a waiting fee or anything like that. The only time that could really happen is when they pick you up and you are running 15 minutes late or something.

This is how I get to the airport from midtown Manhattan (east side):
1. LGA - cab. It's the cheapest method for me and I don't feel like figuring out the bus, no matter how easy it is.

2. JFK - if I have smallish luggage I like the Air Train. It's great! I pick up the E on 53rd and Lex and just cruise out on the subway to the Air Train. It's really easy. If I'm going on a big trip with more luggage I call a car service ahead of time. On the way home I usually just get a cab from the airport because the price is very similar to the car service.

3. EWK - I avoid it like the plague. But if I had to go there and had little luggage again the Air Train seems good. Or I'd get a car service. I've had too many cabbies give me a hard time - despite being VERY nice to them to start with -that I'd rather be safe than sorry.

To answer some of the questions posed to me: using "my" system, I've never waited more than 10 minutes or so for a car service.

My guess (and I admit this is really a guess) is that when you call and make a "reservation" in advance but don't prepay and/or ask for 'meet and greet' type service, they are not really guaranteeing you that someone will be at the airport especially for you. They just use it as a way to gauge how many cars they need in an area at a given time.

If they were really guaranteeing it--what's the point of having you call when you pick up your bags? If your flight is late or it takes you an especially long time to get out because of baggage issues, and they have to wait for you--why would they wait without charging for their time?

I figure, whether you call in advance, or whether you call when you get out of baggage claim, chances are a car will show up within a short time.

Ahh . . perhaps it's just a matter of temperment, then - nyer you say "chances are" - I'm too neurotic to leave things up to chance. Maybe I'm deluded, but I like to have a reservation - one less thing to worry about.

My understanding about why you call after baggage claim is, it's not about the waiting time as much about where the driver waits. The drivers wait in the cab stand lots past the short term parking. Cruising is a waste of gas.

Meet and greet means the driver has to park and leave the car - he can't park at the curb. Hell, they can't even wait more than 5 minutes at the curb. For meet and greets they would have to pay for parking.

I get what everyone is saying, but I still think that no company would have a driver wait at the airport (even staying put at a "cell phone lot" rather than cruising around wasting gas)without charging for that time. I think that the cars that are hanging around the airport are there because they had recently dropped someone off, not because they were specially called to be there. My opinion, for what it's worth!

I would definitely NOT suggest that anyone try to get a car TO the airport at the last minute, but since so many of the pre-arranged trips go to airports, you can feel pretty confident that you will be able to snag one of the cars for a trip back to the city.


The bottom line is that the car services mentioned by people here have generally been reliable and we feel comfortable recommending them.

Nyer-with total respect I disagree. I am not comfortable recommending some of these services as I've been screwed in the past. With at least 2 of them they failed to pick me up in the AM in a timely manner, and did not even have the courtesy to call to tell me! I waited for 15-20 minutes and finally called, only to be told there was a delay. When I said "why did you not call to tell me?" they had no excuse. Also, I usually pay cash so I can use the coupons and have NOT had trouble when getting picked UP at the airport. You get off the plane, get your luggage, and then call to say you are there. I do believe that these companies monitor flights to see if you are going to be arriving on time or not (the one my father uses does). Or you can call from your departing airport to say you will be late if you know there is a delay. In any case, I personally have not had a problem getting picked up at the airport. I usually have to wait 10-15 minutes after I get my luggage for the car to come around, but NEVER have I been charged for a "waiting time" if I got in later than expected and wanted the car to pick me up. I also plan both the trip to and from the airport BEFORE my trip and would not, like mp, leave it up to chance to just hope to call a service once arriving back in NYC that a car is available. If I were going to do that I'd take a cab or the Air Train if at JFK or EWK.

No offense taken, Skiergirl

Maybe I should have said something like "Those of us who do recommend these car services feel comfortable doing so, regardless of whether they actually reserve cars in advance or just dispatch the ones that they already have at the airports".

People are pretty passionate about the Supershuttle and similar services too. I think (without having actually counted) that more people here find them unreliable than reliable, but it is an option that people might consider.

As I said in my first post, it's all anecdotal. So many people ask about how to get to/from the airports that I hope this and other posts have helped them make their own best choices.

I totally agree about Super Shuttle. It sucks big time. One time I was on it for about 1.5 hours, going from Midtown East to the Bronx to Harlem and somewhere else before going to JFK! It was ridiculous. I realized then and there that sometimes you have to pay more money for the convenience and haven't looked back since.

I don't know who they are (livery cabs?) but those guys who come up to you at the airport and ask if you want a cab are bad news. There is no set rate-I think-so they prey on tourists and set their own rates, which I would assume to be higher than normal. I could be wrong on this but they ask me all the time and I always say NO THANKS!!!!

> don't know who they are (livery cabs?)
> but those guys who come up to you
> at the airport and ask if you want a cab

"Who they are" is very simple. They're criminals. Soliciting customers for rides in a NY airport is completely illegal. The reason these people don't just wait in line at the airport is because they can't legally operate a cab in NYC, either because they don't (1) have safe cars or (2) charge fair rates.

Car service.
Definitely.

One time I was on it for about 1.5 hours, going from Midtown East to the Bronx to Harlem and somewhere else before going to JFK! It was ridiculous.

this happened to me in LA once - it took more 1-1/4 hours to get from LAX to Santa Monica (about 8 miles). That was the one and only time I've ever used SuperShuttle, anywhere.

In NY, we recently called for a car (Carmel) to pick us up in midtown to go to LGA and it was great. We came downstairs and there he was, trunk open and ready to go. Anecdotal evidence, again. We've always taken cabs (from LGA) or AirTrain (from JFK) INTO Manhattan.

I have used Carmel Limousine Service every time arriving/departing N.Y. with 100% satisfaction. I have always booked at least a week in advance of arrival/departure; they are very professional. If someone has had poor experience with them, let them advise on this board as well.

WHere do you access the discount coupons for car service?