I would like some help and guidance with airport transportation into the city, I will be arriving to NYC JFK at 8am traveling solo. I will be coming off a long flight from the middle east with a large piece of luggage. I have done some online research and there just isn't any clear choice. I'm not sure that I will have the patience for a budget shared shuttle service or be willing to haul a ton of luggage on public transit. So the question is ...do I bite the bullet and pay for private transfer ? If so do I go with a cab or reserved car?

Getting into NYC seems a little more complicated than other major centers like London and Paris. Any help or insight would be much appreciated.

Taxis from JFK to NYC have a flat rate of $55, plus tolls and tip, for a total of $65-70. That would be the easiest option.

If cost is a factor, there is also a regular Airport bus service - NYCAirporter.com - that picks you up at the terminal and drops you off at Grand Central, Port Authority or Penn Station. It's pretty efficient and costs $16 one way. You can then take a taxi to your hotel.

It's not the same as the SuperShuttle, which drops passengers at their hotels and can take much longer.

Getting into NYC is almost exactly like London. You take an airport train to a major train line or to a subway station and then into the city. Just as in London or Paris, and you have all the other options as well, perhaps more. But you haven't given us the important piece of information on where you're staying or the day you are arriving, both of which affect your costs considerably. That is crucial, as unlike London or Paris you actually have a few different choices for subway connections.

If you have a big heavy piece of luggage, you may want to consider a car service like Dial 7, which is cheaper than a regular taxi. You make a reservation in advance and then call dispatch on arrival, meeting up with the car outside your terminal in about 10 minutes. (The taxi line is almost always faster, though). Either option is going to cost you about $70, and that's a lot of money.

Taking the Airtrain/subway costs $7.50, but it's hard with a big bag. You will likely have to navigate some stairs, perhaps a lot of them depending on where you're going, and perhaps make a subway connection, which can be difficult.

Taking the Airtrain to the Long Island Railroad (the fastest option by far), costs $11.50 to $16.50 depending on the day and time (rush hour on a weekday is the most expensive).

Taking a shared shuttle to a major connection point in Manhattan costs about $14; then you can take a regular taxi to your hotel. This costs about half of the cost of a taxi from the airport and is probably your easiest option. Taking a shared shuttle directly to your hotel (with all the stops) costs the same but can take considerably longer but will obviously be cheaper.

I can't tell you if your time is worth the cost.

A lot of people find it difficult to navigate subway cars with no luggage storage and many stairs when they have a big bag. But you also have to consider that all trains are VERY crowded on weekday mornings. Very crowded indeed. But you probably will not be out of the airport before 10am, so you should miss the worst of the rush hour even on a busy weekday.

JFK is in NYC. Taxis to Manhattan have a flat rate

I don't mean to sound condescending but you are asking for others to make a decision that only YOU can make.

Go to this website: http://www.panynj.gov/airports/jfk.html

Use the "Ground Transportation" dropdown menu and you'll find clear and concise summaries of the various options available to you.

You already know the shortcomings of using a shared shuttle or public transportation and have ruled them out. That pretty much leaves going with a taxi or reserved car. The biggest difference in those options is the cost and "waiting time".

The taxi will be your least expensive "private transfer" option but could entail anywhere from a minimal wait time to 15 or 20 minutes to actually get the taxi depending on how many people are in the queue waiting for taxis. FYI - on those instances when I've used a taxi I've never waited more than 5 or 6 minutes.

If you use a "lower priced" car service such as Carmel or Dial 7 it will cost more than the taxi but less than a "high priced" limo service like Carey Limos. You might have to wait 5 or 10 minutes for the driver to link up with you but other times the driver will be waiting for you when you exit the luggage claim/customs area. The obvious advantage to this vs. the taxi is the car is "just for you".

If you use the higher priced private limo the driver will definitely be waiting for you are you exit the luggage/customs area. The main difference between a "car service" vs. "private limo" is the latter will have newer vehicles and a slightly better luxury feel. For that you'll pay a premium which may not be worth doing unless you like and can afford the high end luxury.

If you use taxi or car service getting to NYC from JFK is easy as pie - you get in the car and the driver takes you where you want to go. Simple, quick and efficient.

Thanks for the info. I am staying in Midtown down the street from port authority bus station, which makes it convenient. I would easily take the metro, however I won't be able to manage with luggage. The NYCAirporter looks like a good option.

On average how long does it take to get into the city via Cab? Obviously this depends on traffic and such, but a ballpark time.

I will be returning to the airport with two other people, so we will book a car service then.

Getting from JFK to Port Authority will depend on traffic, construction and weather. Best time is about 40 minutes - but if you run into a lot of jams it can take 1.5 hours.

NYC Airporter will likely take slightly longer since it may stop at a couple of different terminals.

Supershuttle will take forever, is very unreliable and is not recommended.

Car services are NOT more expensive than cabs. Go to the website of Dial 7 or Carmel and look at the prices and discounts available. In addition to the fare you will (as with a cab) pay the bridge or tunnel toll and a tip (20% is usual - unless you have a ton of luggage for the driver to haul around).

During rush hour a taxi takes over an hour. I can't see your being able to get to the Port Authority on a weekday in any less than an hour. (It can often take 30 minutes just to cross Manhattan on a busy weekday.) Either way, you pay a flat rate whether you go by car service or taxi. But a car service is cheaper. There's a toll of about $7 coming into Manhattan if you go through the Midtown Tunnel, which most taxis prefer.

And paradoxically, a car service is cheaper by about $8 FROM the airport (at least right now) but more expensive TO the airport. This is probably because people don't like to wait for the car to arrive and usually just jump in a regular taxi line at JFK. I know I've been greatly annoyed by how difficult it was to meet up with a car at JFK at Terminal 4 in particular. The regular taxi line would have taken less than half the time.