cuddy

My family and I (four of us) will be holidaying in NY and need advice on getting from JFK to our hotel at 75th Street. Although we will not have much luggage I dont fancy public transport with two children in tow. Friends advised a taxi, others talk about a service car. How does one go about booking a service car, what is the cost in comparison to taxi and are there courtesy phones for service cars in baggage collection area. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Marilyn

For four of you plus luggage, a car service (that's what it's usually called) would be a good way to get into the city.

It will cost approximately the same as a taxi, if you use one of the less expensive car services, or it can cost $20-30 more, if you use one of the more expensive services.

You must book it ahead of time. You cannot wait until you arrive at the airport. Call them on their 800 number at least 24 hours before your flight and make a reservation (assuming you are calling within the US). Or you can probably reserve on line these days, but I've always phoned. They will ask you how many passengers and how much luggage. The car is usually a Lincoln town car or something similar. Here are a couple of the cheaper ones:
Tel Aviv 800-222-9888(www.telavivlimo.com)
Carmel 1-800-9-CARMEL (www.carmellimo.com)

Be aware that these services are not entirely without their problems. I've used 3 or 4 of them dozens of times over the years, and 99% of the time it's just fine. Every once in a while there's a glitch. Much easier to manage in these days of cell phones.

QC

There is a flat rate of $45 (exclusive of tolls and gratuity) for taxis from JFK Airport to any destination in Manhattan. Tolls are about $4 (pay it, it saves time), it is customary to tip 10-15%, so that's another 6 or 7 dollars. Official taxis are orange-yellow and can be gotten from dispatchers at the terminal. It is ONE PRICE for all passengers, maximum of 4.

Car Services, of which there are many companies, will cost roughly the same amount. There is no need to book ahead of time, a car is a car, in my opinion. There are ALWAYS taxis at JFK. Sometimes it is difficult to find phones in the terminal.

I always use taxis, never any trouble.

nytraveler

I agree to take a taxi into the city is almost always faster than a car service. With the latter you have to find the driver - who always seem confused, lost, or waiting in the wrong area. You then have to drag all of you luggage out into the parking area to find the car (for security reasons they aren't allowed to wait near the exits.)

DO NOT take any cars offered on the spot. This is illegal - and the drivers often try to cheat you by changing the price they have agreed upon ("I really menat X per person - not for all of you " or "it's XX more for luggage".)

You may have to stand in line a few minutes for a cab - but it's shorter in the long run.

The fare is a flat $45, plus toll for bridge or tunnel., IMHO tip is at least 15% in NYC - and for shorter rides should be more like 20%. IMHO 10% is miserly.

Marilyn

However, there is sometimes quite a long queue for taxis at JFK. I've waited as long as half an hour, which can be unpleasant on a cold winter evening. With 4 people and luggage, you would need one of those larger cabs.

DRaegirl13

I would recommend a car service- the one I us ewhen returning from out of town is Dial7 Car Service- (212)777-7777. I haven't ever had any problems- always about a 5 minute wait.

mclaurie

Dial7 is actually the same as either Carmel or Tel Aviv, can't remember. They both have courtesy phones in the baggage claim area. They usually ask you to phone them when you've gotten your luggage and the car arrives within minutes.

It's 6 of one half a dozen of the other to me b/w the taxi or the cheaper car services. They each have their pros and cons. If you want to give yourselves a treat and spend a bit more, a nicer car service with a stretch limo for a bit more room might be nice. Crown limo (1800mycrown.com) or Bermuda limo (http://www.bermudalimo.com/) are both good.

lmavolio

Take a taxi. As someone mentioned, there are ALWAYS a huge line of taxis waiting outside of the airport. Even if there is a long line of people waiting, it moves fast and it shouldn't take longer than 5-10 minutes to get one. Make sure you take the official yellow cabs and don't go with the people standing outside saying "taxi, taxi" - those are the independent cabs and will charge you a lot more.